Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-03-24
continued to do so.

not far from the blast furnace of
Harkana. Descending, he chose a
road that led hinf past the faring
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 time he assembled 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 cloud would reflect the glow
after the flame had died, 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 4 straw-stack in a field adjoin-
ing the highway suggested desir-
able place of rest. He scaled the
fence and approached the stack, be-
coming conscious, 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
the stack, revealed distinctly by the
moonlight, was the huddled body of
a man. There could be no harm,
Rossiter thought, in having a closer
glance at his fellow-lodger. He adj
vanced cautiously few PAGES and
peered down, to start back in amaze
ment and dismay, for he had gazed
upon the repulsive face of "Whis-
| kers."
Swiftly and silently he retraced his
steps to the road, his mind swept by
a powerful reaction. Voluntarily he
had returned to the level of this de-
testable creature, had allowed the
first disappointment to overthrow
every firm resolve of the past weeks,
and had gone miserably down once
more into the very slough of degen-
eracy. Out of the realization of his
instability, the Overwhelming sense
of his bitter shame, by some strange
and sudden revulsion his spirit rose
| triumphant. He bowed his head.
with Gods help" he said, ''it is
the last time!"
He strobe downward towards the
valley, and mile from the straw
stack found sleeping place in a
shed. Slumber soon brought it's boon
of forgetfulness, but before it did so
he summoned from the depths of his
recollection the lovely contour of
Miss Densmore's face.
after ALL" he thought, musing
upon the sweetness of what might
have been, st is blessing to have
known herr"
When he reused the following
morning the sun had scattered the
banked mists above the hills beyond
the Merton farm, and as he stood
in the doorway of his rude shelter,
blinking in the glistening light, a
farmer approached driving market
ward with heaped wagon-load of
| potatoes. The two men exchanged
glances and mods.
"Bonnd for Hintonville?" inquired
Rossiter.
"Yep. That's where I'm goin'," was
the reply.
Perhaps you wouldn't mind giving
me lift, them"
Mind? Certainly not! Jump
right up"
He checked his horses until Ros-
sitter had mounted to the seat be-
side him. He was of hearty, big
souled type; had sandy beard, keen
yet kindly blue eyes, and voice that
expanded into mutfied roar at the
close of every sentence. His laugh,
too, was explosive.
"Been hop-piclSin', s'pose, an now
startin' home?" he ventured.
eyes," returned Rossiter.
Like it?"
eyes, very much.''
"Hain't heard, hev We, what hap
pened to a hop-picker. er tramp.
las night up to Bob pankhurst's on
the hill?"
"Nai what was it?"
| swell, We see Bob's got--er had,
ruther-a straw-stacll Jest across the
road from his house that'd ketch
the eye o anybody strollin' by an
in want. o n place to stow 'emselves
till daylight free O. charge. They's
plenty o. sech about these days
this final remark with sly glance
at his companion.
The mention of the straw-stack
had stimulated Rossiter's interest to
such degree that he did not heed
the attempted pleasantly.
:Yesl yes!" he cried, -"What hap
pened!"
"Well," said the farmer, "when Bob
got up this mornin' he was minus a
straw-stack. The blamed thing
burnt in the night, and not dern
soul about the place seen it. When
they discovered it, and come to GO
near to look at it, there was mans
boots sticlin' out o. the black, smok.
in mass. His upper part was done
to crisp"
'If recall rightly" said Rossiter
conscious of sudden awe in his tone