The Red Cloud chief., 1906-04-20

horizon to horizon, the night air grew
thick with the whispered laughter of
observing hobgoblins:
And ever If there had been no stair
way. we could have slid down the
hose line.'
He retraced his steps, a tall, gray fig
ure moving slowly through the blue
darkness, and his lips formed the heart.
sick shadow of Il smile when he found
that he had unconsciously turned into
Carewe street. Presently he came to
q gap in II hedge, through which he
had sometimes stolen TO hear the sound
Of a harp and n girls voice singing.
but he did not enter there tonight,
though he paused a moment, his head
bowed on his breast.
There came Il sound OF voices. They
seemed to be moving toward the hedge,
toward the gap where he stood, one q
mans, eager, quick, but very musical;
the other a girls, a rich and clear con-
tralto that passed into Toms soul like
a psalm of rejoicing and like II scim-
tier of flame. He shivered and moved
away quickly, but not before the mans
voice, somewhat louder for the mo-
ment, came distinctly from the other
side of the hedge.
"After ALL" said the voice, with a
ripple of laughter-"after all, weren't
you a little hard on that poor Mr..
Gray?"
Tom did not understand, but he knew
the voice. 1t was that Of Crailey Gray.
He heard the same voice again that
night and again stood unseen. Long
after midnight he was still tramping
the streets on his lonely rounds when
he CHANGED to pass the Rouen House.
which hosiery bore to the uninitiated
eye the appearance of having closed
its doors upon all Inequalities for the
night I'm strict compliance with the law
o. the city fathers, yea II siende wand
of bright light might be discovered I'M
derneath the street door of the bar
room.
From within the merry retreat issued
an uproar of shouting, raucous laugh
ter II the pounding of glasses on ia
bles, heralding all too plainly the ny
pocrisy Of the landlord and possibly
ulut vi tIt NIty IatlltIS dlSo. lolh
knew what company vas gathered
there-gamblers, truckmen, drunken
farmers, men from the river steamers
making riot while their boats lay at
the wharf, with a motley gathering Of
! good-for-nOthings Of the back alleys
and tipping clerks from the Main
street stores. There came loud cries
for a song, and in answer the voice Of
Crailey rose over the general din, some
what hoarse and never so musical when
he sang as when he spoke, yet so touch
ing in its dramatic tenderness that soon
the noise fell away, and the roisterers
sat quietly to listen. 1t was not the
first time Ben Jonson's song had stilled
a disreputable company:
II sent thee late a rosy wreath,
Not so much honoring thee
AS giving 1t the hope that there
1t might not withered be-
Perhaps just then Vanrevel would
have wished to hear him sing any
thing in the world rather han that, for
on Crailey's lips it carried too much
meaning tonight. after the voice in
the garden. And Tom fingered no
more near the betraying silver of light
beneath the door than he had by the
gap in the hedge, but went steadily on
his way.
Not far from the hotel he passed a
small building brightly lighted and
echoing with unusual clamors Of indus
try-the office of the Rouen Journal.
The press was going, and Mr.. Cum
mings' thin figure crossed and re-
crossed the windows, while his voice
could be heard energetically bidding
his assistants to Look alive!' so that
Tom imagined that something might
have happened between the Nueces
river and the Rio Grande, but he did
not stop to ask the journalist, for he
desired to behold the face Of none of
his friends until he had fought out
some things within himself. So he
strobe on toward nowhere.
Day was breaking when Mr.. Gray
climbed the stairs to his room. There
were two flights, the ascent Of the first
Of which occupied about half an hour
of Crailey's invaluable time, and the
second might have taken more of it or
possibly consumed the greater part of
the morning had he received no assist
ance; but, as he reclined to mediate
upon the first landing, another man en-
tered the hallway from without, as,
cended quickly. and Crailey became
!. pleasantly conscious that two strong
hands had lifted him to his feet and
presently that he was being borne aloft
upon the newcomers back. 1t seemed
!. quite a journey, yet the motion was
soothing, so he made 40 effort to oper