The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-02-26

records are so loosely kept that it would
puzzle Philadelphia lawyer to tell who
owned this or that, and possession is
really the main thing. 1t will probably
he found that applying patent system
of keeping land records in this country
is good deal more difficult than estab-
fishing a secret ballot.-Herdld.
THE RooM-MArEs.
Henry Hadley and John Ashton had
roomed together for six months, but had
never exchanged word. There was no
quarrel between them; they were not
deaf mutes; they were normal, every
day Young men, and one, at least, longed
ardently to hear the others voice.
1t came about in this way: Hadley
was reporter on the NeleS-Herdid, where
he had filed a certain round of dry-as-
dust assignments for years and was not
much liked by his associates. He had
tendency to drudge; he wore faint mutt
ton-chop" side-whiskers and turned up
the bottoms of his trousers when it
rained. But he was really capital fell
low, and in spite of his prosaic exterior
he had a little romance of his own. He
was engaged to be married, ami Alice
| TAYLOR was a girl of whom any one might
well be proud. She was the niece of n
friend of Hadleys, and when he pro-
posed to her, after a long, desparing
courtship, he was astounded to find him
self accepted. 1t seemed Incredible
that such q perfect creature could ever
be his own, but after he had somewhat
recovered from his transports his practi-
cal nature asserted itself, and he began
to retrench his expenses in preparation
for the event. Thus it was that he event
ually answered an advertisement for a
roommate.
1t so happened that the other occupant
of the room was also a reporter, although
very different stamp of man. John
Ashton was meteOric genius. He was
a waif from dead and gone Bohemia.
His forte was the strange, the odd, and
the grotesque, and his startling and I'M
looked for strokes had gone far toward
making the Chronicie famous. In his
field he was invaluable, and he had long
since killed his chance for promotion by
meriting 1T too much,
The NeWS- Herald, as everybody knows
is published In the afternoon, while the
Chronicle is a morning daily, and Hadley,
who had made his arrangements through
the landlady, was disappointed, when he
awoke early on the first day in his new
quarters, to find that his roommate, who
had let himself in sometime during the
night, was then asleep in the little alcovt
opposite his own. He had promised
much pleasure from the society of man
whose work he so much admired. but
the pale, handsome face and slight form
relaxed in the languor of deep sleep
prompted him to dress as quietly as pos
-;1,1o md elm n,tI Nyitb,ut pNyl l-nuinU tbf
other.
1t turned out, to Hadley's infinite cha
gIin, and probably to Ashton's secret
amusement, that this was no mere acct
dent. The former went to work early il
the morning and his duti ended whel
the big presses threw out the first copy
of the last edition, at about dusk. Ash
ton on the other hand, arose little aftCl
noon, lounged about until dark, and lef
his desk at any time between one anC
three o'clock at night. Consequently
when he reached the room he invariably
found Hadley asleep, and when he awok'
he was the only occupant, And ric,
rerSd. Several things transpired to main
tain this fantastic relationship, Thei
offices were remote from one another
Their work was essentially different
did not make common resorts or mutua
friends. SO iteasily CHANGED that by day
they never met.
Such was the curious train of event.
which had carried them through on,
summer and into an autumn that brOUgh
to Hadley many miserable heartache
A shadow had somehow fallen across tn,
honest fellows love affair. 1t was haTdl,
to be defined in terms; that was thu
worst of tit was so intangible; so diff
cult to say Just what was wrong. Their
was change in Alice. She was silent
she was distraught; her tears came anC
went like April rain. Yet she protested
that nothing was amiss, and met hi
well-meant questioning with an impa
thence that surprised and frightened him
for he did not know very much of womeI
and her asScrva. ions sounded to his ear,
like confessions in disguise. Above all
he felt cumbersome unfitness TO COPE
with the situation. 1t was like pillow
boy essaying to probe a sensitive wound
and at length he feared to speak lest h,
should precipitate some unknown crisis
Thus it was, when atdusk one autumn
day he walked from the Office to Alice,
home to pay enc of his accustomed visit
1t was an indOlent evening, suave will
the smell of Indian summer and through
the dreamy haze that wrapped the cit,
even the hum of traffic sounded faint
and harmonious, like a choir Of giant
insects at the approach of night He fell
into vague reyeiie as he walked on, and
when he stopped mechanically before the
house he did not ring at once, but sal
down upon little bench just within the
gate and masked by lilac bushes.
The narcotic calm of the scene and
orr had lul'e Il him into serenity, and
night fell unmarked, until a length, z
familiar voice broke In upon his mCdita
tions. He recognized it on the instant
as Alicc's but it twas mingled with deeper
tones that were unfamiliar to him. Al
though no words had yet detached them
selves from the tangl0 of sound 1T seemed
that one voice was urging and one re-
monstrating. Presently they came nearer
and stopped by the gate.
sob, | cannot! | Cannot?' some one
cried. 1t was Alice voice, and although
there was not iot of the in Hadley's
nature, something in the intonation held
him spell-bound.
'But why not?' said the other voice
n mclndious baTitOne-low, persuasive
thrilling. "But why not?' 1t was q
conditional promise; the conditions have
changed and that is"
"No; it is not that broke in the girl
She was speaking quietly, but a pathetic
little quaver ran through her words
"Oh, can't you understand He is
honest and true, and.I could not break
his hearth
A moisture sprang on Hadlcy's fore
head, and very slowly he opened and
closed his hands. There was pausC
and then the pleasant baritone again:
"Are there no rivers In Damascus.
What of my heart, Alice" Hadley heard
no more. Something seemed to suffo
cate him. His breath went no further
than his throat, and the dusky web OF
lilac branches danced in black and
shapeless phantasmagoria before his
eyes. He was dimly conscious of Il pat
ter of feet, wave of perfume, and gusl
of yellow light as the hall door FLASHED
opened and shut, and then he knew he
was alone again.
Alone! hideous sense of loss and bit
ter, hopeless desolation, such as he had
never felt and never dreamed of, over
whelmed him, He did not think; he did
not dare to think. He staggered to hi,
feet, opened the gate and passed out.
To run away; to elude this thing as il
it was some sentiment, palpable pursuer
I ~ 4 =.