Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-02-24

| 11FNl 7 Il
by George, if that's Mary" nc muttercd.
The road led through a stretch of
woods, crossed a shallow creek and
gradually assembled to the summit of the
long, low hill where it branched, one
fork leading back into the country,
where it merged into the broad country
road and the other diverging to the left
and following the crest of the elevation
to the ole Beverley homestead. Into this
Anthony turned, following it even in the
dusk with the assured step of man to
whom the way is familiar. After little
he peered about him for a small gate
which he remembered used formerly to
admit pedestrians to the orchard
through which path gave short cut
to the house. 1t was still there, and as
he raised the latch with one hand he
lifted the whole gate slightly with the
other; it lad always sagged little and
been hard to open: it sagged still
The orchard was on ground trifle
higher than the house, which stood on a
small plateau in the side of the hill In
front, next the river, the hill sloped.
giving to the yard on that side a deep
undulation, while at the back it was al
most level until it gained the trifiing rise
of the orchard ground. The old trees
in struggling, unkempt rows came down
to the yard fence, and to a person stand
ing under them the slight elevation gave
good view of the premises.
! The fog, dense in the low grounds,
was scarcely perceptible here, and the
moon had risen. With the coming on
Of night it had grown colder. The air
was sharp, and by morning there would
be frost. From his station under one of
the leatiess trees Anthony could see very
well in the moonlight. The house, an
ample old brick structure, stood in a
grove Of oaks and locusts, and the moon
east the interlacing shadows of their
bare branches in fantastic tracery over
the time stained walls. At the south
srn end thick mantle of English ivy
concealed the old imported bricks.
On one side of the big back yard were
the offices. the carriage house, stables.
smokehouses, houses of the indoor do
mestics and other necessary outbuild-
ings. On the other side was the old
fashioned garden; from where he stood
Anthony could see the tall. quaint box
trees and the long, formal borders. How
| familiar it al looked in the moonlight
In that old garden he remembered he
had once killed rattlesnake five feet
| long with thirteen rattles. He had
carried it TO the back porch, dangling
across the stick with which he had slain
it, to show it to little Mary Beverley
All the family had come out to see il
| and wonder over its size and rejoice in
its death, and old Mr.. Beverley had cut
off the rattles with his penknife, and
saying that the boy must have dime
for every rattle and two for the button
had dropped three bright half dollars il
his hand, and Mrs. Beverley had smiled
on him and called him brave boy,
and little Mary had danced about. full
of excitement and pleasure in his Prov
ess, but dared on no account come very
near, for fear that it might still harm
her, although its head had been crushed
Anthony laughed a little when he
thought of his pleasure in that first
money he had ever owned. and of hi:
pride in his own achievement. He haC
done far bigger things than kill rattle
snake since, and for every cent of tn,
sum that had looked so large then hi
could now have laid down many thou
sands. Time had brought changes t.
him, if not 20 his old surroundings, bu
it had never brought anything tina
seemed as good as little Mary's praise
and those first three half dollars.
81 wonder if she's living STILL h,
muttered. .or whether she's married
and gone away. | came near asking
that lawyer fellow this morning. bu
he's new to the place, and somehow
didn't like to. I've always been foo
about that child; it's the only soft spo
in me- Lord if she should be dead
I'd rather that, though, than the othe1
thing-a damned sight rather"
From the window of the room which
he remembered was the parlor streamet
a broad glare of light, making on tn,
ground beneath a facsimile of the case
ment, the divisions between the pane
checking off the light into squares will
slender crossbars of shadow. Ha;nperet
by no nice determinations, Anthem!
opened the gate and crossed the yard t,
the lighted window, keeping in thu
shadow as much as possible and treadin.
as softly as savage. No fear of dog
disturbed his mind, since if there haC
been any they must have discovered hin
ere this. The house was low. the win
dowsills of the first floor scarcely tn
height of mans breast from the ground
The curtains Of thin lace obscured with
out concealiny the interior, and through
their parting Anthony could obtain
satisfactory view without pressing hi
face AGAINST the glass.