Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1907-12-28
CHAPTER w.

At the back of abe Hotel DIES Postes
is a little garden where the flower beds
are islanded in harsh lake of broken
schist, and where in summer time the
gray stone walls which bound the garden
on three sides beat back the heat of the
sun upon the air like the reverberators
of furnace. Unobservant visitors Won
der to find themselves hotter here in shade
than they are in sunshine elsewhere in
the same village.
Athanos Zeno sat here pretty often,
leaning back in a springy chair of painted
strip iron, with his lustrous black eyes
half closed. A delightfully."- idle man to
look at was Athanos Zeno, and on the
outside nearly Always distracted from
the world, though TO keen observer
there was visible when people talked in
his neighborhood that curious listening,
obscrvant poise of the head which Austin
Farley had noticed in him. He had moth
ing to conceal, and but little to observe,
just now. Dobroski, Fraser and O'Rourke
were talking together in front of the
Cheval Blanc, and now and again a stray
village girl came down to the village
pump for water, but there was nobody
else in sight.
Mrs. Farley walked into the garden
with the boys hand in one of hers, and
seating herself at some distance from
the Leyantine, busted herself over bit
Of lace work.
At an open window overlooking the gar
den sat Austin, with rumpled hair and
disordered aspect, occasionally scratching
his head with the feathered stump of a
very short quill pen. Lucy, who had 30
arranged her seat as to command a view
of him at will, observed him smilingly
and tenderly for awhile, but he began to
rumple his hair so wildly at length that
she spoke to him.
Cant you work to-day, dcar?"
Its tingling all over me-" he an
swered, with an irritated flourish of the
hands. Actually and absolutely ting
ling"
you do nothing In that mood" she
said, smiling. Leave it for little while
Come down into the garden"
II think l WILL" he answered and
she watched him whilst he swept away
from his table disorderly double hand
full of papers, and snatching straw hal
from hook on the wall, stuck it fretful
~ at the bac kof his head and left the
room.
just at that moment the carriage driv
en- by Maskelyne pulled up in front of tn,
Cheval Blanc, and the good wife cried, il
4 hurried whisper, "Austin, here are thu
people from Houfoy. And you in you
slippers Go away and make yoursel
presentable."
Austin arose with something of an al
of humorous discomfort, and sauntere,
into the hotel, reappearing in time t.
greet Maskelyne and Dobroski at the door
where the young American introduces
Miss Butler with a solemn little phras
or two about the novelist's fame, whic
caused him to blush like schoolboy
Angela looked upon him with eyes of ven
eration--the first live author she had be
held She was at the age when venera
ton Is at it's freshest, and this encounte
was an unfeigned and unique delight t
her.
BY and by they were all seated in tn
garden together, and O'Rourke and Fra
ser came in, and each took chair in tn
hot shade of the trained lines. Angels
Farley and Maskelyne were just begir
ming to feel at home together, and wer
gliding into talk. O'Rourke sat near an
kept silence, though it was a commo
habit of his to lead conversation. He wa
esteemed good talker, but his power q
Z listener was rarer and more remarkable
Az listener he was full Of subtletie
He responded silently to the slights1
shade Of thought, and the talker Away
felt certain Of sympathy with him.
He saw but little Of feminine societ,
and knew but little Of women's manner
= thsir interior ways. He watched Wit