Cañon City record., 1904-02-18

pristine iauntiness, an air of which its
owner in nowise partook. he looked
from it toward the village in the clear
distance and sighed softly as he put
the pouch back In his pocket and, rest
ing his arm on his knee and his chin on
his hand, sat blowing clouds of smoke
out of the shade into the sunshine. alb
sently watching the ghostly shadow on
the white dust of the road.
little garter snake crept under the
fence beneath him and disappeared in
the underbrush; a rabbit. progressing
on its travels by series of brilliant
dashes and terror smitten halts, came
within few yards of him. sat up with
quivering nose and eyes alight with
fearful imaginings and vanished. flash
of fluffy brown and white. Shadows
grew longer: a cricket chirped and heard
answers: there was woodland stir OF
breezes. and the pair of robins left the
branches overhead in eager flight va
eating before the arrival of flock OF
blackbirds Fastening thither ere the
eventide should be upon them. The
blackbirds came, chartered. gossipod.
quarreled and beat each other with
their wings above the smoker sitting
on the top fence rail-
But he had remembered. A thousand
miles to the east it was commencement
day, seven years to day from his
own commencement.
Five years ago. on another June aft
ernoon, a young man from the east had
alighted on the platform of the station
north of Plattville and. entering the
rickety omnibus that fingered there
seeking whom it might rattle to deaf
ness. demanded to be driven to the
Herald building. 1t did not strike the
driver that the newcomer was pre-
cisely gay young man when he climb
ed into the omnibus, but an hour later
as he stood in the doorway of the edi-
fee he had indicated as his destination.
depression seemed to have settled into
the marrow of his bones.
Plattville was instantly alert to the
strangers presence, and interesting con
lectures were hazarded all day long NJ
the back door of Martins Dry Goods
Emporium Ohis was the club during
the day., and at supper the new ar
rival and his probable purposes were
discussed over every table in the town.
Upon inquiry he had informed Judd
Bennett, the driver of the omnibus.
that he had come to stay. Naturally
such a declaration caused a sensation.
as people did not come to Plattville to
live except through the inadvertency OF
being born there. In addition the young
mans appearance and attire were re-
ported to be extraordinary. Many Of
the curious. among them most of the
marriageable females of the place, took
occasion TO pass and repass the sign OF
the Carlow County Herald during the
evening.
Meanwhile the stranger was seated
in the dingy office upstairs with his
head bowed low on his arms. Twilight
stole through the dirty window panes
and faded into darkness. Night filled
the room. He did not move. The young
man from the east had bought the Her
aid from an agent-had bought it with
out ever having been within hundred
miles of Plattville. The Herald was
an alleged weekly which had some
times appeared within five days of its
declared date of publication and some
times missed fire altogether. 1t was
thorn in the side of every patriot of
Carlow county. and Carlow people, aft
er supporting the paper loyalty and
long, had at last given it up and sub
scribed for the Gazette, published in
the neighboring county of Amo. The
former proprietor of the Herald, a
surreptitious gentleman with goatee,
had taken the precauton of leaving
Plattville forever on the afternoon pre-
ceding his successors arrival. The
young man from the east had vastly
overpaid for his purchase. Moreover.
the price he had paid for It was all the
money he had in the world.
The next morning he went bitterly to
work. He hired compositor from
Rouen, young man named Parker,
who set type all night long and helped
him pursue advertisements all day.
The citizens shook their heads pessi'