The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1903-04-03

to the wheezy music of a mouth-or.
gan played by one of their number
Among the dancers was Joe Becraft
1t had been Rossiter's intention to
bid hip good-by, but he saw that he
could not do so without encountering
many others, so with a consciousness
of real regret he turned away. AS
he came to the end of the barn he
deserted Jack Parmelee's familiar
figure moving towards the house.
Here was the very man for his pur-
pose. He hailed him.
"Mr. Parmelee!" he called.
The farm manager halted.
"Oh, it's youl" he said, as Rossiter
drew near. "What'svup?" He had re-
marked the pole-puller's bundle.
"I'm off," said Rossiter. 'I've
changed my mind about waiting till
morning. If I hurry 1 think 1 can
catch the Hintonville train, but I
can't wait to say good-by to every
one. Won't you make my adieus
to Mr.. and Mrs. Merton and Miss
Merton and to the. Becrafts,-I'm
very sorry not to see them all,-and
would you be kind enough to give
this to Miss Densmore?"
He held out the slip of paper with
it's penciled words. Parmelee took
it.
'Why, certainly, to be sure" he
said. 'But you'd better wait. In
deed, wish you'd stay right on. We
Merton'd give you good wages, you
know"
'It's very kind of you. Mr.. Mer-
ton spoke about it, but I must go,''
answered Rossiter, holding out his
hand.
'Well, you'll come next year?''
said Parmelee, giving him hearty
grip. "I'll keep a place for you, if
you say so.'
81 can't PROMISE" Rossiter replied.
"Thanks just the same"
Parmelee watched Rossiter stride
out of the gate and take the Hinton
Vile road.
There's chap I can't make out %
he muttered as he walked towards
the house.
Rossiter recalled that half way to
Hintonville there was a highway
branching towards the west. When
he reached this he took it without
hesitation. He had no intention of
trying to catch the train, but had
spoken of doing so as plausible ex-
cuse for his hasty departure. Plans
he had none, needed none. He was
to drift again, waif, vagrant, a
common vagabond. Now nothing
mattered. Money he had, more than
he had possessed that year, but of
life to which he was returning he
could manage quite as easily with
out it. He trudged on steadily, his
mind a babel of emotions. One by
one he reviewed the scenes of his
hop-yard life, in which Miss Dens-
more always appeared as the central
figure, but chiefly he dwelt upon his
return to consciousness after the en-
counter in the dip of the Blue Creek
Road. 1t must have been pity not
love that he had seen in Miss Dens-
more's eyes as she had bent above
him. Yes, it must have been that,
and yet the look haunted him, and
continued to do so.
By and by he found himself near
ing the valley of the Oskenonto. As
he halted an instant before seeking
the lower level, a fierce pulsating
flame leaped up into the hollow of
the night, and he knew that he was
not far from the blast furnace of
Harkana. Descending, he chose a
road that led him past the f1aring
stacks, and paused to watch the fiery
waves of molten iron pour into the
moulds of sand. He crossed the fur
mace slag-heaps, hideous even in the
starlight, and beyond the Oskenonto
and the abandoned Susquenango ca
nal found highway ascending into
the hills. Whittier it wound he had
no notion, and naught did he care.
The hills appealed to him. He would
go up among them as high as might
be, and so he struck into this road.
For a time he ascended gradually,
then it became stony and steep. Be-
hind him, from time to time, the
stacks of the furnace shot streamers
of red and blue and orange into the
night, illumining briefly and weirdly
the heaven and the earth. Occasion
ally a cloud would reflect the glow
after the flame had died, a mock sun
rise or sunset. Towards midnight
when he had won high among the
uplands, the moon rose, crumbling
segment of pale gold.
Rossiter was now weary, and pres
emily straw-stack in field adioin-
ing the highway suggested a desir-
able place of rest. He scaled the
fence and approached the stack, be-
coming consious, as he did so, of the
sound of heavy breathing. Some
one, it was evident, had already
availed himself of free nights lodg-
ing. Rossiter hesitated an instant
and then went forward. Doubtless
there would be plenty of accommoda-
ton for two. On the eastern side of
she stack. revealed distinctly by the
moonlight, was the huddled body Of
man. There could be no harm,
Rossiter thought, in having closer
glance at his fellow-lodger. He adj
vanced cautiously a few PAGES and
peered down, to start back in amaze
ment and dismay, for he had gazed
upon the repulsive face of "Whis-
xers."
Swiftly and silently he retraced his