Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-05-16

woman's skirt far up the village
street. half outlined in the darkness
under the cathedral arch of meeting
branches. this romancer of petticoats
could sigh a true lovers sigh and. II
he kept enough distance between. fly
yearning fancy that his lady wandered
there
Ever since his university days the
image of her had been growing more
and more distinct He had completely
settled his mind as to her appearance
and her voice She was tall. almost TOO
tall. he was sure of that; and out OF
his consciousness there had grown
sweet and vivacious young face that De
knew was hers. Her hair was light
brown. with gold lusters Che reveled In
the gold lusters on the proper theory
that when your fancy is painting
picture you may as well go in for the
whole thing and make it sumptuouSl'
and her eyes were gray. They were
very earnest. and yet they spanked anu
laughed to him companionaDly' anu
sometimes he smiled back upon her
i
the lonely years. on fair nights IN hls
walks and came to sit by his ire on
winter evenings when he stared alone
at the embers.
And tonight. here in Plattville' ne
heard a voice he had waited for long,
one that his tickle memory told him ne
had never heard before. But. listening,
he knew better-he had heard it long
ago, though when and how he did not
know. as rich and true, and inetfabiy
tender as now. He threw a sop to his
common sense. Miss Sherwood IS a
little thing" (tne image was so surely
tall, with a bumpy forehead and spec
tacles,' he said to himself. ''or else
provincial young lady with big eyes to
pose at you" Then he felt the ridlcu-
lousness of looking after his common
sense on a moonlight night in Junei
also. he knew that he lied.
The song had ceased. vuT the musician
fingered, and the keys were touched TO
plaintive harmonies new to him. He
had come to Plattville before "Cayal-
leria Rusticana" won the prize at Rome,
and now, entranced. he heard the IN
termezzo'' for the first time. Listening
to this he feared 10 move lest he should
wake from a summer nights dream.
A ragged little shadow fitted down
the path behind him. and from soli-
tary apple tree standing like lone
| ly ghost in the middle Of the field
came the Woo of a screech owl twice.
| 1t was answered-tWice- a clump
| of elder bushes that grew in a fence
corner fifty yards west of the pasture
| bars. Then the barrel of a squirrel rifle
| issued, lifted out of the white elder bios
SONS, and lay along the fence. The
music in the house across the way ceas-
| ed, and Harkless saw two white dresses
come out through the long parlor win
| dOWs on to the veranda. 1T will be
cooler out here" came the voice Of the
singer clearly through the quiet. ''What
| a night"
John vaulted the bars and started to
cross the road. They saw him from
! the veranda, and Miss Briscoe called
| to him in welcome. AS his tall figure
stood out plainly in the bright light
against the white dust a streak of fire
| leaped from the elder blossoms, and
| there rang out the sharp report of q
rife There were two screams from
the veranda. One white figure ran into
| the house. The other, little one will
a gauzy wrap streaming behind, came
| flying out into the moonlight straight
to Harkless. There was a second re
port. The rife shot was answered by
revolver. William Todd had riser
up, apparently from nowhere, and
kneeling by the pasture bars, fired a
the flash Of the rife.
Jump fer the shadder, Mr. Hank
less!' he shouted. He's in them ell
ders Fer Gods sake, come back!'
Empty handed as he was, the editO
| dashed for the treacherous elder busl
as fast as his long legs could carr!
him, but before he had taken 81
strides a hand clutched his sleeve ant
a girls voice Quayered from close be
hind him: Don't run like that, MI
HarkIess! l can't keep up"
He wheeled about and confronted
vision, a dainty little figure about fv
feet high, a flushed and lovely face
hair and draperies disarranged ant
flying. He stamped his foot with rage
Get back in the housev' he cried.
You mustn't gor' she painted. cit
the only way to stop YOU
: Go back to the housep' he shoute
savagely.
will you Gomez
, Fer Gods sake" cried Willia1
T Todd, come back! Keep out of th
! roadr' He was emptying his revolve
: at the clump of bushes, the uproar G
his firing blasting the night. Some or
: | screamed from the house:
Helen, Helenr'
: John seized the girls wrists. He
t gray eyes flashed into his defantl.
t will you go?" he reared
. MOI
. He dropped her wrists. caught her U
a IL MS arms as if she had been a ki
: ten and leaped into the shadow of Il
: trees that leaned over the road fro
+ the yard. The rifle rang out agai