Arizona republican., 1901-06-06

but still they could not but resent the appearance of the new squire. There waa no conceivable reason for his look ing like a gaunt ascetic who would sur prise nobody if he borrowed a sixpence from the first yokel he met in the lane.
 Linton was in truth three inches more than six feet in height: but he had bowed himself to five feet, eleven inches. His hair shocked out in front like hay, and under it were two spec tacled eyes which never seemed to re- gard anything with particular atten- tion. His face was pale and full of hollown. and the mouth apparently had no expre ssion save chronic bout of the underlip. His hands were large and raw-boned, but uncannily white. His whole bent body was thin as that of a man from long sick bed. and all was finished by two feet which for size could not be matched in the county.
 He was awkward, but apparently it was not so much a physical character istic ga it was mental inability to consider where he was going or what he was doing. For instance, when passing through gate, it was not un- common for him to knock his side vi- ciously against one of the posts. This was because he dreamed almost all ways. and If there had been forty gates in a row he would not have noted them more than he did the one. As far as the villagers and farmers were con- cerned, he never came out of this man. nor save in wide-apart cases when he had forced upon him either some great exhibition of stupidity or some faint in- dication of double dealing; and then this smoldering man fared out, encrim- ooning his immediate surroundings with brief fire of ancestral anger. But the lapse back to indifference was more surprising. It was far quicker than the flare in the beginning. His feeling was suddenly as ashes at the moment when one was certain it would lick the sky.
 Some of the villagers asserted that he was mad. They argued il long. in the manner of their kind, repeating, re- beating. and repeating; and when an opinion confusngly rational appeared they merely shook their heads in pig like obstinacy. Anyhow, it was histori-
  fore been in the line of Linton of Old restham Hall, and the present incum- bent was a shock.
 The servants at the hall-notably those who lived in the countryside came in for lot of questioning. and none were found too backward in ex- blaming many things which they them selves did not understand. The house. hold was most irregular. They all con- fessed that it was really so uncustom- ary that they did not know but what they would have to give notice. The ma ster was probably the most extraor- dinary man in the whole world. The butler said that Linton would drink beer with his meals day in and day out, like any carrier resting at a pot house. It didn't matter even if the meal were dinner Then suddenly he would change his tastes to the most valuable wines. and in ten days would make the wine cellar look as if it had been wrecked at sea.
 What was to be done with a gentle man of that kind? The butler said, for his part, he wanted a master with habits, and he protested that Linton did not have a habit to his, name. At least. none that could properly be called Q habit.
 Barring the cook, the entire estab- lishment agreed categorically with the butler. The cook didn't agree because she was very good cook. indeed. which she thought entitled her to be aXfTDnNalV frA ha nth ants hall opinions.
 AS for the "sCuire's lady" they de- scribed her as being not much differ ent from the master. At least she gave support to his most unusual manner of life. and evidently believed that what ever he chose to do was quite correct. Linton had written:
 The garlands of her hair are snakes: Black and bitter are her hating eyes. A cry the windy death hall makes,
 Oh. love. deliver us.
 The flung cup rolls to her sandals tip His arm-
 Whereupon his thought fumed over the next two lines. coursing like grey hounds. after fugitive vision of a writhing lover, with the foam of pOisor on his lips, dying at the feet of tht woman.
 Linton arose, lit a cigarette, placed 1t on the window ledge, took anothei 1 cigarette. looked blndly for tht matches, thrust spiral of paper intc | the flame of the log fire, lit the second cigarette, placed it toppling on book and began search among his books | for one that would draw well. H. { gazed at his picture, at the books or the shelves, out at the green spread O. | countryside, all without taking menta 1 pote. At the window ledge he cam' upon the first cigarette, and in matter | cf fact way he returned it to his Hrs
 = 4. A. N