The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-01-18

too tall. he was sure Of that; and out
of his consciousness there had grown
a sweet and vivacious young face that
he knew was hers. Her hair was light
brown with gold lustres Che reveled in
the gold lustres, On the proper theory
that when your fancy is painting a
picture you may as well go in for the
whole thing and make it sumptuous),
and her eyes were gray. They were
very earnest, and yet they sparkled
and laughed to him companionably;
and sometimes he had smiled back
upon her. The Undine danced before
him through the Nonely years, on fair
nights in his walks, and came TO sit
by his fire on winter evenings when
ne stared alone at the embeTs.
And tonight. here in Plattville, he
heard a voice he had waited for long,
one that his tickle memory told him
he had never heard before. But. lis
tening, he knew better-he had heard
il long ago though when and how, he
did not know, as rich and true, and
iEeffably tender as now. He threw a
sop to his common sense. Miss Sher-
wood is a little thing" (the image was
so surely talD with a bumpy fore
head and spectacles," he said to him
self, 'or else provincial young lady
felt the righteousness of looking after
his common sense on a moonlight
night in June; also he knew that he
lied
The song had ceased. but the mu-
stefan fingered, and the keys were
touched to plaintiVe harmonies new to
him. He had come to Plattville before
"Cavalleria Rusticana" was sung at
Rome, and now, entranced, he heard
the "Intermezzo" for the first time.
Listening to this. he feared to move
lest he should wake from a summer
nights dream.
A ragged little shadow fitted down
the path behind him, and from a soli-
tary apple-tree, standing like a lonely
ghost in the middle of the field, came
the WOO of a screech owl-twice. 1t
was answered-twice-fro clump of
elder-bushes that grew in a fence
corner fifty yards west of the pasture
bars. Then the barrel of a squirrel
rife issued, lifted out of the white
elder-blossoms, and lay along the
fence. The music in the house across
the way ceased, and HAIRLESS saw two
white dresses come out through the
long parlor windows to the veranda.
1T will be cooler out here" came
the voice of the singer clearly through
the quiet. w nat a night!
John vaulted the bars and started to
cross the road. They saw him from
the veranda. and Miss Briscoe called
to him in welcome. AS his tall figure
stood out plainly in the bright light
against the white dust, a streak of
fire leaped from the elder-blossoms
and there rang out the sharp report
of a rifle. There were two screams
from the veranda. One white figure
ran into the house. The other, a little
one with gauzy wrap streaming be-
hind, came flying out into the moon
light-straight to Harl<less. There was
a report; the rihe-shot was answered
by a revolver. William Todd had risen
up, apparently from nowhere, and,
kneeling by the pasture bars, fired at
the flash of the rifle.
Jump fer the shadder, Mr.. Hank
less he shouted; hes in them eld-
ers," and then: Fer Gods sake, come
back"
Empty-handed as he was, the editor
dashed for the treacherous elder bush
as fast as his long legs could carry
him; but, before he had taken six
strides. a hand clutched his sleeve
and a girls voice quavered from close
behind him:
Don't run like that, Mr.. HAIRLESS;
l can't keep up" He wheeled about