The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-08-27

u
ing. ! say, though, Mr.. Proctor, havn't
you got mighty close up to that hundred 2"
Half an hour later Maxon looked in
again, his face lit up with mischievous
smile.
"Don't you want TO take look at your
new hand now, Mr.. Proctor. He's just
like the rest of them sitting on lumber
pile all doubled up with pain in"
A flying Spanish conversation book
checked further intelligence and Maxon
lodged around the corner to escape other
missiles. At six o'clock, when the hands
came up to receive pay for their days
labor, John Proctor saw his protege stand
ing off little distance. The man made
no demand for wages, and his employer
took no notice of him. AS the men filed
out the express agent of the Plumbago
City train, personal friend of Proctor's,
came running into the Office with pack
age in his hand.
"Here, Proctor, run them over quickly
and sign this receipt. It's the $4,000
from Jusres & Signor. 1 haven't mo-
ment to spare"
The lumberman hastily counted the
notes, signed his name to the receipt, in
bold, dsshing hand, and the agent hurried
off. Left alone, Proctor drew from his
pocket long, Russia leather pocket-book,
aud laid the notes carefully inside. As
he thrust this into his breast pocket he
CHANGED to glance toward the window,
and encountered the hungry eyes of the
tramp sharply following his movements
from without. AS the man saw that he
was detected, he paused, seemed about to
speak, then changed his mind and saun.
tered carelessly away. A vague anxiety
assailed John Proctor. 1t was long after
banking hours: there was no help for it I;
he must be custodian of his treasure until
morning.
He sat up late that night. The pay
ment of this sum was all that was neces-
sary to make the eastern trip a definite
and tangible matter. There was pile of
correspondence to be turned off and
letter to be dispatched 70 that little
woman in Illinois, telling her to discharge
her music pupils and make ready for his
coming. When he had finished his let
ters he sat quietly for awhile in his big
arm chair. 1t was very late when he rose,
and, locking doors and windows, pro-
ceeded to the little inner room where he
slept. He drew off his coat, and folding
it carefully, placed it beneath his pillow.
Then he examined the barrels of an En-.
glish bulldog pistol, which hung upon a
hook beside his bed. Reassured by this
precaution he sank into heavy sleep.
Several hours before man had crswled
upon low pile of planks, fanked by
two others of towering height. As he
stretched himself at length, with bun.
die of shakes for pillow, he philosophi-
cally reflected that such bed was not to
be despised. He was not ill qualified to
Judge for his experience had been wide
and diversified, and he had learned to
weigh the most delicate points of variance
with the fine discrimination OF q con-
noisseur. He had travelled half way
across the continent without once know
ing the shelter of civilized roof. He had
tented beneath the fragrant shades of
orange groves in southern California, and,
in waving fields of golden grain, passed
some terrible July nights on the Colorado
desert, where the mercury marks Ito de-
grees at midnight, parching for water
and choking with the hot dust of the
arid waste, waking at daybreak to find
the delusive mirage hooking him in the
distance. He had sunk down exhausted
on the barren plateaus of Arizona and
reused to find himself stabbed in thous-
and places by the minute cactus needles,
cast upon him by the malicious breeze
ever lured on by the sweet face of q
child who had smiled farewell through q
mist of tears.
The quiet of the place, the gently stir.
ring air odorous with the fragrance of the
pine woods, the sleepy twinkle of the
muscles unaccustomed to labor, soon
lulled him into slumber.
A little later, two glowing sparks Of
fire seemed to glide down the railroad
track, stole around the office and dis
appeared within the long drying shed al
its rear. During their progress these
sparks of fire occasionally described mag.
nifcent curves in the air, in the accentu
alton of certain rhythmical utterances in
the corrupted Spanish of the Mexican
tongue. The lowest Mexican peon, who
all his life goes half clothed, hall fed anG
unsheltered, handles his cigar or cigarette
with the fine pomposity and careless
grace of the proudest hidalgo.
John Proctor awoke that night to fine
himself assaulted by foe mightier thar
his feeble imagination had pictured. He
tried to rise but found himself unable te
move, oppressed by terrible sense o.
suffocation from dense volumes of smoke
which filled the air, through which vas
sheets of flame darted their forkec
tongues toward him. Suddenly the wal
of flame and smoke was parted, and the
face of the tramp bent over him. HI
was roughly shaken, pushed off the bed
half dragged, half carried through tn,
little private Office and into the large
room beyond, where the fire had begun
its work of devastation. Then voice anC
memory came back and he shouted
"My notes In my coat pocket-unde
the pillow-let me go"
For answer he was violently propelled
forward into the arms of some men
eagerly crowding through the flaming
doorway. He struggled to free himsel
from their vise-like grasp. He fought will
them, cursed them, and finally brok
down and cried like a child. Maxon'
fierce tones recalled him to himself.
"Why, man, do you think we woult
let you 60 into that fiery furnace again
See There goes the roof now"
With gentle waving motion, the roo
seemed to slowly vibrate to and fro, thei
sank down with sudden crash, and
flying column of sparks celebrated it
downfall.