Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1904-03-24
place seemed homelihe, compared with
those relentless streets.

| He had an idea-a DOld one. dt
crept down among the debris and gath
cred an armful of halfburned wood
and with this he returned to the little
room. Then he drew the shade, closeo
the door, and proceeded to light hin
a fire. 1t was incredible-the comfort
J of It'll He warmed himself before it
chuckling with delight.
ut is really gorgeous, said he aloud
"Ain't it?" responded voice. Rhods
was on his feet like cat and facing the
door. A man with gaunt face looked
| in.
Room enough fer two?" he in
quired. Rhoda's heart was beating at
his ears.
Il shall probably be killed." he re-
flected, and remembered with anger
that he had no weapon of any sort,
not even a pocketknife. The other
man had entered and closed the door
behind him, standing with his back to
it. He was short and rather stout, and
his head sat almost upon his shOul-
ders. His heavy nose and mouth be-
spoke an obstinate, but not particular
ly ill-natured temperament. His eyes
were sunken in his head, but Rhoda
could see that they were black and
singularly sharp in their expression.
The feet of the man protruded from
his shoes, and his clothes were in a
ragged and filthy state. He took his
hat from his head and dashed the
moisture from it.
81 guess yer givin' a house warmin', ,
amt YEP" he asked, smiling in as re-
assuring a manner as possible. "I've
been Logging it fer IS hours, and I'm
fit to drop"
Rhoda would never have encoun-
tered all of those embarrassments
which had made him an outcast if he
had not been of a whimsical tempera-
ment. Now, suddenly, his fear de-
serted him. He desired an adventure.
1t certainly had been devoid of ad-
venture in the place of his residence
for the last two years.
He held out his hand.
chairs and fire enough for forty. 1t is
a pity | cannot give you something to
eat and drink"
He was smiling, and actually, for
moment, a glow went through him
like that which comes from the exer-
else of hospitality. The other man
advanced almost jauntily.
"Well, l call this white." he said
in commendation you're a gentle
man, ken see that, if you are down
on your luck"
Don't speak of that, please" said
Rhoda, lightly. Il was just making
up my mind to forget it for a time"
"Eh? Well, that's good idee
Something to eat and drink, did yeh
say? Man. I've got it,"
"No!'
Here yeh are" He took two slices
of dried bread out of his pocket.
"That's the eatin'."
He produced a flask in which there
was, perhaps, four mouthfuls of am
ber liquid. "And that's the drinkin',
anu tHeTe mlguu De more.
Eve can toast the bread" suggest
ed Rhoda. His guest drew a formid-
able knife from his pocket and opened
its one terrible blade slowly. Rhoda
smiled with infantile grace and seat
ed himself cross-legged before the
fire. He was not entirely sure of the
purpose Of that unsheathing of the
weapon, but he determined to make
light of it. However, he had appar-
emily no cause for apprehension. His
companion stuck a slice of bread on
the point of the blade and held it up
before the fire.
"It smells good" remarked Rhoda.
ST wish to heaven there was smell
of hot coffee going with it."
The other man looked pensively
into the fire.
EYES," he said, refectively, 'I wish
SO, too" He got to the second slice
of bread and toasted it to a warm
brown. Then they began to eat. 1T
was quite ceremony. The men
talked of going to climate where
tuelc was uO WlulcI, anu IHey we're
truly magnificent. No one listening
would have doubted their ability to
visit such a place if they had pleased.
they made the fire safe and
laid down with their feet toward the
glowing ashes and slept.
maybe I'll be l when l wake up
and maybe l won't" thought Rhoda,
as sleep came over him.
But it doesn't matter, really. That
knife, however, is an ugly sleeping
l dare say L shall know
more about it by morning than l do
low."
He fell asleep easily for all of that,
md he dreamt of walking under
palms with the man by his side, and