The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-08-23

John Harkless leaned on the pasture
bars and listened with upraised head
and parted lips.
ITO thy chamber window rowing. love
hath led my feet"
The Lord sent mama to the children
of Israel in the wilderness. Harkless
had been five years in Plattville. and
woman's voice singing Schubert's Ser
enade' came to him at last as he stood
by the pasture bars Of Jones field and
listened and rested his dazzled eyes
on the big white face Of the moon.
How long had it been since he had
heard song or any discourse of music
other than that furnished by the Platt-
vile band? Not that he had no taste
for a brass band. But music that be
loved always gave him an ache or de-
light and the twinge Of "reminiscences
Of old gay days gone forever. Tonight
his memory leaped to the last day of
a June gone seven years to a morn
ing when the little estuary waves
twinkled in the bright sun about the
boat in which he sat, the trim launch
that brought CHEEKY party ashore
from their schooner to the casino land
ing at Winter Harbor, far up on the
Maine coast
Tonight he saw the picture as plainly
as if it were yesterday. No reminis-
cences had risen so keenly before his
eyes for years. Pretty Mrs. Van Skuyt
sitting beside him-pretty Mrs. Van
Skuyt and her roses - what had be-
come of her? He saw the crowd of
friends waiting on the pier for their ar
rival, the dozen or so emblazoned class
mates Git was in the time Of brilliant
1annels) who sent up volley of COL
lege cheers in his honor. How plainly
the dear old, young faces rose up before
him tonight the men from whose lives
he had slipped! Dearest and jolliest of
the faces was that Of Tom Meredith,
clubmate, classmate, his closest friend,
the thin, redheaded third baseman. He
could see Toms mouth opened at least
a yard, it seemed, such was his frantic
vociferousness. Again and again the
cheers rang out, "Harkless! Hark-
less! on the end Of them. In those
days everybody, particularly his class
mates, thought he would be minister
to England in a few years. and the or
chestra on the casino porch was play
ing sThe Conquering Hero Comes in
his honor and at the behest Of Tom
Meredith. he knew.
There were other pretty ladies' be-
fdes Mrs. Van Skuyt in the launch
DAD from the yacht but as they touch
ed the pier, pretty girls or pretty wom-
en- or jovial gentlemen. all were o"er-
looked in the wild scramble the college
men made for their hero. They hailed
him forth, set him on high, bore him on
their shoulders, shouting "Skal to the
vikingw and carried him UP the wood
ed bluff to the casino. he heard Mrs.
Van Skuyt say: "Oh, we're used to it.
We've put in at several other places
where he had frierdsw he remember
ed the wild progress they made for
him up the slope that morning at Win
ter Harbor-how the people looked on
and laughed and clapped their hands.
But at the veranda edge he had mo-
tced little form disappearing around
corner Of the building, young girl
running away as fast as she could.
See there" he said as the tribe set
him down: you have frightened the
populace' And Tom Meredith had
stopped shouting long enough to an
swer: ITS my little cousin. overcome
with emotion. She's been counting
the hours till you came-been hearing
about you for good while. She hasn't
been able to talk or think Of anything
else. She's only fifteen, and the crucial
moment is too much for her. The great
Harkless has arrived, and she has fed"
Bht the present hour grew on him
as be leaned on the pasture bars. 1t
had been reminiscent day with him.
but suddenly his memories sped. and
the voice that was singing Schubert's
'.Serenade" across the way touched
him with the urgent personal appeal
that present beauty had always held
for him. 1t was soprano and without
tremolo. yet came to his ear with q
certain tremulous sweetness. 1t was
soft and slender, but the listener knew
it could be lifted with fullness and
power if the singer would. 1t spoke
only Of the song, yet the listener
thought Of the singer. Under the
moon thoughts run into dreams. and
be dreamed that the owner Of the
voice. she who quoted The Walrus
and the Carpenter" on Fisbee's notes.
was one to laugh with you and weep
with you, yet her laughter would be
tempered with sorrow and her tears
with laughter
When the song was ended be struck
the rail he leaned upon a sharp blow
with his open hand. There swept over
him a feeling that he had stood precise
ly where he stood now on such a night
a thousand years ago; had heard that
voice aud that song and been moved by
the voice and the song and the night