Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-02-26

kES ran west to the edge Of the
town. where it turned to the south for
a quarter of mile or more. then bent
to the west again. Some distance
from this second turn there stood,
fronting close on the road. Il large
brick house. the most pretentious' man.
sion in Carlow county. And yet 1t was
q homelike place. with it's red brick
walls embowered in masses Of cool
Virginia creeper and a comfortable
veranda crossing the broad front, while
half q hundred stalwart sentinels Of
elm and beech and poplar stood guard
around it. The front walk was bor-
dered by geraniums and hollyhocks,
and .honeysuckle climbed the pillars Of
the porch. Behind the house there was
q shady little orchard. and back Of the
orchard an old fashioned. very fragrant
rose garden. divided by q long grape
arbor. extended to the shallow waters
of q wandering creek. and on the bank
q rustic seat was placed beneath the
sycamores.
From the first bend of the road,
where It left the town and became
(after some indecision) a country high
way, called the pike, rather than q
proud city boulevard. pathway led
through the fields to end at some pas
ture bars opposite the brick house.
John Harkless was leaning on the
pasture bars. The stars were wan and
the full moon shone over the fields.
Meadows and woodlands lay quiet and
motionless under the old, sweet mar
vel of q June night. In the wide
monotony Of the fat lands there some
times comes feeling that the whole
earth is stretched out before one. To-
night it seemed to lie so, in the pathos
Of silent beauty. passive and still. yet
breathing an antique message. sad,
mysterious, reassuring. But there had
come a divine melody adrift on the air.
Through the open windows it foated.
Indoors some one struck peal Of sill
yer chords, like a harp touched by q
lover, and q woman's voice was lifted.
John Harkless leaned on the pasture
bars and listened with upraised head
and parted lips.
ITO thy chamber window rowing. love
hath led my feet"
The Lord sent mama to the children
Of Israel In the wilderness. Harkless
had been five years in Plattville, and
woman's voice singing Schubert's "Ser-
enade" came to him at last as he stood
by the pasture bars Of Jones' field and
listened and rested his dazzled eyes
on the big white face Of the moon.
How long had it been since he had
heard a song or any discourse Of music
other than that furnished by the Platt-
vile band? Not that he had no taste
for q brass band. But music that he
loved always gave him an ache or de-
light and the twinge Of "reminiscences
Of old gay days gone forever. Tonight
his memory leaped to the last day of
a June gone seven years to a morn
ing when the little estuary waves
twinkled in the bright sun about the
boat in which he sat. the trim launch
that brought a CHEEKY party ashore
from their schooner to the casino land.
ing at Winter Harbor, far up on the
Maine coast.
Tonight he saw the picture as plainly
as if it were yesterday. No reminis-
cences had risen so keeDly before his
eyes for years. Pretty Mrs. Van Skuyt
sitting beside him-pretty Mrs. Van
Skuyt and her roses - what had be-
come of her? He saw the crowd Of
friends waiting on the pier for their ar
rival, the dozen or so emblazoned class
mates Gt was in the time Of brilliant
dannels) who sent up a volley Of COL
lege cheers in his honor. How plainly
the dear old. young faces rose up before
him tonight. the men from whose lives
he had slipped! Dearest and jolliest Of
the faces was that Of Tom Meredith.
clubmate, classmate. his closest friend,
the thin. redheaded third baseman. He
could see Toms mouth opened at least
q yard. it seemed, such was his frantic
righteousness. Again and again the
cheers rang out. "Harkless! Hark.
lessw on the end of them. In those
days everybody. particularly his class
mates. thought he would be minister
to England in few years. and the Or
chestra Oh the casino porch was play
ing The COnquering Hero Comes" in
his honor and at the behest Of Tom
Meredith, he knew.
There We're other pretty ladies be-
Edes Mrs. Van Skuyt in the launch
load from the yacht, but as they touch
ed the pier. pretty girls or pretty wom-
en- or jovial gentlemen. all were O:er.
looked in the wild scramble the college
men made for their hero. They hailed
him forth. set him OH high, bore him on
their shoulders. shouting "Skal to the
Vikingw and carried him up the wood,
ed bluff to the casino. He heard Mrs
Van Skuyt say: "Oh. we're used to it.
We've put in at several other places
where he had friends" He remember
ed the wild progress they made fol
him I'D the slope that morning ut Win
ter Harbor-how the people looked on
and laughed and clapped their hands
But at the veranda edge he had no
ticed a little form disappearing around
q corner of the building. young glr
running away us fast as she could
"See there" he said as the tribe Sc,
him down: you have frightened the
populace." And Tom Meredith had
stopped shouting long enough to an