Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-04-24

Tvs hOL SIG h1tGO hCI
eyes about, and John Earl
ing somehow caught himself fancying
more than once how those slow-mov-
ing orbs might scintillate and flame
with rage. But she seemed very gen.
tie. and only that something indeiin-
able suggested it, he would not have
been visited by thought so unseemly.
At first the conversation seemed q
little strained, but in a moment the old
lawyer brushed aside a lingering wisp
of trouble that seemed to lie across his
thoughts, and talked on in his graphic
jerky fashion of his travels and Incl
dents of life upon the Western slope.
Presently the conversation turned back
to Openstone, and Harry Whitney's
long absence was touched upon.
He sometimes writes to me-" said
John Earling. "He seems to find his
surroundings very agreeable at least.
can not entirely make him out. l
am afraid that he is no more in earnest
there than he was here. He has a deal
to say in his letters about boating,
sometimes something about art. and
throws in occasionally scrap or two Of
Greek or Latin"
II presume he will be great gen.
leman when he returns" said Maun.
eS, anu his ldIucE w III 1dIl IL CuSS-
in the minute he sets eyes on him
again." jerked the old lawyer " He
has dropped into profanity several
times to my knowledge since the boy
went away, on account of the money
he has had to furnish him, and he amt
liable to fall on his neck and weep a
power of water down the young chaps
back, or aSSaSSinate sight of veal,
when he does return. That Joers boy
should turn out a triple-plated dandy
would be too anomalous. He couldn't
stand it. Joel would as lief be hung
up by the eyelids in purgatory as to
have such n SON."
The young folks laughed. They
were forced to it ever and anon by
the old lawyers ridiculous illustra-
tons. He did not eat much. but the
food which he put in his mouth he ate
quickly, as if impatient to get it out of
his way.
81 understand that this callow lily
is coming home in September" he
went on, land that Joel and Mrs.
Whitney are going to dedicate their
new house, celebrate his twenty-first
birthday, and commemorate his return,
in grand unabridged blow out; sort
of divine Titanic splurge, whose int1u-
and ubiquitous Congressional force"
The old man laughed at this himself;
not so much evidently for the manner
in which he spilled the sentences from
his lips rs for JoePs ambition.
ado you like MIR. Whitney's house"
said Maun to John Earling.
Not so we'll as this or MIR. Bowers.
aid he. II particularly admire Judge
Bowers home for the reason that it
stands we'll back from the street out of
the dust, and has so many fine trees
and good lawn"
Eyes, l like it, said the girl, SIM
ply. Then with light laugh: PA is
vert~angry with Mr.. Whitney's."
" Gcwgawgery!" grunted the old
man. and was silent.
When they had gotten up from tea,
the old lawyer led John Earring across
the hall to show him his relics, he
said. Here was a long front room
with a smaller one back; both bare of
carpet. and having walls and ceilings
of a dull tan-color from smoke. Some
old-fashioncd wooden and splint-bot
toned chairs were scattered about,
and in the back room was an exceed
ingly hard and uncomfortable looking
| bed, with the great, shaggy head of q
moose looking down upon it from the
wall. In the front room was plain
| fireplace at one side, and on the man
tel above it rested an elk S head, with
its huge horns flaring to right and left,
upon which sat a stuffed owl, and .
stuffed eagle glaring down into the
dusky room. About the walls were
several cabinets of minerals, shells and
curious stones, and some shelves of
| old books. In the corners wGre snow
| shoes, bows and arrows, and rusty
tomahawks, and in one sword with
| soldiers coat of the Mexican war
hanging over it. A long ink-bespat-
tered desk stood between the windows,
Uttered with books, papers, Indian ar
row-heads and pipes.
John Earling could not suppress a
little quake he had, upon coming from
the beautiful, well-lighted rooms across
the hall into this somber, almost fright
full place. The old lawyer picked up q
big pipe made of some kind of red
rock with a long stem. and going over
| to the mantel filed and lit it at one of
two candles burning there, and. turn
| ing to the young man who stood look
ing about him, jerked his thumb in the
direction of the room they had left and
said: "You see l keep the child IN
| SAONCLs SIlly way W a.
you know. Down! Feather-ticks!
Snumw The old man turned about
with shrug and took up n candle
from the mantel. Now, here" he
said, starting toward one of the cabi-
nets. but John Earling interrupted him
with n smile: You only believe in soft
living. then, as kind of medicine?"
he asked.
The old lawyer stopped and looked
at him. Lad" he said, Its good
enough for females and too good for
men. Nothing will turn man into a
poodle so quick as a feather-tick;
snum! 1 believe in hard beds, hard
chairs, hard floors, and-I was going
to say-hard hearts: for haven't had
much experience with any other kind.
Yes. there is soft one clicking away
in the breast of little girl in the other
room, though it's willful as lightnin'
sometimes. and l guess yours would
be soft enough only it's too internal