Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1905-01-13

to the world. But she found that the
world of Sandtown knew it already, and
took active and partisan interest in do
ing what it could to help her.
II h-yurn UNI say at this hyur Teller,
Mason is jist about the whole cause Nv
yur pap's uh-uh-sickness" "the young
Doc" said, as he put on his hat and lin
gered little.
II don't know. I can't think so. l
don't know what Mr.. Mason has really
done in all this terrible business. Will
you please hurry, Mr.. bikes? / left
mother alone with him. And I'm uneasy,
so uneasy"
She sat down again as the young Doc
srrang out of the open Office door and
ran down the street throwing up little
arcs of dry, sandy loan after each broad,
scraping Shoe-sole until he disappeared
in the crowds that still closer and closer
drew to each other and grew and blocked
up all the thoroughfares of Sandtown till
not even a reinforcing team from the
very uttermost end of the Overcoat road
dared attempt a passage, but stopped and
hitched farther and farther out.
She sat and listened to the low buzz
of voices in the streets and in the court
house, and heard here and there louder
tones, and occasionally a wild yell and
then shout of laughter that indicated
some ludicrous accident to somebody by
somebody else.
Then all at once there was a complete
diminuendo as if all the voices had sud
denly and steadily slipped away to the
westward, and out of hearing. And then
she saw Il two-horse wagon drive away
from her fathers door, with a number
of people in it. She had not seen the
wagon drive up. She had not been look
ing that way But there was something
onnoIs in the driving away of that par
ticular wagon, that was now far out OH
the Overcoat road, toward the little rail
road station. She watched it with parted
lips and widening eyes until it had hid
den itself in the clouds of drifting, light,
sandy loan that perpetually rose up and
settled down upon the grayed surface of
all the iimson leaves and the oak and
the maple and walnut foliage that bore
their burdens of earth in patient assur-
ance Of the rain that must come and
wash them clean and bright again.
And then out of the hush, the finished
diminuendo of this general assembly of
the makers of public opinion for this sec
ton of the Wabash country, there drove
a strange and unknown two-horse car
riage, with driver, whose figure com
ing within the field of her distracted and
unfixed vision instantly caught and con-
centrated her gaze. Beyond a doubt it
was Mr.. Mason, this time in broad day
light, driving toward her through the
crowd, and going eastward as to the rail
way station. He would stop when he
howl And thnpn of IN
in the carra ge-one Il fine, dignifed look
ing gentleman Was he Mr.. Huntley?
She stood in the door and even stepped
down into the sand outside in order to
make sure that Mr.. Mason would see
her. He had doubtless rcpented of his
determination to keep Prof. Huntley
away from her; and now he would make
all necessary and possible amends for all
his righteousness.
If so she could very, very freely, nay
even ioyously forgive him. And that
much the more readily because of the
fact that since so many people, in fact,
practically the whole community, had
Joined as with one voice in denouncing
and threatening Mr.. Mason, she had turn
ed about and engaged, passively at first,
and then actively, in his defense.
What had he done to any and all of
the people of Sandtown that was half
so unfair unjust and cruel as what he
had done to her? Compared with her
wrongs, theirs were a matter of nothing.
If she could afford to become his com
panion. could anybody i'll all Redden
| township afford to say aught against
him?
KS they drove rapidly nearer, she was
conscious of something altered about his
look. she could not tell precisely what.
But it was something that gave him a
( totally different air, some way. Before,
he had been thoughtful. respectful, al
most subscrvent in all his actions in her
| presence.
Always watchful. respectful, and CON
siderate, at all events, with q manifest
anxiety to please her. An anxiety so
manifest that perhaps it had tended to
prevent her from being pleased with him
al all Now he had something of the
! cCId. hard, naughty look of the man who
| l.; directing Il great many men who are
under him in every sense of the word.
She saw this so plainly in that brief
time in which the powerful horses were
walking through the hcavy-pulling dry
sand of the OyercOat road. that she com
pared this with his former bearing and
| felt that there was Il loss-almost an I'M
comfortable loss.
And all these impressions and refec
tons were redoubled and reduplicated,
and intensified when to her utter surprise
| and amending modification the carriage
did not stop. and the driver, Mr.. Mason,
passed with only Il cold and formal in
clination of his head toward her!
She fairly sunk down upon the office
door sill with Il feeling of shame, sur
prise. almost angry resentment. She
looked after the carriage as the new
paint on its wheels glittered i'll the sun.
She saw them whirl the light sand up
into little settling clouds. and she felt
absolutely like screaming at the very top
of her voice and starting in 4 wild chase
after the ranidly sisapnearing vehicle.