The Washington herald., 1907-11-11
CHAPTER XIV.
The Milking of n Nan.

/ Old DICK was late az No . that night
/ Even now he had not returned. The rain
I had ceased. and the wet gravel glistened
as it crunched under their feet Then
came the compacted pine-needles Of the
Glebe End avenue, that private road
which Mr. Jacob Romer traversed twice
each day In his carriage They felt kind
" under foot. and upon their surface
even Vic's strong *" boots fell silently
as on thick Oriental carpets
CuriOusly enough. it was Phil Calmont
who went first. alert TO every sight and
sound, without the least fear OF the giant
/ behind him, with whom he had cause 10
believe himself on bad terms. The big
barn-owl he christened Malachi passed
across the glade with a soft woof OF
feathers. as If his wings mad been made
OF white Grape. In the crotches of the
dwarf thorns and among the alders of
the ha-ha bitches. blackbirds scolded the
disturbers Of the twilight, each irving 70
knock the other off
Ihen the two men ranged I'D a little
as Nic's long stride told. and the narrow
arch OF greening trees opened out upon q
telescope view Of Klrktown and the In
cubus pits. First a ruddy glare. which
was the blast furnaces over at Dool,
Bank. Then a greenish "skarrow" shot
pulsing through the russet light from the
chemical works IN the hollow beyond All
this was held and encircled by sort Of
straw-colored milky way, which was the
general gaslight illumination OF the
town. Bet far away. beyond the whirl-
ing and reversing silhouettes OF the gaunt
winding-wheels and pithead fixtures OF
the Incubus workings, single beam
pierced the night at intervals, clear as a
star. but infinitely greater. II was the
electric flash of the Wolf Sherry light
house, beneath which, his eyes clad IN the
darkness Of triple goggles. sat a certain
red-headed Irishman, with two books be-
fore hin-the Bible and Charles
O'Malley." And as at that moment he
was thinking of his duties as A foster
father. he was perusing the former. Billy
Bryan was specially fond of the account
OF Paurs voyage in the last chapters OF
the Acts And his verdict was: ''True
courage, that's what I call Il. Good men
every one OF them! Please the pigs. Billy
We VIII never have to do the Ike. knock
ing about them seas with never a light
mousse marked on the chart or q decent
man TO Keep the cOgs running true. all the
way from Blackwall to Bombay-not 70
mention that place Putty Holy. which is
no seaport that ever 1 heard OF. But all
the same, the Castor and PolIux is a very
tidy name for a barque. considering the
times. ! once sailed In her myself, out
o south Shiefs it was coastwise. and the
devils own brat Of captain. But well
found-oh. nobody could say that the Cas-
tor and PolluX was III found"
SO, when Billy Bryan rnediated there
and the girl TO whose support he contrib
uted OF his substance peered through the
dim window panes Of the cottage. Ludovic
Morris and Phil Calmont swung ont OF
the black arch of the Glebe End entrance.
They saw Mr.. Romer's big iron gates. like
double blotch Of denser darkness. on
either side Of them. They had never been
shut since he took possession Of the
house.
''Well?" said Mr. Vic Morris.
'Well?' returned Mr.. Phil CaImont.
You have nothing TO say TO me?" It
was the giant who spoke
Nothingi Pray. have you?" II was
slim Phil who answered
VIC Morris considered awhile Instinc-
lively they had turned away from the
lurid glare Of the town and works IN the
valley beneath them. They paced more
slowly up the broad road which led TO-
ward the hills, and so al the last after
Infinite adventure among hills of heather
and sheep-dotted shoulders OF turfage,