The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-03-04
/ The Gentleman :
/ From Indiana
BY BOOTH TARklNGNN
eoerssht. 1899. ~ DostleSsy 4 MsClsre Co.
!. oOs,rishi 1902. ~ Mcclure. PhlIlps C.
IcoNTISUED.l

There's no summer theater in Six
Crossroads. There's not even n church.
Why shouldn't they?" lie asked grave
ly. During the long and tedious even
ings il cheers the poor Crossroader's
soul to drop over here and take shot
at me. 1t whiles away dull care for
him. and he has the additional exercise
of running all the way home"
"Ahr' she cried Indignantly. They
told me you always answered like this"
well. You see. the Crossroads efforts
have proved so thoroughly hygienic for
me. As a patriot have sometimes felt
extreme modification that such bad
craftsmanship should exist in the coun-
ty. but console myself with the
thought that their best shots are. un-
happily. in this penitentiary."
There are many left. Can't you un-
derstand that they will organize again
and come in a body. as they did before
you broke them up? And then. II they
come on n night when they know you
are wandering out of town.
"You have not had the advantage OF
an intimate study of the most exclusive
people OF the Crossroads. Miss Sher-
wood. There are about thirty gentle
men who remain in that neighborhood
while their relatives sojourn under dis
cfpline If you had the entree over
there. you would understand that these
thirty could not gather themselves into
company and march the seven miles
without physical debate I'm the ranks.
They are not precisely amiable people,
even among themselves. They would
quarrel and shoot one another to pieces
long before they got here"
But they worked in n company
once"
Never for seven miles. Four miles
was their radius. Five would see them
all dead"
She struck the bench again. "Oh, you
laugh at me, You make a joke OF your
own life and death and laugh at every
thing. Have five years Of Piattvills
taught you to do thatT'
L laugh only at taking the poor
Crossroaders too seriously. don't laugh
at your running into fire to help a fel
low mortal"
i knew there wasn't any risk.
knew he had TO stop to load before ht
shot again
He did shoot again. IL had known
you before tonight, u His toni
changed, and he spoke gravely. Il an
at your feet in worship Of your divine
philanthropy. It's so much finer to risl
rhon Z
| friend"
THAT is-a mans point of view, ism
itT"
You risked yours for a man you hat
never seen before"
"Oh. no. | saw you at the lecture
heard you introduce the Hon. Mr.. Hal
| loway."
| Then | don't understand your wish
| ing to save me"
| She smiled unwillingly and turned he
| gray eyes upon him with troubled sun
niness. and under the sweetness Of he
i regard he set watch upon his lips
| though he knew il would not avail hin
long. He had driveled along respect
ably so far. be thought. but he had tn
1 sentimental longines of years. -starve'
Il of expression. eliminating in his hear
She continued In look at him wistfully
searchingly. gently. Then her eyes tray
eled over his big frame. from hi
shoes "a patch OF moonlight fell o.
them; they were dusty: he drew ther
under the bench with a shudderl to hi
broad shoulders the shook the stoop ou
OF them. She stretched her small whit
hands toward him and looked at theI
in contrast and broke into the most d'
licious low laughter In the world. A
this he knew the watch on his lips wa
worthless Ii was a question OF mil
utes till he should present himself
her eyes as a sentimental and susceI
tible imbecile He knew il. He was
wild spirits.
Gould you realize that one OF you
dangers might be a shaking" sh
cried. lis your seriousness lost art I
Her laughter ceased suddenly. al
no. / understand Theirs said Il
French laugh always in order not
weep. I haven't lived here five year
/ should laugh. too. II / were you"
L tlC hN AN'PNhtN'
"we Plattvillians own that with Il
best of metropolitans, and. for my par
I see more OF il here. You do not a
preciate US. We have large landscap,
IN the heart OF the city. and what 9th
, capital has advantages like that: Ne
winter the railway station is to have
' new stove for the waiting room. Hea
o sn itself Is one OF our suburbs-it Is
e close that all one has to do Is TO dl
You insist upon my being French. "
see. and I know you are fond or no
8 sense. How did you happen to p
: The Walrus and the Carpenter at q
4 bottom of a page of Fisbee's notesT
oil WAS itf How were you sure 1t W
Il IL"
). ain Carlow countyr'
$ "He might have written II himself.
"Fisbee has never in his life re-
anything lighter than cuneiform
scriptions."
Miss Briscoe'-
"She doesn't read Lewis Carroll. a
II was not her hand. What made v
V write il on Fisbee's manuscript
He was here this afternoon.
tsazAd him little about your hsadi