Evening star., 1900-01-13

! were. Then Hendy said roughly. I'm GO
| ing to sleep. That's cheap enough, any
| how" And he reached for AN old rug that
| made part of their bed.
His wife made no answer. 1t irrftated
| him. For Gods sake Polly" he said,
don't sit there sulkingr'
fhat reused her, and she fell to reDroaChcs
t:ttcrer than all. For she was the angricr
h5 cause he had let her cry alone, and had
made no overtures toward conciliat!on--
Nertures she had been expecting as her
ght. Rejoinder followed quick and cruel
"h reply, and at last, when he talked des
etfatelE OF sleeping outside. she answered
! with gesture borrowed of her trade: Go
then! Go: If you can't give.me food and
shelter as other women's husbands do. go
ana let me earn them for myself. l can
do without you"
Ana you shall, too he retorted throw
ing down the rug and snatching his hat.
GU snail. too. And in second he had
flung out into the night and the snow
They had done it all before, and it was
scarce more than another kind of acting
But this time the quarrel was trife
Sharper IMAM common, and he could not go
back and make it up with any self-respect
for an hour at least. Meantime it was a
cold night and snowy one. he turned
up his collar and strode off straight ahead
to be an Infused and homeless outcas1 for
an hour, or. at any rate for three-ouarters
Of an hour.
Another snowfall had begun though it
was sparse and light, making itself felt
now and again by moist spot upon the
face. The carolers had struck up Noel"
some little distance away, and between
their verses the chapel party could be heard
at the farther end of the town. Indeed, it
was scarce the best possible night for
Hcndy's petuant adventure The snow
declared itself in the weak spots of his
shoes ere he had gone 200 yards and the
wind was in his teeth. spiting his face and
coming little short of cutting off his nose
Thus he came to Cawthorns, where lived
iiarlng Spencer, esq, that illustriOuS inViSi
BILE; and the high privet hedge, like a mas
SlVe black wall. was SC good wind screen
that hendy turned up a side lane and fol-
lowed it. walking close. with bowed head
and shoulder brushing the twigs. The
hedge took wide curve, and following this
he came plump against a small wooden
gate, which swung inward at the shock
At this he stopped and looked about him
| Without Il doubt this was the kitchen en-
trance Here was narrow path. with a
tall hedge at each side a short path end
ing door with a pent roof
He took step back and another for
ward, The wind was as sharp as ever, and
there was wetness in the snow drops,
now more frequent, that told of coming
sleet To follow the lane Were to emerge
presently in open country: here was shell
ter under the lee of Sood-SiZed house.
with Il pent roof to make it better. More
here was a situation" The homeless out
| cast, wrOnged by all the world, would seek
shelter Cfor half an hour. at leaSD on the
doorstep of the proud and naughty capital
of the trespass would probably send his
pampered minions to drive him forth into
| the bitter night. The fancy accorded with
the outcasts mood. and truly for one bent
| on wallowng deep in the pal hos of his pre-
dicament this the most promising spot
| thereabout, and one not at all exposed to
| the weather.
He let the gate swing behind him, and
walked quietly to the kitchen door. All
was silent; and as he stood under the pent
roof he saw that the path he had come by
went farther and skirted all the back
premises dividing them from the kitchen
garden. AS he looked a projecting frame
caught his eye, like that of an open win
| dow but nearer the ground than he would
! have expected. 1t was but a few yards
away and he went idly toward it. 1t was
! lessness of servant. There was a stain
| on the snow below it which betrayed the
occasion. Plainly the servant had flung out
coffee grounds or the like, and taken no
care to shut the easement. The house was
rather old, and for a moment he wondered
vaguely what room It might be whose win
dow was so near the ground; and then the
| the window itself Clearly 1t was the
| larder, and no empty larder either. Pickles
| could be smeiied-piekles plainly, and some
| thing else-something of fusome steami-
| ness and sweet observation-disclosures pud-
| ding.
| No doubt 1t was a large larder, though a
! mere biackness to sight now. No doubt
! crammed to the ceiling with a superiuity
| of the Christmas fare that Hendy saw no
chance of tasting. Was 1t really so large
| as he fancied? He felt his pocket, and
! found a match box with a few matches
| still remaining. At least it was no sin to
take peep. Everybody was in bed. He