The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-03-18
the hand. mildly says to wait out

Of the hand. mildly says to wait out
here"
There was faint rustling within the
house, the swish Of draperies on the
stairs, a delicious whispering, when
light feet descend, tapping, to hearts
that beat an answer, the telegraphic
message: eve come! We come! We
are near! We are nearw Lige Will
let's stared at Harkless. He had never
thought the latter was good looking I'M
I'll he saw him step to the door to take
Helen Sherwood's hand and say, in a
strange, low, tense voice, Good morn
ing" as if he were announcing, at the
least: Every one in the world, except
Us two, died last night. 1t is solemn
thing, but 1 am very happy"
They walked. Minnie and Mr.. Will
let's, a little distance in front Of the
others. Harkless could not have told
afterward whether they rode or walked
or fioated on an airship to the court
house. All he knew distinctly was
that divinity in pink shirt waist
and hat that was woven Of gauzy
cloud by hooking fairies to make him
stoop hideously to see under 1t dwelt
Tor the time on earth and was at his
side, dazzling him in the morning SUE
shine. Last night the moon had lent
her silvery glamour. She had some
thing Of the ethereal wilderness Of
night dews in that watery light, a
nymph to laugh from sparkling foun-
tain at the moon, or, as he thought, re-
membering her courtesy for his pretty
speech, perhaps a little lady of King
Louis court wandering down the years
from Fontainebleau and appearing to
clumsy mortals sometimes of a summer
night when the moon was in their
heads.
But today she was of the daintiest
color, pretty girl whose gray eyes
twinkled to his in gay companionship.
He marked how the sunshine danced
across the shadows of her fair hair
and seemed itself to catch a luster
rather than impart it, and the light Of
the June day drifted through the gauzy
hat to her face, touching it with deli
cate and tender flush that came and
went like the vibrating pink of early
dawn. She had the divinest straight
nose, tip tilted a faint, alluring trife,
and a dimple cleft her chin, "the dead
lest maelstrom in the worldw He
thrilled through and through. He had
you for this evening that you have Civ
en- me. II suppose you are leaving to-
morrow. No one ever stays here. p
"What about the melodies"
He gave it up. 1.-THE moon makes peo-
pie insanew he cried.
eff that is true, then you need not be
more afraid than 1, because people is
plural. What were you saying about
81 had heard them--in my heart.
When / heard your voice tonight 1
knew that it was you who sang them
there, had been singing them for me al
ways"
'So!' she cried gayly. Cali that de-
bate about pretty speech!' Then,
sinking before him in courtesy, 81 am
beholden to you," she said. "Do you
think no man ever made a little fiat
terry for me before tonight?"
At the edge of the orchard, where
they could keep an unseen watch on the
garden and the bank of the creek, Judge
Briscoe and Mr. Todd were ensconced
under an apple tree, the former still
armed with his shotgun. When the
young people got up from their bench,
the two men rose hastily, then saunter-
ed slowly toward them. When they
met, Harkless shook each Of them cor
daily by the hand without seeming to
know it.
"We were coming to look for you,"
explained the judge. william was
afraid to go home alone-thought some
one might take him for Mr. Harkless
and shoot him before he got into town.
Can you come out with Willetts in the
morning, Harkless,' he went ON, "and
60 with the young ladies to see the
parade? And Minnie wants you to stay
to dinner and go to the show with them
In the afternoon"
HAIRLESS seized his hand and shook it
and then laughed heartily as he accept
ed the invitation.
At the gate Miss Sherwood extended
her hand to him and said politely,
while mockery shone from her eyes:
"Good night, Mr.. HAIRLESS. l do not
leave tomorrow. am very glad to have
met you"
"We are going to keep her all sum-
mer, if we can," said Minnie, weaving
her arm about her friends waist.
you'll come in the morning?
"Good night, Miss Sherwood" he re-
turned hilariously. "It has been such
pleasure to meet you. Thank you so
much for saving my life. 1t was very
good of you. indeed. Yes; in the morn
ing. Good night, good night" He
ing Mr.. Todd. who was going with him.
He laughed all the way home. and Will
liam walked at his side in amazement.
The Herald building was a decrepit
frame structure on Main street. 1t
had once been a small warehouse and
ly adjoining it, in large, blank looking
yard, stood low brick cottage, over
which the second story of the Old ware
house leaned in an effect of tipsy af-
lection that had reminded HAIRLESS,
when he first saw 1t. Of an old Sunday
school book woodcut Of an inebriated
parent under convoy of a devoted child.