The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-02-19

greasy paper. With this in her fingers
she lay peering under the fence, her
fierce eyes fixed unwinkingly on the
editor of the Herald.
The street ran fiat and gray in the
slowly gathering dusk straight to the
western horizon, where the sunset en-
bers were strewn in long, glowing, dark
red streaks. The maple trees were
clean Gut silhouettes against the pale
rose and pearl tints Of the sky above,
and tenderness seemed to simmer in
the air. The editor often vowed to him.
self he would watch no more sunsets
in Plattville. He thought they were
making him morbid Could he have
shared them it would have been Diff
ferent
His long, melancholy face grew lon
ger and more melancholy in the twi-
light, while William Todd patiently
whitfield near by. Plattville had often
discussed the editors habit of silence,
and possibly the reason Mr.. HAIRLESS
was such a quiet man was that there
was nobody for him to talk to; but his
hearers did not agree, for the popula-
ton of Carlow county was thing Of
pride, being greater than that Of sew
eral bordering counties.
A bent figure came slowly down the
street, and William Todd hailed it
cheerfully. Evening, Mr.. Fisbee."
"A good evening, Mr.. Todd" an
swered the old man, pausing. "Ah, Mr..
HAIRLESS, | was looking for YOU" He
had not seemed to be looking for any
thing beyond the boundaries of his own
dreams, but he approached Harkless,
tugging nervously at some papers in
his pocket. Il have completed my notes
for our Saturday edition. 1t was quite
easy, sir. There is much doing"
"Thank you, Mr.. Fisbee," said Hark-
less as he took the manuscript. "Have
you finished your paper on the earlier
Christian symbolism? hope the Her
aid may have the honor of printing it."
This was form they used.
81 shall be the recipient of honor,
SIR" returned Fisbee. your kind offer
will speed my work; but 1 fear, Mr..
Harkless, 1 very much fear, that your
hluullcSS dlOHC IL, lOl, oCCplJt
as 1 desire it, cannot truthfully say
that my essays appear to increase our
circulation" He made an odd. trou-
bled gesture as he went on: "They do
not seem to read them here, although
Mr. Martin assures me that he care
fully reperuses my article on Chaldean
decoration whenever he rearranges his
4. IL: TT
few PAGES. then turned irresolutely.
"What is it, Fisbee?" asked Harkless.
Fispee stood for a moment as though
about to speak; then he smiled family,
shook his head and went his way.
Harkless waved his hand to him in
farewell and, drawing a pencil and a
pad from his pocket, proceeded to in
jure his eyes in the waning twilight by
the editorial perusal of the items his
staff had just left in his hands. He
glanced over them meditatively, max
ing alterations here and there.
The last one Fisbee had written as
follows:
Miss Sherwood of Rouen, whom Miss
Briscoe knew at the Misses Jennings fin
ishing school in New York, is a guest OF
Judge Briscoe's household.
Fisbee's items were written in ink.
There was blank space beneath the
last. At the bottom of the page some
thing had been scrubbed in pencil.
Harkless vainly tried to decipher it;
but the twilight had fallen too deep,
and the writing was too faint, so he
struck a match and held it close to the
paper. The action betokened only a
languid interest. But when he caught
sight of the first of the four subscrib-
ed lines he sat up straight in his chair,
with q sharp ejaculation. At the bot
tom Of Fisbee's page was written in
dainty feminine hand of type he
had not seen for years:
'The time has come" the walrus said,
'To talk of many things
OF shoes and ships and sealing wax
And cabbages and kings"
He put the paper in his pocket and
set off rapidly down the village street.
At his departure William Todd looked
up quickly. Then he got upon his feet,
with yawn, and quietly followed the
editor. In the dusk a tattered little
figure rose up from the weeds across
the way and stole noiselessly after
William. He was in his shirt sleeves,
his waistcoat unbuttoned and loose. On
the nearest corner Mr.. Todd encounter
ed fellow townsman who had been
pacing up and down in front of cot
tage grooming to protestive baby held
in his arms. He had paused IN his vigil
to stare after HAIRLESS.
"Where's he bound fer, Williamg"
inquired the man with the baby.
"Briscoes'," answered William, pur-
suing his way.
81 reckoned he would be-" observed
the other, turning to his wife, who sat
on the doorstep. 81 reckoned so when
1 see that lady at the lecture last
night"
The woman rose to her feet. eli,
Bill Toddw she said. what We got
ON to the back of yer vestY' William
paused, put his hand behind him and
encountered a paper pinned to the dam
Cling strap of his waistcoat The wom-
an ran to him and unpinned the paper.
1t bore writing. They took it to where
the yellow lamplight shone out through
the open door and read: