The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-09-13

And Tom, pacing the room, told him,
while Crailey stood in silence, looked
him eagerly in the eye whenever Tom
turned his way. The listener interrupt
ed seldom: once il was to eXclaim:
But you haven't said why you broke
the guitar?"
If thine eye offend thee, pluck it
OUT! l ought to have cut off the hand
that played to her"
And cut your throat for singing to
herr"
She was right" the other answered,
striding up and down the room. Right
did. That l should even approach her,
was an unspeakable insolence. 1 had
| forgotten, and 40, possibly, had she,
but had not been properly introduced
! to her"
mo, you hadn't, that's true" observ-
ed Crailey, reflectively You don't
seem to have much to reproach her
with. Tom"
"Reproach her." cried the other.
THAT l should dream she would speak
! to me or have anything to do with me,
was to cast a doubt upon her loyalty
! as a daughter. She was right, | saw!
And she did the only thing she could
do; rebuked me before them all. No one
ever merited what he got more roundly
| l.,
her eyes, that / should besiege her with
my opportunities, who but her fathers
| worst enemy2"
Deep anxiety knotted Crailey's brow.
/ Il understood she knew of the uuarrel. >"
| he said, thoughtfully. Il saw that. the
other evening when l helped her out Of
the crowd. She spoke of it on the way
home, ! remember; but how did she
| know that you were VanreveI? No one
in town would be apt to mention YOU
| to her"
No, but she did know, you see.''
Yes, returned Mr.. Gray, slowly 80
it seems! Probably her father told her
to avoid you, and described you so that
she recognized you as the man who
caught the kitten"
He paused, picked up the flash, and
again applied himself to it's contents,
his eyes peering over the up-tilted YES
sci at Tom, who continued to pace up
and down the length of the Office. Aft
er a time, Crailey, fumbling in his coat
found a long cheroot, and as he lit it
inquired, casually:
DO you remember if she addressed
! you by name?"
| II think not" Tom answered hal+ine
What does it matter?"
Crailey drew deep breath.
1T doesn't" he returned
She knew me we'll enough" said
! Tom, sadly, as he resumed his sentry-
go.
Yes" repeated Crailey. deliberately.
SO It seems; so it seems!' He blew
a long stream of smoke out into the air
before him, and softly murmured
again. so it seems, so it seems
Silence fell, broken only by the sound
of Toms footsteps, until, presently.
some one informally, shouted his name
from the street below. 1t was only win
Cummings, passing the time of day.
but when Tom turned from the window
a1ter answering him, Crailey, his poem,
and his flash were gone.
That evening Vanrevel sat in the
dusty office, driving himself to his work
with sharp goad, for there was a
face that came between him and ali
else in the world and a voice that
sounded always in his ears. But the
work was done before he rose from his
chair, though he showed a haggard Wis
age as he bent above his candles to
blow them out.
1t was IL o'clock; Crailey had not
come back, and Tom knew that his
light-hearted friend would not return
for many hours; and so, having no
mind to read, and no belief that he
could if he tried, he went out to walk
the streets. He went down to the river
first, and stood for little while gazing
at the ruins of the two warehouses. and
that was like a man with a headache
beating his skull against a wall. AS he
stood on the blackened wharf, he saw
how the charred beams rose above him
against the sky like a gallows, and it
seemed to him nothing could have been
a better symbol, for here he had hanged
his self-respect. "Reproach herr" He
who had so displayed his imbelicity be-
fore her. Had he been her fathers best
friend, he should have had too great a
sense of shame to dare to speak to her
after that night when her quiet intellf-
gence had exhibited him to himself
and to all the world, as nought else
than fool-and a noisy one at that!
Suddenly a shudder convulsed him;
he struck his open palm across his fore
head and spoke aloud, while. from hori-
ION to horizon, the night air grew thick
with the whispered laughter of observ-
ing hobgobblins:
And even if there had been no stair
way we could have slid down the hose
line,'
He retraced his steps, a tall, gray fig
ure, moving slowly through the blue
darkness, and his lips formed the heart
sick shadow of smile when he found
that he had unconsciously turned into
Carewe street. Presently he came TO A
gap in hedge, through which he had
sometimes stolen to hear the sound of
Z a narp ana girl voice singing. but
he did not enter there tonight, though
he paused a moment, his head bowed
on his breast.
There came a sound of voices: they
seemed to be moving toward the hedge.
toward the gap where he stood; one a
mans eager, quick, but very musical;
the other. a girls, a rich and clear con-
tralto that passed into Toms soul like
psalm of rejoicing and like a scmitar
of flame. II shivered, and moved away
quickly. but not before the mans voice,
somewhat louder for the moment, came
distinctly from the other side of the
| hedge.
After all" said the voice, with a
ripple of laughter. after all, weren't
YOU a little hard on that poor Mr..
I Gray?"
Tom did not understand. but he knew
the voice II was that Of Crailey Gray.
He heard the same voice again that
night, ana again stood unseen. Long
after midnight he was still tramping
the streets on his lonely rounds. when
he CHANGED 10 pass the ROuen House,
I which hOsteiry bore. 10 the uninitiated
eye. the appearance Of having ciosec It's
doors upon All hosDitalities for the
T night ln strict compliance with the Ia ws