Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1905-12-28
A STUPID
FELLOW
By EDITH M. DOANE
Copyright, 1908, by p. Z. Eastment
By EDITH M. DOANE

The low, rambling farmhouse lately
purchased by the l:oI and Gun club
lay Siistening in tie early morning
sunshine Long shafts of golden light
stretched across the leaf screened
porch In the old fashioned garden ut
one side huge pineys lifted heavy,
dcwy heads. \ robins song came from
the orchard, and over I'LL brooded the
sweet silence OF the Berkshire hills
A miscellaneous little breeze strayed
around the corner Of the clubhouse,
shook the dew from the lilacS, scatter
cd the pink petals of an almond bush
and with Il sudden little puff tossed
the bright hair of the girl who stood
on the clubhouse steps in the flood of
sweet June sunshine. her eyes fixed on
the distant hills.
1.-THE hills, rock ribbed and ancient
as the sun" she murmured softly,
stretching out her arms with an inn
nulsiye little gesture She dropped
them suddenly. Il quick wave of soft
color GyciIl" her cheeks as she Ell
countered ec admiring glance of d
slender. dH,.. eyed man who came
lazily toward her.
Invoking the poet Of these hills:''
he said easily. BY the way, what do
you say to Il little pilgrimage to his
old home this afternoon! 1t must be
somewhere near here Perhaps Eller-
ton Will know he went Oh. turning to
tall. broad shouidercI young fellow
! who came toward them across the lawn
WITH long. easy strides His rod, his
| long wet boots and his mud streaked
clothing bore mute witness to his re-
| cent occupation. At sight Of them he
snatched off his cap and waved aloft
an adder twig from which g;istened
| the body Of Il :soAl sized trout.
Three pounds if he's an ounce Miss
! Blair he called. fourshing the branch
! triumphantly. THE old sinner! l knew
| I'd fetch him. and in time for your
! breakfast, too he went on eagerly.
She thanked him in her pretty, gra-
cious way, smiling into his happy, sun
burned face and still smiling. her eyes
followed the tall strong figure as he
proudly bore his trophy through the
| garden in search of the cook.
Robert Underwood, leaning on the
| veranda railing. had watched the little
, scene impatiently.
! Poor duffer!' he said aloud. PITY
the fates didn't give the same careful
attention to his brains that they did to
his bank account!
The smile faded from the girls face.
Hardly the remark to expect from his
chief friend" she said coldlv
! He colored With annoyance. ooh. he's
good fellow he returned lightly.
Say, Billy" he demanded as Eller-
! ton came again into view. do you
know how far it is to Bryants placer"
Bryant The blue eyes were dis
tinctly puzzled. What Bryant is that?
Not Tom Bryant on our team? didn't
know he had a place near here
Never heard of poet named Bry-
ant. | suppose" Robert returned, with
quick, amused glance at Kathleen,
whose eyes were again fixed on the
distant hills
Billy's good humored face colored I'M
! der its coat Of tan. ooh, yes; the
/ 'Thanatopsis' fellow I'm afraid don't
know much about him. he went on,
with an embarrassed little laugh.
I'm hoping to take Miss Blair over
| this afternoon-that is. if 1 can find
anything to take her in Underwood
| continued, with calm assumption.
"Oh, l say, Miss Blair, wanted to
| take you run over to- Billy stop
| ped abruptly, his eyes fixed miserably
on the couple above. He saw Robert
| UnderwOOd's dark, alert face. the ten
der, troubled eyes of the girl standing
sweet and gracious beside him, and in
! a sudden, unhappy flash of comprehen-
| sion he understood. and l imagined
| she might care for such n stupid fell
low as l am he thought bitterly
Take my car. | shall not be using
it, he said shortly, and, plunging his
hands in his pockets, he turned alb
ruptly and walked slowly away over
the dew wet grass.
Ihe automobile had been left at the
entrance of the quiet, elm shaded ave
| nue.. ut would be a desecration,' said
| Kathleen, "tO bring it nearer She
and Robert Underwood approached the
wide porch of the low, yellow house
| the poet had loved
Kathleen wandered happily through
| the quaint old fashioned rooms, exam
med the funny little wooden cradle,
climbed delightedly to look from the
corner window where the boy poet sat
when he wrote his first verse. She
touched his favorte chair with reyer-
ent fingers, stood with hushed awe in
the room where the great man hsd
died and fingered in the narrow path
leading to his daughters house. where,
between walls of birches which, like
slim, white sentinels, clasped leafy
protecting arms overhead. the poet had
| made his daily pilgrimage of love-
The hush of late afternoon lay over
hill and valley and long shadows flick
cred through the arching ems when
finally they turned from the old home
stead and drove slowly down the wind
ing road. Up and down hill, over
bridges spanning tumultuous brooks,
past grassy hollows yellow with dande-
hons, the car sped smoothly on fol-
lowing the road in and out beside a