Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-04-25

swiftly. wei have no talk like that.
I'll settle this for you myself. You
send word to Claudine that | want to
see her ut my Office tomorrow morning,
and you-you stay away from the
Beach today. Give me your word
Mr.. Fears expression softened. "All
right joe" he said "I'll do what
ever you tell me to. Any of lis II do
that; we sure know who's our friend"
Keep out of trouble, Happy" Joe
/ turned to go and they shook hands.
Good day. and-keep out OF trouble!'
/ When he had gone Mr.. Fears coun,
/ tenance again glOomed omnousiy. and
shaking his head he runinatively en-
tered an adjacent bar through the al
ley door.
The Main street bridge was an old
fashioned wooden covered one. dust
colored and very narrow, square.y
framing the fair open country beyond
for the town had never crossed the
river. Joe found the cool shadow In
the bridge gracious to his hot brow,
and through the slender chinks Of the
worn flooring he caught bright glimpscs
of running water When he came out
of the other end he felt enough re
freshed to light a cigar.
well. here 7 am" he said. across
Main street bridge, and it must be
getting on toward noon" He spoke
almost with the aspect of daring and
Immediately stood still listening. Re
member" he ventured to repeat,
again daring" remember. Across
Main street bridge at noon And
again he listened Then he chuckled
not return. THANK God, I've got rid
of that he whispered. And Of the
circus band too
A dusty road turned to the right. fol
lowing the river aud shaded by hi.
sycamores on the bank. The mongrel
intensely preoccupied with this road
scampered away, his nose to the
ground. Good enough" said tho
master. Lead on and I'll come afte!
you"
But he had not far to follow. The
chase led him to Il half hollow 10
which lay on low grass grown levet
above the stream where the dogs in
terest in the pursuit became vivid
temporarily however, for after a few
minutes of aGitated investigation hi
was seized with Indifference to th'
whole world. painted briefly, slept. Jo'
sat upon the log. which was in th,
shade, and smoked.
| For tbo fret ttrro ctr,,,l- loo ~,
it was a besutful day. and it came t,
him that a beautiful day was a thin.
which nothing except death, sickness o
Imprisonment could take from him, no
even the han of Canaan. UnforeWarn
ed music sounded in his ears again
! but he did not shrink from it now
This was not tho circus band he ha'
heard as he left the square but a mel
ody like a faraway serenade at night
as of 1.-THE horns of elf land faintl
blowing" and he closed his eyes wit
the sweetness of it.
go ahead" he whispered "Do tina
all you want to. If you'll keep it II
like this awhile, I'll follow with 'Iittl
Brown jug, How I Love Thee"
seems to pay after ALL
| The welcome strains, however wer
but the prelude to harsher SCUM
which interrupted and annihlate
them-the courthouse bell changing OF
~. "All right" said Joe. Its moor
and I'm across Main street bridge"
He opened his eyes and looked abo,
him whimsically. Then he shook h
head again.
A lady had just emerged from I'll
bridge and was coming toward him.
1t would be hard to get at Joe's fir:
Impressions of her. We can find COZ
veyance for only the broadcast an
heaviest Ancient and modern instance
multiply the case Of the sleeper WI
dreams out a long story In accurat
, color and fine detail, tale of years.
, the opening and shutting of door.
!, with Joseph in the brief space OF Il
lady's approach. And with him,
with the sleeper. it must have been
in fact it was--in his recollections lat,
a a blur of emotion.
He had little knowledge of the 70
lnery arts, and he needed none to 81
( the harmony--harmony like that Of Il
. day he had discovered a little viii
I. ago. Her dress and hat and gloves al
{ parasol showed a pale lavender owe
tint like that which he had seen eve
j. spreading the western slope. (Afte
o ward he discovered that the gloves 81
- wore that day were gray and that h
d hat was for the most part white) II
r charm Of fabric and tint belonging
b what she wore was no shame to ht
not being of primal Importance beyol
8 herself. 1t was but the expression
l. her daintiness and the adjunct Of
She was tall but II Joe could ha
Il spoken or thought Of her as "slende
he would have been capable OF caliil
her lips red" In which case he Won
not have been Joe and would ha
: been as far from the truth as her II
~ were from red or as her supreme de
cateness was from mere slenderness
;, She was to pass him-so he thought
a and as she drew nearer his bren
n came faster.
- Remember! Across Main sire
NJ bridge at noon"
Was this the fay Of whom the vol
+, had warned him? With that there
- fell him the mystery Of last night.