Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-03-12

brushes. When at last Ii suited him
and his dressing was complete. he sal
lied forth to breakfast.
Xenophon stared after him as he went
out of the gate whstling heartily. The
old darky lifted his hands. palms out
ward
Lin name. who datr' he exclaimed
aloud. 'Who dat in dem paningeriesf
BE gone jine de circusv' His hands
fell upon his knees, and - 1T - his
feet automatically. shaking HE head
with forebcdmg. Honey, honey. hit
bald luck. bald luck sing 'fo' breakfus'.
| Trouble TO dc day be done. Trouble,
honey. great trouble. Bald luck. bald
luck,'
long the square the passing OF the
editor i'm his cool equipments was a
progress. and wide were the eyes and
deep the glSps Of astonishment caused
by his festai appearance. Mr.. Tibbs
and his sister rushed from the post
Office TO stare after him.
He looks just beautiful. Solomon"
said Miss 'ribbs.
Harkless usually ate his breakf ST
alone, as he was the latest riser in
Plattville. There were DAYS i'm the
winter when he did not reach the hotel
until 8 o'clock. This morning he found
a bunch Of white roses. still wet with
dew and so fragrant that the whole
room was fresh and sweet with their
odor, prettily arranged In a bowl on
the table, and at his plate the largest
of all with pin through the stem. He
! looked up smilingly and nodded mt the
red faced, red haired waitress who was
waving 81 long fly brush over his head.
Thank you. Charmion." he said
That's very pretty.
''That old Mr.. Windy was here" she
answered, "and he left word for you tu
| look out The whole possptucky of
Johnsons from the Crossroads passed
his house this mornin'. comm this
| way, and he see Bob Skillet on the
| square when he got to town. He left
| them flowers. Mrs. Windy sent 'em to
We. l didn't bring en-
THANK you for arranging them"
She turned even redder than she al
ways was and answered nothing. Wig
orously darting her brush at an imag-
inary fly on the cloth. After several
/ minutes she said abruptly, you're wei
come"
There was a silence, finally broken
by long, gasping sigh. Astonished.
he looked at the girl. Her eyes were
set unfathomably upon his pink tie.
The wand had dropped from her nerve
less hand. and she stood rapt and inn
movable. She started violently from
her trance Amt We goin' to finish
yer coffeeT she asked, plying her in
| strument again. and. bending slightly
whispered. Say. Eph Watts is over
: there behind ye."
AT table AL far corner OF the room
large gentleman in brown frock
coat was quietly eating his breakfast
and reading the Herald. He was OF an
, ornate presence, though entirely neat.
A sumptuous expanse of linen exhibit.
ed itself between the lapels of his low
cut waistcoat, and an inch OF bedia-
monded breastpin glittered there like
an ice ledge on snowy mountain side
He had steady blue eye and dissi.
pated iron gray mustache. This per-
sonage was Mr.. Ephraim Watts. who
following q calling more fashionable In
the eighteenth century than In the lat
ter decades of the nineteenth, had
shaken the dust of Carlow from his
feet some three years previously at the
strong request Of the authorities. The
Herald had been particularly insistent
upon his deportation. In the local
phrase, Harkless had run him out O.
town" Perhaps 1t was because the
Herald's opposition, as the editor had
explained at the time, had been mere
! ly moral and impersonal," and the ed
itor had confessed to q liking Tor the
unprofessional qualities Of Mr.. Watts,
that there was but slight embarrass-
meEt when the two gentlemen met to-
day. His breakfast finished, Harkless
went over to the other and extended
his hand. Cynthia, the waitress. held
her breath and clutched the back of a
chair. However. Mr.. Watts made no
motion toward his well known hip
pocket. Instead he rose, flushing slight.
ly, and accepted the hand offered him.
I'm glad To see you, Mr. Watts"
said the journalist cordially. "And
also, If you are running with the cir
cus and calculate on doing business
here today. I'll have you fired out of
town before noon. How are you?
You're looking extremely we'll"
'Mr. Harkless." answered Watts, al
cherish no hard feelings. and l never
said but what you done exactly right
when i left. three years ago. No, sir;
I'm not here in professional way at
all, and | don't want to be molested.
I've connected myself with an oil COM
pany. and I'm down here to look over
| the ground. 1t beats poker and fantan
| all hollow, though there amt as many
! chances in favor Of the dealer, and In
| oil it's the farmer that gets the rakeoff
| I've come back. but In an enterprising
| spirit this time. TO open up a new field
| and shed light and money in Carlow.
They told me never to show my face
here again. but IL you say I stay |
: guess | can. | always was sure there
/ was oil in the county, and | want to
prove it for everybody's benefit is ii
/ all right?"