Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1904-03-05

4
The action was so odd, somehow, as
she did it, so adorable, and the pre-
served silence was such a bond be
| tween them, that for his life he could
not have helped moving half way up
the bench toward her.
"What is it?" he asked, and he spoke
in whisper such as he might have
used at the bedside of a dying friend.
He would not have laughed if he had
known he did so. She twisted the spear
of grass into little ball and threw it
at a stone in the water before she an
swered:
do you know, Me. Harkless, you
and | have not met have we? Didn't
we forget to be presented to each
other?"
81 beg your pardon, Miss Sherwood
In the perturbation Of comedy for
got"
ut was melodrama, wasn't it?" she
said. He laughed, but she shook her
head
"Purest comedy" he said gayly. Eek
cepr your part Of It, You shouldn't have
done it. This evening was not arranged
in honor Of visiting ladies' But you
mustn't think me comedian. Truly,
didn't plan it. My friend from Six
Crossroads must be given the credit Of
devising the sca.ne, though you OWNED
it."
"It was little too picturesque,
think. / know about Six Crossroads.
Please tell me what you mean to do"
Nothing. What should I?''
"You mean that you will keep on let
ting them shoot at you until they--until
YOU She struck the bench angrily
with her hand.
'"There's no summer theater in Six
Crossroads. There's not even a church.
Why shouldn't they?" he asked grave
ly. During the long and tedious even
ings it cheers the poor Crossroader's
soul to drop over here and take a shot
at me. 1t whites away dull care for
him, and he has the additional exercise
Of running all the way home"
"Ah!' she cried Indignantly. ''They
told me you always answered like this"
swell, you see, the Crossroads efforts
have proved so thoroughly hygienic for
me. AS patriot have sometimes felt
extreme modification that such bad
craftsmanship should exist in the coun-
ty, but console myself with the
thought that their best shots are I'M
happily, in the penitentiary."
''There are many left. Can't you I'M
derstand that they will organize again
and come in body, as they did before
you broke them up? And then. if they
come on night when they know you
are wandering out Of town.
you have not had the advantage of
an intimate study Of the most exclusive
people of the Crossroads. Miss Sher
wood. There are about thirty gentle
men who remain in that neighborhood
while their relatives sojourn under dis
cipline. If you had the entree over
there, you would understand that these
thirty could not gather themselves into
a company and march the seven miles
without physical debate in the ranks,
They are not precisely amiable people,
even among themselves. They would
quarrel and shoot one another to pieces
long before they got here"
But they worked in a company !
once"
"Never for seven miles. Four miles |
vas their radius. Five would see them
Iii dead"
She struck the bench again. ooh. you
augh at me! You make joke of your
,wn life and death and laugh at every
hing. Have five years Of Plattville
aught you to do that?'
81 laugh only at taking the poor
It your running into fire to help fell
ow mortal
u knew there wasn't any risk.
new he had to stop to load before he
hot again."
HE did shoot again. If had known
ou before tonight. r. His tone
hanged, and he spoke gravely. Il am
t your feet in worship of your divine
It's so much finer to risk
our life for stranger than for a
riend''
''That is mans point of view. isn't
r"
'sYou risked yours for man you had
ever seen before"
ooh, no. saw you at the lecture
card you introduce the Hon. Mr., Hal
way"
'"Then l don't understand your wish
lg to save me-"
She smiled -unwillingly and turned her
ray eyes upon him with troubled sum
mess, and under the sweetness of her
.gard he set "a watch upon his lips.
,ough he knew it would not avail him
ing. lie had driveled along respect +,
bly, so far, he thought, but he had the .
longings Of years. starved
expression, eliminating in his heart.
he continued to look at him wistfully.
.archingly, gently. Then her eyes trav-
ed over his big frame. from his !,
hoes Ia patch of moonlight fell on /,
lem; they were dusty: he drew them
nder the bench with shudder, to his
'oad shoulders Che shook the stoop out
tbo,ol Sba Stratoba6 har small white I