The sun., 1883-12-23

1 For the frst Tins thu Righ. Bower exhibited
4 some slight embarrassment.
l Il reckon It's held ur for spell" he said
| ostentntiousiy examining the weather and
we might rs we'll take run round tho claim to
see II we'vc forgotten nothing. o! course. we'll
| be back again." he added hastily. without
looking a; tho Old Man. before we 60. you
know"
| Tho others began to look for their hats. but
| so awkwardly and with such evident preoccu-
| patton OF mind that 1t was not at FIRST dis
covered that tho Judge had his already en-.
This raised a laugh. as did Alison clumsy STUN
bic OF Union Mills against the pork barrel. III
though that gentleman took refuge from his con.
| fusion and secured decent retreat by gross
| oxnCGeration of his lameness. as he limped
nf,cr tho Right Bower. The Judge whistled
feobly. The Left Bower. in more ambitious
| effort to impnrt n certain gayety to his exit.
stopped on the threshold and said. rs II in arch
| confidence to his companions. "Darned II the
| Old Man don't look two inches higher eince he
| became q proprietor" laughed patronizngly.
and vanished.
II the newly mado proprietor had increased
| In stature. he hnd not otherwise changed his
demeanor. He remained in tho same attitude
until tho last figure disappeared behind the
fringe Of buckeye that hid the distant highway.
Then he walked slowly to the fireplace. and.
leaning ngainst the chimney, kicked the dying
| embers together with his foot. Something
dropped and spattered in the film OF hot ashes.
Surely tho rain had not yet ceasedl
His high color had already fed. except for
spot on either cheek bone that lent bright
ness to his eyes. Ho glanced around the cabin.
| II looked familia and yet strange. Rather. II
looked strange because still familiar. and thore-
fore inconEruous. with the now atmosphere
that surrounded it-discordnnt with the echo
OF their last meeting and painfully accenting
| tho change. There were the four hunks. or
sleeping berths. Of his companions each still
| bearing some traces OF the individuality OF Its
| late occupant with dumb LOYALTY that seemed
to make their light-hearted detection mon
strous. In the dead ashes Of the Judges pipe
scattered on his shelf still lived his old fire in
the whitfield and carved edges of the Loft Bow
er's bunk still were the memories Of bygone
days OF delicious Incidence: In the bullet holes
clustered round knot Of one OF the beams
there was still the record OF the Right Bowers
| old time skill and practice; In the few engrav-
| ings OF female lovelness stuck upon zach
| head board. there were the proofs OF their old
| extravagant devotion-all mute protest to the
change.
He remembered how. a fatheress. truant
schoolboy. he had drfted into their adventur-
Gus nomaiic life-itseif life of erown-up
trunncy like his own-and became one Of that
gypsy family. How they had taken tho place
OF relations and household in his boyish fancy
filling 1t with the unsubstantial pageantry Of
| a child's play at grown-up existenoo-he knew
only too we'll. But how. from being a pet and
protjyS he had gradually and unconsciously
asserted his own individuality and taken
upon his younger shoulders not only poets
keen appreciation Of that life but its
actual responsibilities and half childish bur-
dens he never suspected. He had fondly be-
loved that he was Il neophyte in their ways-a
novice in their charming faith and indoent
creed-and .hey had encouraged it; now their
renunciation OF that faith could only be an ex-
cuse for q renunciation OF him. The poetry
that had for two years invested the material
and sometimes even moan "details OF their ex-
istence was too much a part OF himself to be
lightly dispelled. Tho lesson Of those ingenu-
Gus moralists failed. as such lessons are apt to
fail; their discipline provoked but did not sub
due; a rising Indignation. stirred by sense OF
injury. mounted to his cheek and eyes. 1t was
slow to come but was mono tho less violent that
1t had been preceded by the benumbing shock
OF shame and PRIDE
hope shall not prejudice tho readers SYM
pathies II my duty as simple chronicler CON-
peis me to state. therefore. that the sober sec
ond thought OF this gentle poet was to burn
down the cabin on the spot. with all its con.
tents. This yielded to q milder counsel-wait.
ing for the return OF tho party. challenging the
Right Bower. a duel to tho death. perhaps him
self tho victim. with the crushing explanation
in ertiemis. " 1t seems wo are one too many Nc
matter; 1t Is settled now FAREWELL" Dimly
remembering however. that there some.
thing OF this in the last we'll worn novel they
had road together. and that his antagonist
might recognize 1t. or even worse. anticipate il
himself. the :teG Was quickly rejected. Be.
!, silps the OpDOYtuDity for aDotheoSs n
self-sacrince was past. Nothing remained
, now but to refuse tho profIered bribe o.
, claim and cabin by letter for he must not wal
their return. He tore leaf from blottet
I diary. begun and abandoned long since, anC
essayed to write. Scrawl after scrawl was tori
' up until his fury had cooled down to frigit
' third personality. Mr.. John Ford regrets
, to inform his late partners that theil
tender OF house Of furniture" however
seemed too inconsistent with tho pork bar
= rel table he WAS writing on: more
eloquent renunciation OF their offer became
frivolous and idiotic from n caricature O
Union Mills. label and all. that appeared sud
I denly on the other side Of the loaf; and wher
he at last indited a satisfactory and impas
I stoned exposition OF his feelings the legiblt
adde1idd Of "Oh. amt you glad you're out q
a the wilderness?'-the forgotten first line OF
popular song which no scratching would erase
/ | beomou 100 ike al lTOulcdl pOSLScrlpL 10 Dt
thought OF for moment He threw aside hi
), pen and cast the discordant record OF pas
foolish pastime into the dead ashes Of thu
hearth.
How quiet 1t was. With the cessation OF thu
!, rain the wind. too. had gono down. and scarce
= ly n breath OF air came through the open door
= He walked to the threshold and gazed on tn,
q hushed prospect. In this lstless attitude HI
was family conscious OF distant reverbera
tion. q nero phantom Of sound-perhaps tn,
- explosion OF q distant blast in tho hills-tha
= left the silence more marked and oppressive
II Ashe turned again into the cabin u chang,
- seemed to have come over it. 1t already looket
old and decayed. Tho loneliness Of year
!, Of desertion seemed to have taken DOS
- session Of IT. the atmosphere OF dr.,
= rot was In the beams and rafters
;, To his excited fancy the few dsordere,
:, blankets and articles OF clothing seemed drop
u ping to pieces; In one Of the hunks there wa
:, hideous resemblance in the Longitudinal