Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-26

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Tom Allen. Id sit up in his bedroom
with him by the hour, on his patent
medicine chest, ranting away about the
glory of wanderers life, the excite
ment and the whirl and the freedom
and the JOY of it. / babe him listen to
the wind on a stormy night such as
this-to the roar and the shout of it,
and the passionate snap of the branches,
till the wild wind music got into his
heart and brain and he held his hands
to his ears and bid me stop"
Outside the storm ragged as it can rage
onIyson a bleak moor where the steep
hills rise. The tramp's pipe was out,
and the jauntiness had died out of his
voice, which cut through the scream Of
the blast low and clear, exhausting al
most in its intensity. His eye was full
upon me, compelling me to return the
gaze, and I understood how this man
could hold the wills and minds of
stronger men than poor Tom Allen in
the hollow of his hand.
Il told him of a worship" went on the
voice-"a worship that eluded cramp-
ing church walls, and lived only among
the lonely hills, where the woodland
clasps the knees of the barren rock, and
in the depth of the glorious tangled for
ests; of the joy of wandering on with
out bound or goal-On through the
great wild world, through town and vii
lage and hamlet; on to stern and awe
some regions, where the gray mist
sleeps on the moor, and the blasts tear
up the shaggy hills with scream that
summons up mans blood. Z
so 1 went on for many long even
ing-how l could go on so long I don't
know for the passion of the wanderer
was upon me, and was mad to go. But
[ went on, and Tom Allen listened, and
his chest would heave and his face
would work as though he were fighting
for breath. And one evening, when my
patience had begun to wear thin, he
suddenly jumped up and stood bolt up
right, with hands clinched and eyes "a
flashing.
L can't stand this any longer says
he-and his voice sounded tremulous
and determined all at once-'I tell you,
| it's killing me, killing me, this prison
| life of mine! I'll throw in my lot with
you, and we'll leave this place to-mor-
row. You've been waiting for me, L
know.
81 knew then that I had gained my
! purpose, and 1 was sorry-I wanted to
| beg him to stay; but I happened to
catch his eye, and saw that / might as
| well try to move rock in midsea. We
| left the place the next morning, he and
I. The house stood at the bottom of a
| long, narrow road, and he was silent as
death until we got to the top. Then he
stopped and looked back.
"'Never no more said he, in queer,
| harsh whisper; never no more
''Well, fairly dashed into the old row
| ing life, dragging Tom Allen after me.
| It was summer then, and old England
| was at its best, and Tom enjoyed it, just
| as a boy might. Only when we passed
! through villages, and saw the quiet,
| matched homesteads, and the people
| going to church, or, maybe, when we
| stopped on the road to chaff some pud-
| dingfaced youngster, and his mother
| would cry for him from her cottage to
| keep away from they lazy vaga bones,'
| he'd look at me with slow, quiet look,
| and I'd turn away with something like
| q groan. / can face danger and death
with anyone, but there was curse in
/ that mans eye, though his heart was
| gentle as woman's. And as summer
turned to autumn he wore that look
| well-nigh every day, and somehow it
| seemed to drain the very life out of me.
| He never said a word about it. and /
never said a word to him; but there
| were times when L wished he'd strike
me dead. I did speak at last, though.
| 1t was a Sunday morning, and we were
standing on the top of old Sarum hill.
| The bells were ringing below with
jingle of thinks and clangs and clongs,
and the people were on their way to
% A lo
stood by me, silent and patient ever,
with never a word OF reproach on his
lips, only the weary, slow look, and /
saw death in his face that morning. He
might have been dead then-he was so
white and still. Only his lips trembled,
and there was a tear on his cheek.
spoke then"
The storm was spent and the winds
| had sobbed themselves to sleep. Only
| the rain made music on the leaves.
| The vagabond remained silent.
''WelI?'' said, at last.
| "Well. there's little more to be said.
I'd lured him on to what was death to
| him. and all that remained for me to do
was to try and get him back to life.
! Isn't that so, mister?
Somehow the quizzical note had got
back into his voice again.
$50 just began that Sunday morning
to hold forth on the joys and beauty of
! a quiet. steady-going life. I wasn't
sure of my powers at first, but soon I
saw that the charm acted. and if ever /
tried to stumble at prayer in my mind
! it was then. for / couldn't bear to think
of having done him to death.
well. it ended as it had begun. For
one day. not so long after, took him by
the hand. as it were, and led him back to