Cañon City record., 1904-02-25

cences had risen SO keenly 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 ut was in the time of brilliant
fannels, who sent up 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
a yard, il seemed. such was his frantic
righteousness. Again and again the
cheers rang out, "Harkless. Hark-
less"' 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
cln.stra on the casino porch was play
ing THE Conquering Hero Comes" in
his honor and at the behest Of Tom
Meredith. he knew.
sides 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 We're over
looked in the wild scramble the college
men made for their hero. They haltd
him forth set him on high. bore him On
their shoulders. shouting 'Skal 10 the
Viking and carried a!:;. ap the wood
ed bluff 10 the casino. He heard Mrs.
Van Skuyt say: "Oh. were used to it.
We've put in at several other places
where he had friends" He remember
ed the wild progress they made for
him up the slope that morning at Win
ter Harbor-how the people looked OH
and laughed and clapped their hands.
But at the veranda edge he had no.
ticed a little form disappearing around
a corner of the building. young girl
running away as fast rs she could.
'See there" he said as the tribe set
him down; you have frightened the
populace." And Tom Meredith had
stopped shouting long enough to an
swer: It's my little cousin. overcome
with emotion. She's been counting
the hours till you came-been hearing
about you for good while. She hasn't
been able to talk or think of anything
else. She's only fifteen. and the crucial
moment is too much for her The great
Harkless has arrived, and she has fled"
But the present hour grew on him
as he leaned on the pasture bars. 1t
had been reminiscent day with him.
but suddenly his memories sped. and
the voice that was singing Schubert's
"Serenade'' across the way touched
him with the urgent personal appeal
that present beauty had always held
for him. 1t was a soprano and without
tremolo. yet came to his ear with a
certain tremulous sweetness. 1t was
soft and slender, but the listener knew
1t could be lifted with fullness and
power II the singer would. 1t spoke
only Of the song, yet the listener
thought Of the singer. Under the
moon thoughts run into dreams. and
he dreamed that the owner of the
voice, she who quoted ''The Walrus
and the Carpenter on Fisbee's notes.
was one to laugh with YOU and weep
with you. yet her laughter would be
tempered with sorrow and her tears
with laughter
When the song was ended he struck
the rail he leaned upon a sharp blow
with his open hand. There swept over
him feeling that he had stood precise
ly where he stood now on such a nigh,
thousand years ago; had heard that
voice and that song and been moved by
the voice and the song and the night
just as he was moved now. He had
long known himself for a sentimental
ist. He had almost given up trying to
cure himself. And he knew himself
for born lover. He had always been
in love with some one. In his earlier
youth his affections had been so CON
stantly inconstant that he finally came
to settle with his self respect by rec
ixi.a