Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-02-24

1t flashed into his mind that they
were the young ladies' who had
passed Joe Becraft and himself the
evening before. As they advanced
he had an excellent view of them,
for he was facing in the direction
from which they were approaching.
The one whose beauty he and Be-
craft had remarked upon was tall
and slight, and carried herself with
singular grace and charm. The
great hat witch shaded her features
and was tied beneath her chin
showed her countenance as though
in a frame-the delicately arched
brows, the appealing eyes, the re.
fined and sensitive mouth. Her skin
was unnaturally pale, as though
from illness, yet she betrayed no fur
Their evidences of ill-health, laughing
and chatting with the one who 40
companied her in an animated way.
The other girl-Rossiter judged that
both might be "a or 25--was much
shorter and plumper than her COM
panion. There were roses In her
checks, and while with some she
would hardly have passed as pretty,
there was about her wholesome at
tractiveness.
Rossiter was tempted to turn and
watch them, but restrained himself
from doing so. He CHANGED to look
towards the Becraft box and caught
Joe's eye. That young man gave a
little emphatic nod of his head which
told its story of admiration.
81 shall have to threaten to re-
port to his sweetheart" thought
Rossiter.
"What can they be doing in the
hqp-yard2' he unused.
His unspoken query was answered
an instant later by the carpenters
wife, who said to her husband:
"Ihat's Miss Merton. the one with
the. red cheeks, and the others @
Miss Densmore. a cousin of the Mer-
tons from lilica, who's come out to
pick for her health. | heard Mrs.
Merton tell some one so last night
During most of the afternoon the
face of Miss Merton's cousin was be-
fore Rossiter, although he did not
actually see her again till towards
the time for the picking to cease,
when she and Miss Merton passed
on their way to the house. 1t was
her eyes especially that haunted him
the searching tenderness in them.
That he should dwell upon her THIS
was quite as ridiculous. As confessed
ta hiaself, as was Becraft's display
of susceptibility. Rossiter had long
considered women. at least those of
the class with which he had once
associated, as having gone out CT lis
life forever. Indeed, from the time,
= Aear and q half before he had cut
loose from his kin and all social ties,
when, on learning that his fortune
had vanished, the girl to when he had
given his heart had thrawa him over,
he had regarded the sex from an iso-
lated standpoint. The love of beauty
in it's many forms which had been
born in him, and which no series of
experiences could eradicate, had
often, in his vagabondage, riveted his
attention upon a lovely woman, but
he had always considered her from
the artists position. That, after
all this time, face should SO take
hold upon him struck him with a
sense of the preposterous, he who
had sunk to the level Of the yeriest
af.egs OF humanity-a common tramp.
| He was inclined to shout aloud with
| Inirth.
Two days before he would have
| sworn that such a thing was beyond
| the bounds of possibility, but even
in the life of a vagrant two days
may work strange things. The mo-
ment his feet touched the ground at
regarding himself impersonally, be-
| gan to wonder if he were actually
| the same person who slowed him
| self in the freight ear at Clevalo not
a great many hours previous. Some,
4 thing that he soaid not anaiyze was
| trytallizing within him. Another
more familiar with the workings OF
the brain towards that which is reso.
lutte, fixed, and definite, might have
recognized it and called it purpose.
As Mrs. Recraft desired an errand
| done in Hintonville, after supper Joe
| got a ride into the village with one
OF the hired men who was going fol
| the evening mail. Rossiter, left te
himself, wandered down into the
great orchard below the small close
where the mems sleeping quarters
We're. A wagon track led through
it, and he followed this till he
reached a meadow that dipped gently
to dense strip of woodland. Fal
away in the west the streamers Of
the sunset laced the sky. Leaning
against the fence rails, he watched
the splendor fade, filed with more
uplifting sense of spirit than he hat
felt in many day.
With the shutting down of dusl
| he walked back towards the house
| AS he drew abreast of the Aap-kill
| he saw two men seated In the door
way whom he made to be Mr.. Merto,
and Jack Parmelee.
We've done very well for the frs
day." Parmelee was saying. "Onl,
had one piece O. bad luck"
whats that?" inquired Merton.
why, young Gridley, who wa
pu1lin' poles, claims he's got to quit
| t.. $50