The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-03-11

'There's no summer theater In 81
Crossroads. There's not even church
Why shouldn't theyf' he asked grave
". During the long and tedious even
1ngs 1t cheers the poor Crossroaders
soul to drop over here and take a sho'
at me. 1t whites away dull care fol
him, and he has the additional exercise
OF running all the way home"
"Ahp' she cried Indignantly. "They
told me you always answered like this
swell, you see, the Crossroads efforts
have proved so thoroughly hygienic fol
me. AS patriot have sometimes fel
extreme modification that such baC
craftsmanship should exist in the coun
ty, but I console myself with TIT
thought that their best shots are, un
happily, in the penitentiary."
There are many left. Can't you un
derstand that they will organize again
and come in body, as they did befor'
you broke them up? And then, II the!
come on a night when they know yo'
are wandering out Of town.
"You have not had the advantage O
an intimate study Of the most exclusive
people Of the Crossroads, Miss Sher
wood. There are about thirty gentle
men who remain in that neighborhoot
while their relatives sojourn under dis
cipline. II you had the entree owe
there, you would understand that thes
thirty could not gather themselves int
q company and march the seven mile
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 compan!
once"
Never for seven miles. -Four mile
was their radius. Five would see then
all dead"
She struck the bench again. "Oh, yo'
laugh at me! You make joke of you
own life and death and laugh at every
thing. Have five years Of Plattvill
taught you to do that?'
II laugh only at taking the poo
Crossroaders too seriously. don't laugl
at your running into fire to help fel
low mortal"
1T knew there wasn't any risk.
knew he had to stop to load before h
shot again."
"He did shoot again. If 1 had know
you before tonight, r. His tom
changed, and he spoke gravely. Il an
at your feet in worship of your divine
philanthropy. It's so much finer to risl
your life for a stranger than for
friend"
"That is a mans point of view, ISM
itY'
"You risked yours for man you hat
never seen before"
ooh, no. l saw you at the lecture.
heard you introduce the Hon. Mr.. Hal
loway."
"rhen 1 don't understand your wish
ing to save me-"
She smiled unwillingly and turned he
gray eyes upon him with troubled sun
niness, and under the sweetness OF ne
regard he set a watch upon his lips
though he knew it would not avail hin
long. He had driveled along respect
ably so far, he thought, but he had TIT
sentimental longings Of years, starved
of expression, eliminating in his heart
She continued to look at him wistfully
searchingly, gently. Then her eyes traV
eled over his big frame, from hi
shoes Ia patch of moonlight fell OF
them; they were dusty; he drew then
under the bench with a shudder) to hi
broad shoulders Che shook the stoop ou
Of them. She stretched her small Whit
hands toward him and looked at then
In contrast and broke into the most de
licious low laughter in the world. A
this he knew the watch on his lips wa
worthless. 1t was a question Of min
utes till he should present himself II
her eyes as a sentimental and suscep
tible imbecile. He knew it. He was II
wild spirits.
"Could you realize that one of you
dangers might be a shaking" sh'
cried. "Is your seriousness lost art!'
Her laughter ceased suddenly. "Ah
no! I understand Theirs = said - tai
CHAPTER V.
ST HE bright sun of circus day