Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-05-09

against a post. gazing dreamily at the
murky red afterglow in the west
whats the use of tryin' to bother
him with it," old Tom asked himself.
He'd only laugh" He noted that
young William Todd, the drug. book
and wall paper clerk. sat near the ed
itor. whiting absently. Martin chuc--
kled. Williams turn tonight" he
murmured. well. the boys II take
care of him" He locked the doors of
the Emporium. tried them and dropped
the keys in his pocket.
As he crossed the square to the drug
store, where his cronies awaited him,
he turned again TO look at the figure Of
the musing journalist. HE ought to go
out there he said and shook his head
sadly. Il don't reckon Plattville's any
too spry for that young man. Five
years he's ben here Well. it's good
thing for us. but guess it amt exact
ly high life for him." He kicked a stick
out of his way impatiently. Now,
where'd that imp run to-" he grum-
bled
The imp was lying under the court
house steps. When the sound of Mar
tins footsteps had passed away she
crept cautiously from her hiding place
and stole through the ungroomed grass
to the fence opposite the hotel. Here
she stretched herself fat in the weeds
from ta Of
her hair, where it was tied with a
string, a rolled up. crumpled slip Of
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 nwere
clean cut siIhouettes against the pale
rose and pearl tints of the sky above,
and a 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 We're
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.. Harkless
was such 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."
ga good evening, Mr.. Todd" an
swered the old man. pausing. "Ah, Mr..
Harkless, l 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,
Juggling 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 Hank
less as he took the manuscript. 'Have
you finished your paper on the earlier
Christian symbolism? l hope the Her
aid may have the honor of printing it. y
| This was a form they used.
Il shall be the recipient of honor
SIR" returned Fisbee. your kind offer
| will speed my work; but / fear. Mr..
| Harkless. l very much fear, that your
| kindness alone prompts it, for, deeply
| as | 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 dc
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
exhibition windows" He plodded on a
few PAGES, then turned irresolutely.
"What is it, Fisbee?' asked HarkleSs.
| Fisbee 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 bis
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 guest OF
| Judge Briscoe's household.
Fisbees 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
HAIRLESS vainly tried to decipher it
but the twilight had fallen too deep
and the writing was too faint so he
struck match and held it close to the
| paper. The action betokened only q
languid interest. But when he caught
sight of the first of the four subscrib