The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-04-26
(Continued from Last Sundays News.)
CHAPTER XIX.

THE GREAT HAIRLESS COMES
HOME.
The accommodation train wandered
languidly through the early afternoon
sunshine. stopping at every village md
almost every country postoffice on the
line; the engine whistle toot-tooting at
the road crossings; and. now and
again, at such junctures, a farmer,
struggling with a team of prancing
horses, would be seen, or, it might be,
a group of school children. homeward
bound from seats of learning. At each
station, when the train came to a
standstill, some passenger. hanging
head and elbows out of his window,
like a quilt draped over chair, would
address a citizen on the platform:
Hey, Sam, how's Miz Buskirk?"
Shes wal"
where's Milt, this afternoon"
"Warshing the buggy" Then at the
cry, "All 'board"-"See you Sunday
over at Amo."
You make Aiilt come. I'll be there,
shore. So long"
There was an impatient passenger in
the smoker who found the stoppages
at these wayside hamlets interminable,
both in frequency and in the delay at
each of them; and while the dawdling
train remained inert, and the moments
passed inactive, his eyes dilated and
his hand clenched till the nails bit his
palm; then, when the trucks groaned
and the wheels crooned against the
rails once more he sank back in his
y forf- of ~ali nff M
he would get up and pace the aisle
until his companion reminded him that
this was not certain to hasten the
hour of their arrival at their destina-
ton.
Il know that" answered the other.
"but I've got to beat McCune."
by the way" observed Meredith,
'you left your stick behind"
You don't think 1 need a club to
face
Tom choked. "Oh, no. I wasn't
thinking of your giving H. Fisbee a
thrashing. / meant to lean on
4 don't want it. I've got to walk
hobble on a stick" Tom looked at
him sadly; for it was true, and the
Cross Readers might hug themselves in
their cells over the thought. For the
rest of his life John Harkless was to
walk with just the limp they them
days, their sentence had been to the
ball and chain.
The window was open beside the two
young men, and the breeze swept in,
fresh from the wide fields. There was
a tang in the air; it soothed like a
balm. but there was a spur to energy
and heartiness in its crispness the
wholesome touch of fall. John looked
out over the boundless aisles of corn
that stood higher than a tall man
could reach; long waves rippled across
them. Here, where the cry of the brave
had rung in forest glades. where the
painted tribes had FASTENED, were mar
shalled the tasselled armies of peace.
And beyond these, where the train ran
between shadowy groves, delicate
landscape vistas, framed in branches,
opened, closed and succeeded each
other, and then the travellers We're car
ried out into the level open again, and
the intensely blue September skies ran
down to the low horizon, meeting the
tossing plumes of corn.
1t takes a long time for the full
beauty of the fiat lands to reach a
mans soul; once there, nor hills, nor
sea, nor growing fan leaves of palm
shall suffice him. 1t is like the beauty
in the word Indiana" 1t may be
that there are people who do not con-
slider Indiana" beautiful word; but
once it rings true in your ears it has
a richer sound than 'sVallombrosa'
There was newness in the atnos-
phere that day, bright inauguration,
that set the blood tingling. The hot
months were done with, languor was
routed. Autumn spoke to industry,
told of the sowing of another harvest,
of the tawny shock of the purple
grape, of the red apple, and called upon
muscle and laughter; breathed gaiety
into mems hearts. The little stations
hummed with hustle and noise; big
farm wagons ratified away and raced
with cut-under or omnibus: people
walked with quick steps; the baggage
masters called eheerily to the train
men, and the brakeman laughed good
bys to rollcking girls
AS they left Gainesville three chill
dren, clad in calico, barefoot and bare
headed. came romping out of log
cabin on the outskirts of town, and
waved their hands to the passengers.
They climbed on the sagging gate in
front of their humble domain and
laughed for joy to see the monstrous
caravan come Gathering out of the I'M
known, bearing the faces by. The
smallest child, a little cherubic tow
head, whose cheeks were smeared with
clean earth and the tracks of forgot
ten tears, stood upright on a fence
post, and blew the most impudent of
kisses to the strangers on a Journey.
Beyond this they came into a great
plain, acres and acres of green rag
weed where the wheat had grown, all
so fiat one thought of an enormous
billiard table, and now, where the rail-
road crossed the country roads, they
saw the staunch brown thistle, some
times the sumach, and always the
graceful iron-weed. slender tall, proud.
bowling a purple-turbaned head, or
shaking in an agony of fright when il
stood too close to the train. The fields
like great, fiat emeralds set in new
metal, were bordered with golden-rod,
and at sight of this the heart leaped:
for the golden-rod is a symbol of
stored graneries, of ripe sheaves, of the
kindness of the season generously Civ
en- and abundantly received; more. 1t
is the token of a land of promise and