Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1895-07-04
not help smiling and opening his
mouth to ask:

winch the listener detected note OF
relief. UP yandeh, ole Miss McWrath
hyar somethin' gwine sp1ish-splash in
her swill bal de live-long night. De
niggahs say none of dem gwine 70 tech
de ha'nted thing. De next mawnin'
when dey did go an tu'n down de bal
out jumps vahmint, sub, as big as an
OK. Hit wah Turk, an de dog-goned
dawg walk off lax nothin' tall had
happened. Sho' huff, dat Tu'ks vill-
yum"
He had finished the clipping and now
shook the towel on the hearth. Then
he gathered up the falling hair in q
wad to bury under stone, so that it
might not bring bad luck upon the
owner by falling into the way of either
dogs or birds.
"Lemme rub the sculp wild liquor,
Mr.. Robbuts," he said, pouring out a
liberal saucerful from the bottle on
the shelf. Liquors the life of the
sculp an de stomach" He rubbed it
Ill vigorously and went on: Nov jes'
stan out in de sun awhile to TEX away
de smell, case de ladies cyan't bar it,
an specs Miss Ann am lack de res O.
'em now. You'se got to be mighty
keerful now, sub. mighty keerful; Miss
Ann is a town lady now, EN- always
hyar tell what ve'y delicate noses dey
has"
The operation was completely over
now, and the barber stood awaiting his
pay, q trimming glass of whisky from
the familiar bottle. AS he drank to
Miss Anne's health, he regarded his
handiwork with pride, the hair parted
by cleaning white line just above
one ear and plastered down upon the
forehead in scooping waves. Down the
back Of the head was another part,
from which the hair was brushed
briskly away on either side. The eff
feet was jaunty and ludicrous in the
extreme; but Uncle Josh looked upon
it as a work of art. His parting re-
mark was to beg his model not to
''muss it TO Miss Ann comes.
Robert donned his waistcoat and
coat and walked to the window. The
trees on the horizon were leafless and
black, but an afternoon haze softened
their iron outlines. The locusts below
in the yard stretched bare boughs, and
the rose bushes had only stems to show
after all their summer wealth. Among
the dry brown leaves, which were
shiftlessly left in drifts, the hens
scratched industriously. A line Of
ducks, contrary to orders, were march
ing across the greensward on their
way home after a late swim. Just be-
low the window, pro pped against the
great chimney, lay Turk, his broad
bull neck upon his outstretched paws
He was peacefully dreaming in the
austere warmth which the afternoon
sun afforded.
The man felt the chill from his
drenched head. It crept downward
and rendered the stiff shirt unbearab le
Now it reached his heart and awoke
despair. Everyone, even the old negro
there, warned him that he was unfit
for Ann. He had always known it, but
he had hoped that their love met above
and annulled the untitness. How long
he stood leaning against the window
frame in mental numbness he did not
know, but when he looked around the
fire had died out and the sun was half
below the inky horizon. Ann would
soon be here. Herould not face her,
the strange daughter whom he did not
know. With trembling, burning fin
gers, he tore off the new clothes he had
put on an hour before, and dressed
himself in his everyday garments.
They were rough, unbrushed and dis
reputab BILE, yet he welcomed them. He
felt that he was himself again, the out
cast who worked long enough to buy
whisky; who begged food, shelter and
clothing. He had dreamed Of deliver
apce from without; deliverance he
was too weak to effect within himself,
which should be brought about by
sympathy, companionship and protec-
ton. But the dream was over. He
was only a drag and a disgrace to the
young lady Ann had developed into
Everyone thought so, and he did not
question the opinion, so nearly was it
an echo of the fears in his own mind.
He opened his door and crept down
the stairs and across the hall. His fin
gers ratified the knob of the door so
uncontrollably that he feared some one
would hear, and he halted, expecting a
summons to explain. No voice ques-
toned, however. He stepped out on
porch, thence to the lawn and softly
whistled to Turk. The animal bounded
joyously around the corner of the
house, leaping and fawning about his
master. The two struck westward
across the lawn, and, as he went, Rob
erts heard the sound of a window
thrown up and a voice crying:
''Mr. Roberts, upon my soull Mr..
Roberts!"
He gave no heed, but plunged into
the orchard, feeling the cold evening
air, and seeing through the black
twigs of bushes and trees the vivid
thread of scarlet just above the horizon
line of woods. He had stick with
him. and thrust into pocket of his
coat bottle which he had seized from
the mantel.
As he went on and the evening fell
darker. and Turk walked ahead more
sedately, he could not keep weak tears
from his eyes. He did not know what
they were there for. Sometimes they
seemed to flow at the picture of him
self, lonely, homeless, without place or
worth, wandering in darkness, but
mostly they rushed unbidden at the
thought of Ann, his little Annie of ten
years back. To his dazed mind she
seemed dead, and he mourned over her
as he would over a dead child. How
she used to shield him! When he lay
weak from his drunken stupors, mind;
here was warmth and an anoydne;
then he wrenched the bottle from his
pocket and flung it far into the dark
ness. He listened to the faint crash,
and sat erect for few minutes. After
awhile he folded his arms and rested
his head upon them.
''I'll go presently" he murmured,
heavy with drowsiness. In spite Of
the bitter cold sleep seemed deliciously
near and grateful. He dozed in
snatches, now and again recovering
consciousness.
Its better for her" he repeated;
''it's better for her. She's got as gen.
tie blood as any, and without me to
hinder she can go with the best. She