Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-11-20
muttered asahe walked towards

| hesitation. He had no intention of
| trying to catch the train, but had
| spoken of doing SO as plausible ex-
| cuse fo. Lis hasty departure. Plans
he had none, needed none. He was
| to drift again, a waif, a vagrant,
common vagabond. Now nothing
mattered. Money he had, more than
| he had possessed that year, but of
what special avail was it? In the
| life to which he was returning he
| could manage quite as easily with
| out it. He trudged on steadily, his
| mind 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. It 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 eff the Oskenonto. As
| he halted an instant before seeking
| the lower level, fierce pulsating
| flame 1eaped 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 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 straw-stack in 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
| ayailed himself of free nights lodg-
| ing. Rossiter hesitated an instant
and then went forward. Doubtless
| there would be plenty Of accommodate
| 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 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-
kers.''
Swiftly ard silently he retraced his
steps to the road, his mind swept by
a powerful reaction. Voluntarily ne
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, sit is
the last time!"
He strobe downward towards the
valley, and a mile from the straw
stack found a sleeping place in a
shed. S1umber 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, cit is blessing to have
known her!"
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,
. farmer approached driving market
ward with heaped wagon-load of
potatoes. The two men exchanged
, glances and mods.
| Bound for Hintonville?" inquired
Rossiter.
"Yep. That's where I'm goin'," was
the reply.
} Perhaps you wouldn't mind giving
J me lift, then?"
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