The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-14

start clear with everybody He will ask Ethel
too, to forgive him. Is there nothing he can do
to please her! Yes; some time ago she had
asked him to draw something for her (He de-
tests drawing lessons, but he has rather a taste
for drawing things out of his own head He
had told her, not too civilly, that he had work
enough without doing drawings for girls He
will paint her something tonight as a sur
prise; he will begin as soon as tea is cleared
away; it will be more sociable than reading a
book.
And then already he sees vision of the warm
little paneled room, and himself getting out his
color box and sitting down to paint by lamp
light-for any light does for his kind of color
ing-while his mother sits opposite, and Lionel
watches the picture growing under his hand.
What shall he draw? He gets quite absorbed
in thinking over this his own tastes run in
CORY direction, but perhaps Ethel being girl
may not care for battles or desperate duels
compromise strikes him; he will draw pirate
ship; that will be first-rate, with the black flag
flying on the mainmast and the pirate captain
on the poop securing the ocean with big glass
in search of merchantmen; all about the deck
and rigging he can put the crew, with red caps
and belts stuck full of pistols and daggers.
And on the right there shall be bit of the
pirate island, with mast and another black
tag-he knows he will enjoy picking out the
skull and cross bones in thick Chinese white
and then if there is ROOM he will add can
non, and perhaps palm tree A pirate island
always has palm trees
He is so full of this projected picture of his
that he is quite surprised to find that he is very
near the square where he lives: but here, just in
front of him at the end of the narrow lane, is
the public house with the coach and four en-
graved on the ground glass of the lower part of
the window, and the bottles full of colored water
ranged above.
And here is the green grocers-how long is it
since it a BARRIERS! Surely a very little time
and there is the boot-makers, with its outside
display of dangling shoes and the row of naked
gas-jets blown to pae-blue specks and whistling
hxy frt1Gt
them
This is his home this dingy, oldfashioned red
brick house at an angle of the square, with
small paved space rallied in before it. He pushes
open the old gate with the iron arch above,
where an oil lamp used to hang, and hurries up
to the door with the heavy Georgian porch, i'm
patient to get to the warmth and light which
await him within
The bell has got out of order, for only faint
jangle comes from below as he rings; he waits
little and then pulls the handle again. more
sharply this time and still no one comes.
When Betty does think proper to come up and
open the door he will tell her that it is too bad
keeping fellow standing out here in the fog
and cold all this time. She is coming
at last-no; it was fancy; it seems as if Betty
had slipped out for something, and perhaps the
cook is up stairs, and his mother may be doing
by the fire. as she has begun to do Of late.
Losing all patience, he gropes for the knocker,
and cropping in van begins to hammer with
both fists on the door, louder and louder, until
he is interrupted by rough voice from the
ratings behind him.
Now then, what are you up to there, ehP
says the voice, which belongs to burly police
who has stopped suspiciously on the pave
ment
''Why" says Rolleston, II want to get in and
l can't make them hear me. 1 wish you'd try
what you can do; will you?"
The policeman comes slowly in to the gate.
Il dessay," he says jocularly. us there any
think else? Come, suppose you move on"
A cur0us kind of dread of he knows not what
begins to creep over Wilfred at this.
''Move on? he cries; ''why should I move on9
This is my house, don't you sect live here
''Now, look ere, my joker, don't want a job
over this" says the constable stolidly You'll
bring a crowd around in another minute if you
keep on that 'ammering"
Mind your business" says the other,
with growing excitement
That's what shall have to do if you don't
look out, is the retort. "Will you move on be-
fore make you2"
But. 1 say" proteststs Rolleston, "Im not
joking | give you my word I'm not do live
here. Why, I've just come back from school,
and can't get tn"
'Pretty school you've come FROM growls the
policeman; candles on to your lesson books, if
knows anything. Ere, out you go"
RollestonS fear increases II WON'T | WON'T
he cries frantically, and rushing back to the
door beats upon it wildly. On the other side of
it are love and shelter and it will not open to
him. He is cold and hungry and tired after his
"Mother" he calls hoarsely. Can't you hear
me- mother? It's Wifred; let me in"
The other takes him-not roughly-by the
shoulder. Now you take my advice he says.
you amt quite yourself; you're making mis-
take don't want to get you in trouble if you
don't force me to it. Drop this ere tomfool
game and go home quiet to wherever it is you do
live"
Il tell you live here you foollr shrieks Will
fred, in deadly terror lest he should be forced
away before the door is ODened,
'And tell you you don't do nothing of the
sort, says the policeman, beginning to lose his
temper mo one don't live ere, nor amt done
not since I've bin on the beat. Use your eyes
if you're not too far gone"
For the first time Roleston seems to see
things plainly as they are; he glances round the
square-that is just it always is on foggy
winter evenings, with its central Enclosure a
shadowy black mass against reddish gim
mer, beyond which the lighted windows of the
houses glow in yellow bars of varying length
and tint.
But this house-his own-why, it is all shut
tered and dark; some of the window -panes are
broken there is a pale, gray patch in one that
looks like dingy bill; the knocker has been I'M
screwed from the door, and on its scraped panels
some one has scrubbed words and rough carica
lures that were surely not there when he left
that morning.
Can anything-any frightful dsaster-have
come in that short time? No, he will not think
of it; he will not let himself be terrified all for
nothing.
''Now, are you goin'~ says the policeman,
after pause
Roleston puts his back against the door and
clngs to the sides. ''No!" he shouts. II don't
care what you say; don't believe you; they are
all in there-they are l tell you, they are-they
are!"
In second he is in the constables strong
grasp, and being dragged, struggling violently
to the gate, when soft voice, woman's, inter
cedes for him.
"What is the matter9 Oh, don't-don't be so
rough with him, poor creature!" it cries, pitt
fully.
'im only exercisin' my duty, mum" says the
officer He wants to create a disturbance ere
get into my own house. and no one seems to hear
me- You don't think anything is wrong, do
you!"
1t is lady who has been pleading for him. as