The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-05-13

plush furiously, and her voice trem,
bled, but she lifted the glass high over
her head and cried bravely, "Here's to
our candidates"
The big men, towering over her,
threw back their heads and quaffed
the gentle liquor to the last drop. Then
they sent up the first shout Of the
campaign and cheered till the rafters
rang.
my friends" said Mr.. Heating as he
and Boswell and the men from Gaines
drove away from the brick house-"my
friends, here is where l begin the
warmest hustling l ever did. Now,
guess we all think this is great
plan
'It is glorious idea," said Mr..
Bence. ''The name of Harkless''-
Heating drowned the oratory: But
that isn't ALL That little girl wants it
to succeed, and that settles it. He
goes"
That night Mr.. Parker, at work in
the printing office, perceived the figure
Of Mr.. Tipworthy reckoning him mys-
teriously from the pavement.
What's the matter, Buddie?"
"Listen. She's singin' over her work"
Parker stepped outside On the pave
ment people had stopped to listen.
They stood in the shadow, looking up
with parted lips at the open, lighted
windows whence came clear, soft,
fohI IN,
Now it swelled louder unconsciously;
now it's volume was more slender, and
it melted LOUDLY into the night; again
It trembled and rose and dwelt in the
ear, strong and pure, and hearing it
you sighed with unknown longings. 1t
was the Angels Serenade."
Bud Tipworthy's sister, Cynthia, Was
with him. and Parker saw that she
turned from the window and that she
was crying quietly. She put her hand
on the boys shoulder and patted it
with a forlorn gesture which to the
foreman's eye was as graceful as it
was sad. He moved closer to Bud, and
his big hand fell on Cynthia's brothers
other shoulder as he realized that red
hair could look pretty sometimes, and
he wondered why the editors singing
made Cynthia cry, and at the same
time he decided to be mighty good to
Bud henceforth. The spell of night and
song was on him; that and something
more, for it is a strange, inexplicable
fact that the most practical chief ever
known to the Herald had a singularly
sentimental influence over her subordi-
mates from the moment of her arrival
Under Harkless' domination there had
been no more steadfast bachelors in
Carlow than Ross Schofield and Caleb
Parker, and, like timorous youths in
graveyard, daring and hooking the
ghosts in order to assuage their own
fears, they had so gibed and jeered at
the married state that there was talk
Of urging the minister to preach at
them, but now let it be recorded that at
the moment Caleb laid his hand OH
Buds other shoulder his associate, Mr..
Schofield, was enjoying a walk in the
far end Of town with widow, and it is
not to be doubted that Mr. Tipworthy's
heart also was no longer in his possess
sion, though, as it was after o'clock,
the damsel of his desire had probably
long since retired to her couch.
For faint light on the cause of
these spells we must turn to COM
ment made by the invaluable Mr.. Mar
tin some time afterward. Referring to
the lady to whose voice he was now
listening in silence, which shows how
great the enthralling of her voice was,
he said, when you saw her or heard
her or managed to be around anywhere
she was, why, if you couldn't git up no
hope of marryin' her you wanted to
marry somebody"
Mr.. Lige Willetts, riding idly by,
drew rein in front of the lighted win
dows and listened with the others.
Presently he leaned from his horse
and whispered to a man near him, 81
know that song"
"Do you" whispered the other.
eyes. He and heard her sing it the
night he was shot We stood outside
Briscoe's and listened"
"So!"
"Its a seraphic song he said" con-
tinued Lige.
"Now exclaimed his friend. Then,
shaking his head, he sighed, "Well, it's
mighty sweet"
Ito be Continued)