Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1903-01-29
Success

ponent's terrible earnestness. <T
AT last it seemed that the greater |
suppleness and length of limb had tri- |
rahphed; Norton was on top, the other |
mans arms securely held down in tho |
snow. But then arose the difficult |
question how to dispose OF this man |
safely and yet humanely. If positions |
haa been reversed, Norton would have |
been in perllous case; an evil lighc |
was giaring out Of the two eyes that |
, met his, reckless demon of hate |
| against the whole world. Norton, Gu
the contrary, had 40 general grievance;
III particular he had no quarrel against
the stranger whom he held pinioned
| in the snow. Only one person had
| been in his thoughts as he came down
that lonely side street. and her he
would not have harmed for all that life
| could afTord. It had seemed. though,
that death would be for him a happy
escape from the agony Of his meeting
With her that afternoon. finding her
so affectionately intimate with that
supercilious 1niddle-aged Professor
| What s-his-name, and his just resent
ment met with what sounded TO him
like heartless sneer, and all this after
years Of absence in constant love and
hope. By all logic Norton ought to
have been glad to let the man in the
peajacket get up and kill him. out
somehow his impulses had all been
changed by this chance meeting with a
fellow creature to whom life seemed as
| unbearable as 10 himself.
/ The solution Of the problem how to
release the desperate man came to
Norton when the painting still was
feebly broken by the distant voice Of
child calling. The man on the ground
raised his head, as il from force OF
habit to listen. The voice came
nearer.
Papa! papa. Mamma wants you
LET me up. That's my kid"
Norton jumped up delighted.
Papa! Mamma wants you to come
to her,
Here, Connie!''
The man in the peajacket sat UP on
the snowy curb, trying to rid himself
Of the marks OF his rough-and-tumhle
!. in the snow. Norton was picking up
his tall hat when little girl in pink
frock emerged from the darkness Of the
street. The little girl appeared to for
get that it was cold night, and tina t
, her black woolen shawl thrown over
her head was very slender protection.
The shawl was trailing behind her as
she ran to her papa, and, sobbing,
| threw herself into his arms.
"Oh, papa, she didn't mean tt
mamma didn't mean for you to 60
away and never come back! Won't
, you come to her now, please, papa:"
, Norton. brushing his silk hat felt
once more moved to aughter-perhaps
: not the laughter of a merely humorous
appreciation. but still laughter Taught
7 by his late experience, he moderated
his laugh to a hardly audible chuckle,
t and then, as that excited no fresh out
D break ON the part of Comics papa, he
/ spoke up:
, Yes, Connie'-he had caught the lit
L tie ones name-'papa's going home.
G But you mustn't catch cold, little girl.
+ Here.'
e He was taking off his own overcoat
{ to throw over the child when her
father, still sitting in the snow huggina
T her to his peajacket, looked up and
Z caught him in the act.
l. If you take off that coat. you'll
It catch your death of noomony. mister
d he said.
IS L shall not have time for that. part
Il ner- Why not? Because I'm going Il
2. send you home with Connie while I st
f. the other way" He nodded in the di
j. rection of the river. 'tI have no hon1;
is where I'm wanted, and no little girl {.
run about in the snow looking fo
% me"
Us Connie looked up at him over he
r. napa's shoulder. "Ain't you got-no
/ cody at all?"
e Nobody at all, Connie Here, let III
,e see it the coats TOO long for you"
,r Her papa rose and gathered I'D th
At trailing black shawl. run on home
1t baby" he said, wrapping it tight abou
lc her. Run on now, just as fast as yo7
ld can, and tell mamma I'm coming rigil
in away-soon as I get through talkIn
to TO this gentleman on business
IS Norton took something out OF hi
1t pocket, stopped, and transferred ,h
is something to Comics hand. vhispa,
DC ing to her, and she, after one puzzle
~ stare, disappeared up the street. II
T. locked after her a moment and ther