The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-08-30

shoes "a patch of moonlight fell on
them: they were dusty; he drew them
under the bench with a shudder) to his
broad shoulders Che shook the stoop out
of them). She stretched her small white
hands toward him and looked at them
in contrast and broke into the most de
]icious low laughter in the world. AT
this he knew the watch on his lips was
worthless. 1t was a question of min
rtes till he should present himself to
her eyes as a sentimental and suscep-
tible imbecile. He knew it. He was in
wild spirits.
Gould you realize that one of your
dangers might be a shaking:' she
cried. SIS your seriousness lost art?
Her laughter ceased suddeLiy. "Ah,
no! understand Theirs said the
French laugh always in order not to
weep. I haven't lived here five years.
I should laugh, too, if were you.'
"L Look at the moon," he responded.
1--WE Plattvillians own that with the
best Of metropolitans, and, for my part
7 see more of it here. You do not ap-
preciate us. We have large landscapes
| in the heart Of the city, and what other
capital has advantages like that? Next
| winter the railway station is to have
new stove for the waiting room. Heav-
en- itself is one Of our suburbs-it is %
close that all one has to do is to die.
You insist upon my being French, you
see, and I know you are fond of non
sense. How did you happen to put
The Walrus and the Carpenter at the
bottom of a page of Fisbee's notes.?
eWas it? How were you sure it was
To-
.'In Carlow county!'
"He might have written it himself"
..Fisbee has never in his life read
ANYTHING lighter than cuneiform in
scriptions."
..Miss Briscoe"-
..She doesn't read Lewis Carroll, and
it was not her hand. What made you
write it on Fisbee's manuscript"
ssHe was here this afternoon. l
teased him little about your heading
in the Herald-'Business and the Cra-
die. the Altar and the Grave, isn't it:
and he said it had always troubled
him, but your predecessor had used it.
and you thought it good. So do l. He
asked me if 1 could think Of anything
that you might like better and put in
place Of it and wrote The Time Has
Come because it was the only thing
I could think of that was as appropri-
ate and as fetching as your headlines.
He was perfectly dear about it. he
was so serious. He said he feared it
wouldn't be acceptable. didn't notice
| that the paper he handed me to write
on was part of his notes; nor did he.
| think. Afterward he put it back in his
| pocket It wasn't message"
'T'm not so sure he did not notice
| he is very wise. Do you know, have
the impression that the old fellow
wanted me to meet you
How dear and good Of himr' She
spoke earnestly, and her face was suf-
| fused with a warm light. There was
no doubt about her meaning what she
said.
cit was" John answered unsteadily.
"He knew how great was my need OF
few minutes companionableness
with-with"-
No" she interrupted. 81 meant dear
and good to me. think he was think
| ing Of me. It was for my sake he
wanted US to meet"
1t might have been hard to convince
| a woman if she had overheard this
| speech that Miss Sherwood's humility
was not the calculated affectation of
| coGuette. Sometimes mans unsus-
| picion is wiser, and Harkless knew
| that she was nc. flirting with him. IL
| addition. be was not a fatuous man;
be did not extend the implication OF
/; her words nearly so far as she would
have had him.
"But 1 had met you," said he. "lone
ago.
What she cried, and her eyes
danced. you actually remember?"
Yes. Do you:" he answered. 81
! stood in Jones' field and heard you
| singing, and l remembered. 1t was !
long time since had heard you sing:
''I was rufT1er Of Flanders
| And fought for a forms hire.
| You were the dame Of my captain
And sang to my hearts desire
"But that is the balladist's notion.
The truth is that you were a lady at
the court of Clovis. and | was heath
en- captive l heard you sing a Chris
tan hymn and asked for baptism
She did not seem overpleased with
his fancy, for, the surprise fading from
her face. ''Oh, that was the way you
remembered" she said
Perhaps it was not that way alone
You won't despise ne for being mawk-
sh tonight" lie asked. Il haven't had
the chance for so long
The night air wrapped them warmly.
and the balm Of the little breezes that
stirred the foliage around them was
the smell of damask roses from the
garden The creek splashed over the