The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1898-05-31

~ SNNS~N~--ON-
Izsa4I the bed-place with
the ak like a
man who we'll knew the use
of his instrument ooh, me-" he
thought, sadly, eff l had only been
born carpenter instead of a gentle
man! A good ak, Master Bateson-l
wonder where you got it? Something
like a grip, my man, on this handle
Poor Crayford His words stick in my
throat. A fine fellow! noble fellow!
No use thinking; no use regretting;
what is said is said. Work! work!
work.
Plank after plank fell out on the
floor. He laughed over the easy task
of destruction. aha! young Alders-
ley! 1t doesn't take much to demolish
your bedplace. I'll have it cut down!
| would have the whole hut down II
they would only give me the chance
of chopping at 1t"
A long strip of wood fell to his ak
long enough to require cutting in
two. He turned it, and stopped
over it. Something caught his eye
letters carved in the wood. He looked
closer. The letters were family and
badly cut. He could only make out the
first three of them, and even of those
he was not quite certain. They looked
like C. L. Aft they looked like any
thing. He threw down the strip OF
wood irritably.
Damn the fellow (whoever he is)
who cut this! Why should he carve
that name, of all the names in the
world?"
He paused, considering deter
mined to go on again with his selt-lm-
posed labor. He was ashamed of his
own outburst He looked eagerly Tor
the ak Work, work! Nothing for
if but work" He found the ak and
went on again.
He cut out another plank. He
stopped and looked at it suspiciously.
There was carving again on this plank.
The letters F. and A. appeared on it.
He put down the ak. There were vague
misgivings in him which he was not
able to realize. The state of his own
mind was fast becoming a puzzle to
him.
more carving" he said to himself.
That's the way these young idlers
employ their long hours. F. A.? Those
must be his initials-Frank Aldersley.
Who carved the letters on the other
plank? Frank Aldersley, too?'
He turned the piece of wood in his
hand nearer to the light and looked
lower down it. More carving again,
lower down! Under the initials f. A.
were two more initials-C. B.
&c. BIZ" he repeated to himself. ellis
sweethearts initials, I suppose. OF
course-at his age-his sweetheart's
initials"
He paused orce more. A spasm of
inner pain showed the shadow OF its
mysterious passage outwardly on his
face. Her eypher is G. B. he said,
in low broken tones. &c. B.-Clara
Burnham."
He waited with the plank in his
hand; repeating the name over and
over again, as if it was a question he
was putting to himself. CLARA Burn
ham? Clara Burnham?"
He dropped the plank and turned
deadly pale in a moment. His eyes
wandered furtively backward and for
ward between the strip of wood on the
floor and the half demolished berth.
80 Cod what has come to me now?"
he said to himself in whisper. He
snatched up the ak with a strange
cry-something between rage and ter
ror. He tried fiercely-desperately
tried-to go on with his work. No!
strong as he was, he could not use
the ak. His hands were helpless;
they trembled necessarily. He went
to the fire; he held his hands over it.
They still trembled incessantly; they
infested the rest of him. He shud-
dered all over. He knew fear. His
own thoughts terrified him.
"Crayfordr" he cried out Crawford!
come here, and let's go hunting"
No friendly voice answered him. No
friendly face showed itself at the door.
An interval passed, and there came ov-
er him another change. He recovered
his self-possession almost as sudden
ly as he had lost it. A smile-a horrid
reforming, unnatural smile-spread
slowly, stealthily, devilishly over his
face He left the fire. he mt the AK