The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1878-05-22
BRTCE

He came up the mountain road nj
nightfall, urging his lean mustang for
ward YEARLY, and coughing now and
then heavy, hollow cough that told its
own story.
There we're only two houses on the
mesa, stretching shaggy and somber
with grease wood from the base of the
mountains to the valley below-two nm
painted redwood dwellings, with their
clumps of trailing pepper trees and tat
tered bananas, mere specks of civiliza-
tion against stern background OF noun
lin side. The traveller halted before
one of them, bowing awkwardly as the
master of the house came out.
"Mr. Brandt, 1 reckoni"
Joel Brandt looked keenly into the
strangers face. Not a bad face certain
IL; shallow and drawn with suffering,
one of those hopelessly pathetic faces,
barely saved from the grotesque by q
pair of dull, wis full eyes.
Not that Joel Brandt saw anything
grotesque or pathetic about the man.
"Another sickly- looking stranger out
side, Barbara, wants TO try the air up
here Gan you keep him ? Or may be
the Fox's ill give him q berth"
Mrs. Brandt shook her head in house
wifely meditation.
"No, Mrs. Fox can't, that's certain.
She has an asthma and two bronchitises
there u now. What is the mattekWith him.
The strangers harsh, resonant cough
answered.
keep him? to be sure. You might
know I'd keep him, Joel; the night airs
no place for a man with a cough like
that. Bring him into the kitchen right
away"
The new conner spread his bony hands
over Mrs. Brandt's CHEEKY fire, and the
soft, dull eyes followed her movements
wistfully.
"The fire feels kind o honey, ma'am;
Oaliforny amt much of a place for fires,
"Been long on the coast, stranger ?"
Joel squared himself interrogatively.
"BouJ a week. I'm from Indianny.
- 8 my name-Posey Brice the boys
glass mill called me. was blowed
in a glass once" The speaker
turned to show an ugly scar on his neck.
"Didn't know where was for six weeks
thought hadn't Lit. When 1 come
to there was Loisy potterin' over me /;
but l amt been hugged since"
" Married ?"
The mans answer broke through the
patient LONELINESS of his face at once.
He fumbled in his pocket silently like
one who had no common disclosure to
make.
"What dye think O. them, stranger ?"
Joel took the little black case in his
H A NJ "a fQna-Tnf
grand or fair even-some bits of tawdry
fnery making its plainness plainer-and
beside it round-eyed boy pumped into
q high chair, and two little feet sticking
sturdily out in Joel's face.
Mrs Brandt looked over her hus-
bands shoulder with kindly curiosity.
"The boy favOrs you amazingly about
the mouth, bat he's got his mothers
eyes, and they are sharp KNOWN eyes
too. He's bright one, I'll be bound. "
" Yours, l reckon.
eyes, that's Loisy and the boy, "
fighting the conscious pride in his voice
like one who tried to do his honors
meekly.
He took the well-worn case again,
gazing into the two faces an instant with
helpless yearning and returning it to its
place. The very way he handled 1T was
caress, fastening the little brass hook
with scrupulous care.
"I'll be sendin' fur 'em when get
red o. this pesterin' cough"
A very quiet, unobtrusive guest Mrs.
Brandt found the man Brice talking
little save in a sudden gush of con
hdence, and always of his wife and child;
choosing a quiet corner of the kitchen