The Minneapolis journal., 1902-07-29
Chapter IV.-COntinued.

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The street ran fiat and gray in the slowly
gathering dusk, straight to the western hori-
zon where the sunset embers were strewn IN
long, dark-red streaks; the maple trees were,
c.ean-cut silhouettes against the pale rose
and pearl tints of the sky above, and ten
derness seemed to tremble in the air. Hark-
less often vowed to himself he would watch
no more sunsets in Plattville he realized that
their loveliness lent too unhappy a tone to
the imaginings and ntrospections upon which
he was thrown by the loneliness of the en-
Tirorenent, and he considered that he had too
much time In which to think about himself.
FOR five years his introspections had monoto-
nously hurled one word at him: Failure;
Failure! Failure!'' He thought the sunsets
were making him morbid. Could he have
shared thenl,, that would have been different.
His long, melancholy face grew longer and
more melancholy in the twilight. while Will
lam Todd patiently Whitfield nearby. Platt-s
Vile had often discussed the editor's habit
of silence, and Mr.. Martin had suggested that
possibly the reason Mr.. Harkless was such
quiet man was that there nobody for,
him to talk to. His hearers did not agree,
for the population of Carlow county was
thing Of pride, being greater than that of
several bordering counties. They did agree.
however, that uiarkless's quiet was not un-
kind. whatever its cause. and that when it
was broken 1t was usually broken to conspic-
uous effect. Perhaps it was because he wrote
80 much that he hated ITO talk.
A bent figure came slowly down the street
and William hailed it cheerfully:, Evening,
Mr.. Fisbee. -" $50
"A good evening, Mr. Todd" answered the
old man, pausing. ''Ah, Mr. Harkess, i was
looking for you" He had not seemed to be
looking for anything beyond the boundaries
OF his own dreams, but he approached Hark-
less. tugging nervously at some papers In
his pocket. Il have completed my notes for
our Saturday edition. 1t was quite easy;
there is much DOING
Thank you, Mr.. Fisbee,' said Harkless
as he took the manuscript. Have you in-
ished YOUR paper on the earlier Christian
symbolism? I hope the Herald may have the
honor of printing it This the form
they used.
II shall be the recipient of honor, SIR
returned lFisbee. "Your kind offer will speed
my work; but I fear, Mr.. Harkess very
much fear, that your kindness alone prompts
1T, for, deeply as I desire it, 1 cannot truth
fully say that my essays appear to increase
our circulation. He made an odd, troubled
gesture as he went on: They do not seem
to read them here, Mr.. .Harkless, although
Mr.. Martin assures me that he carefully pc
ruses my article Chaldean decoration
whenever he rearranges his exhibition win
dows, and l bear in mind the clipping from
Rouen paper you showed me, commenting
generously upon the scholarship of the Her
aid but for fifteen years I have tried to
improve the art feeling In Plattville, and
may say that l have worked in the face Of
no small encouragement. In fact" (there
was a slight quaver in Fisbee's voice), Il
cannot remember that i ever received the
slightest word or token Of encouragement un-
til you came, Mr.. Harkless. Since then /
have labored with refreshed energy; still, !
cannot claim, that our architecture shows a
fNr fha hatf 1a1
ings upon the walls of our people exhibit no
great progress in selection. And-I-I wish
also to say, Mr.. Harkless, If you find ii
necessary to make alterations in the
form of my reportorial items for Saturday s
issue, I shall perfectly understand, remem-
bering your explanation that journalism de-
mands 1t. Good evening Mr.. Harkless: Good
evening, Mr.. Todd" He plodded few
PAGES. then turned, irresolutely. d. ~.
N"What is 1t, Fisbee?" asked Harkless =
Fisbee stood for moment, as though about
TO speak, then he smiled family, shook his
head, and went his way. sHarkless stared
after him, surprised. 1t suddenly struck him
with feeling of irritation, that If Fisbee
had spoken it would have been to advise hin
to call at Judge Briscoe's. He laughed i'm
patiently at the notion, and, drawing hit
pencil and a pad from his pocket, proceeded
to injure his eyes Ill the waning twilight by
the editorial perusal of the items his stat
had just left in his hands. When published
the manuscript came under faring head
ing, bequeathed by Harkless predecessor ii
the chair OF the Herald, and the alteration
OF which he felt Plattville would refuse t.
sanction: Happenings of Our City Below
was printed In smaller type: Improvement
in the World of Business" and, beneath that
came the rubic: ALSO, the Cradle, the Altar
and the Tomb"
The first of Fisbee's items was thus re-
corded: 1t may be, noted that the new sign
board Of Mr.. H. Miller has been put in P'nce
We cannot but regret that Mr.. Miller did no
instruct the painter to conine himself to
simpler method of lettering
-'Ah, sFisbee,'' naurnured the editor, re
proachfully, "that new sign board is amos
the only Improvement In the world of busi
ness Plattville has seen this year. wonde
how many times we have used it from tn
first, 1T is runored in business circles tha
Herve Miller contemplates'-to the exciting
Under Way, and Finishing Touches NJ
poor White Knight are five years of train
Ing wasted on you? Sometimes you make m
fear it, Here is ,Plattyille painting for ou
story of the hanging of the sign, and yoi
throw away the climax like that!' He begal
10 write rapidly, bending low over the pad il
the darkness ! His narrative was en- am
pliication of the interesting information
(already possessed by every inhabitant) tha
Herve Miller had put up a new sign. Afte
q paragraph Of handsome description ''Herv
is always enterprising,' wrote the editor
''This is a move. in the right direction. Herve
keep it up .,:- -
He glanced over the other items medita
lively, making alterations here and there
The last two Fisbee had written as follows:
"There is noticeable in the new (and some
what incongruous) portico erected by Solo
mon Tibbs at the residence of Mr. Henr
Tibbs Willetts, an attempt at rococo decora
tion which cannot fail to sadden the passer
by" srEr rErr ~tss25sSsE ", q -,
Miss Sherwood of Rouen, whom Miss Bris
coe knew sat the Misses Jennings inishin
school in New York, is a guest of Judge Bris
GOES household .s''$5%R -.
) Fisbee's items were, written in ink, an
there was a blank space beneath the last. A
the. bottom OF the page Something had bee
seribbled In pencil: Harkless tried vainl
to descipher It, but the twilight had falle
too Deep and the writing was too faint, so b
struck match and held 1t close to the paper
The action betokened only languid inter
est but when he caught sight of the first q
the four subscribed lines he sat up straigh
in, his chair with ejaculation. At tn
bottom of Fisbee's page was written in