The Minneapolis journal., 1902-07-29
CHAPTER v. +
At the Pasture Bars: Elder Bushes
May Have StinGs.

The street upon which the Palace hotel
fronted formed the south side of the square
and ran west to the edge of the town, where
it turned to the south for a quarter OF mile
or more. then bent to the west again. some
distance from this second turn, there stood,
fronting the close of the road, large brick
house, the most pretentious mansion in Car
low county. And yet it was homelike place,
with its red brick walls emboWered in masses
of cool Virginia creeper, and com1ortaole
veranda crossing the broad front, while hall
hundred stalwart sentinels of elm ano
beech and poplar stoodHguar around 1t. Ihe
front walk was bordered by geraniums and
holyhocks; and honeysuckle climbed the pill
lars Of the porch. Behind the house there
was a shady little orchard; and, back or
the orchard an old-fashioned, very fragrant
rose-garden, divided by long grape arbor'
extended to the shallow waters OF wander
ing creek; and on the bank rustic seat was
placed, beneath the sycamores.
From the first bend Of the road. where II
left the town and became latter some inde-
cision) a country highway-called the pike
rather than proud city boulevard pathway
led through the fields to end at some pasture
bars opposite the brick house. ..
+ John Harkess was leaning on the pasture
bars. The stars were.wan, and the 1ull moon
shone over the fields. Meadows and woodlands
lay quiet under the old, sweet marvel OF
June night In the wide monotony of the fiat
lands, there sometimes comes feeling thai
the whole earth is stretched out before one
Tonight 1T seemed to lie so, in the pathos OF
silent beauty, all passive and still; yet breath
ing an antique message, sad, mysterious, re-
assuring But there had come a divine mel
ody adrift on the air. Through the open win
dows it hoated.s Indoors some one struck
peal of silver chords, like harp touched bJ
lover, and woman's voice was lifted. Johr
fIA f1rn h.
ened with upraised head and parted lips.
ITO thy chamber window rowing, love hatf
led my feet
The Lord sent mama to the children of Is
rael in the wilderness. Harkless had Deen nVe
years in Plattvlle, and woman's voice sing
ing Schubert's serenade came to him at las
as he stood by the pasture bars OF Jones
field and listened and rested his dazzled eye
on the big white face of the moon.
How long had it been since he had heard
song, or any discourse Of music other thar
that furnished by the Plattville band-not tha
he had no taste for a brass band! But muslt
that he loved always gave him an ache OF ae
Hight and the twinge of "reminiscences of Old
gay days gone forever Tonight his memor!
leaped to the last day of a June gone sever
years; to a morning when the little estuar!
waves twinkled in the bright sun about thu
toat in which he sat. the trim launch tina
brought a CHEEKY party ashore from theL
schooner to the Casino landing at Winter
Harbor, far UP on the Maine coast. -,
It was the happiest of those last irresponsi
BILE days before he struck into his work IN th'
world and became a failure. Tonight ne saw
the picture as plainly as if it were yesterday
no reminiscence had risen so keenly before nj:
ewes for years; pretty Mrs. Van Skuyt sitting
beside him-pretty Mrs.2Van Skuyt and he1
roses! What had become OF her? He saw the
crowd of friends waiting on the pier for thell
arrival. and the dozen oreso embl lazoned class;
mates+ 1T was in the time sofSbrilliant fan:
nels) who suddenly sent up vo1ley OF college
cheers in his honor-hoW plainlysthet dear, old
young faces rose up before him tonight the
men from whose lives he had5slipped! Dear
est and tiolliest of the faces was that of Tom
Meredith, iclubrnate: classmate, his closest
friend. the thin, red-beaded third baseman
he could see Toms mouth sOoened al, ieast q
yard it seemed, such was his frantic :Nocl1eFi
business Again and again the cheers rang
out, ''Harkless! Harkless! on es+end OF
them. In those days everybody particulars ~
his classmates thought he would be minister
To England in few years. and the orchestra
on the Casino porch was5playing Con
quering Hero" in his honor, and at the oehes
liof Tom Meredith, he knew. t.ss.5s5tSz
There were other pretty ladies besides Mrs
Van Skuyt in the nch-load from the yacht
but as they touched the pier, pretty girls
or pretty women. or jovlal :gentlemen,sali5 Wer!
overlooked in the wild scramble escolleg'
men made for their hero. They hailed hin
forth, set him on high, bore him on thei
shoulders, shouting "skal to the Viking !
and carried him up the wooded bluff to tn
Casino He heard Mrs Van Skuyt say. Oh
we re used to it; we've put in at several othe
places where he had friends. ." He struggled
manfully to be set down, but his triumpha
procession swept on. He heard bystander
telling each other, It's that young Harkless
the Great Harkless, they're all so ma