The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-06
..+, Of CHAPTER TX.
Night. 1t Is Bad Luck to Sing Before
RrQu 1< al.

There was a lace of faint 1nists along the
creek and beyond, when John and Helen
reached their bench (of course they went back
there), and broken roundelays were croaking
from bayou up the stream, where rakish
frogs held carnival in resentment of the lone
someness The air was still and close. Hun
dreds of hreflies coquetted with the darkness
amongst the trees across the water, glinting.
from unexpected spots, shading their little.
lanterns for q second TO glow again from
other shadows The sky was a wonderful
olive green; lazy cloud drifted in it and
Tapped itself athwart the moon. y I
THE dead painters design the skies for US
each day and night, think" Helen said, as
she dropped little scarf from her shoulders
and leaned back on the bench. 1T must be-
the only way to keep them happy and busy
up there They let them take turns, and
those not on duty, probably float around and
criticize" -
They've given good man his turn to-
night" said John; "some quiet colorist, a
poetic, friendly soul, no Turner-though i
think I've seen Turner sunset or two in
Plattville." ~
1T was sculpton's sunset this evening.
Did you see it?-great massy clouds piled
heap on heap, almost with violence. I'm
sure it was Michelangelo; he thought it meant
rain -s4..
'Michelangelo gets chance rather often,
doesn't he, considering the number of art
people there must be over there?n I believe
I've seen a good many sunsets of his, and
few daWns, too; the dawns not for a long
t1me-1 used to see them more frequently to-
ward the close Of the senior year. when, we
sat up all night talking, knowing we'd lose
one another soon, and trying to hold on as
long as we could" ~ j.
She turned to him with a little frown
why have you never let Tom Meredith know
you were living so near him, less than a
mi uho ho hos
admired you above all the rest of mankind
i know that he has tried time and again to
hear Of you, but the other men wrote that
they knew nothing-that 1t was thought you
had gone abroad I had heard of YOU and
SO must he have seen your name in the
Rouen papers-about the, 'White-Caps,' and
| in politics-but he would never>dream Of con.
Meeting the Plattville Mr.. Harkless with his
Mr.. Harkless, though did, just little, and
rather vaguely. I knew, of course when you
came into the lecture. But why haven't YOU
| written to my cOusin?"
"Rouen seems long way from here" he
answered quietly. 1--WE only been there once
half a day on business. Except that, I've
never been further away than Amo or Gaines
VILE, for convention or to make a speech
| since came here o. IT.: -.4-... = q ?
| "Wicked!' she exclaimed, ''to shut$yoursel
up like this! I said it was fine to drop ou
of the world; but why have you cut off you]
y
a relapse: now and then, and come over tt
hear Ysaye play and Melba sing, or to Sc,
Mansfield or Henry Irving, when, we hav,
had them? And do you think you've beer
quite fair to Tom7 What right had you tt
assume that he had forgotten you?"
l '.Oh, / didn't exactly mean forgotten" b,
said pulling blade of grass to and fro be
tween his fingers. staring at it absently
tits only that l have dropped out of tn,
world, you know. / kept track of everyone
saw most of my friends, corresponded
now and then for year or so after lef
college; but people don't miss you much afte
4 a while. They rather expected me to do
lot of things, in a way, you know, and "
! wasn't doing them. l was glad to get away
/ always had an itch for newspaper work
and 1 went on New York paper. Mayb,
1t was the wrong paper; at least, I WASH
fit for 1t. There was something in the sid
Of life saw, too, not only on the paper
that made me hesrt-sick; and then the rusl
and fight and scramble to be first, to- bea
the other man. Probably am too squeam
/ ish. I saw classmates and college friend
diving into it, bound to come out ahead
dear old, honest, frank fellows, who ha,
/ been so happy -go-lucky and kind and gay
/ growing too busy to meet and be good tt
any man who couldn't be good to them ask
ing (more delicately) the eternal question
What does it get me?' You might think
had met with unkindness: but 1t was not SO
it was the other> way more than deserved
. But the cruel competition, the thousand
fighting for places, the multitude scrambln
for each ginger bread baton, the cold face
j on the streets perhaps it's all right an
good; Of course it has to be-but / wante
to get out of it, though didn't want to com
4 here. That was chance A new man bough
the paper was working for, and its polio
b changed Many OF. the same men still wrot
for 1t, facing cheerfully about and advocat
8 ing a tricky theory, vehement champions G
!. set of personal schemers and Waxy i'm
ages 81
u He spoke with feeling, but now, as thpug