Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-06-12

1 out. SulSlullN lucy DOlG nllll lulO tue
house and laid him upon bed in one
of the finished rooms. He did not
speak or move, and the workmen un-
cover I'd their heads as they went out,
but Joe knew that they were mistaken.
ITS all right, MI Arp he said, ia
Ariel knelt by the BED with water and
restoratives. Its all right. Don't
you worry"
Then the veterans lips twitched, and,
though his eyes remained closed, Joe
saw that Eskew understood, for he
gasped feebly, "Pos-i-tive-ly-no-free
~-seatsw
To Mrs. Louden, sewing at an up.
stairs window, the sight of her stepson
descending from Judge Pixies carriage
was sufficiently startling, but when she
saw Mamie Pike take Responsibility
from his masters arms and carry him
tendefly indoors, while Joe and Ariel
occupied themselves with Mr.. Arp, the
good lady sprang to her feet as il she
had been stung, regardlessly sending
her workbasket and its contents scat
tering over the floor and ran down the
| slaiiS three steps ut time.
AT the front door she met her hus-
band, entering for his dinner, aud she
leaped ut him. Had he seen? What
was 1t? What had happened?
Mr.. Louden rubbed his chin beard, in
dulging himself in pause which was
like to prove fatal to his companion,
finally vouchsafing the information that
the doctors buggy was just turning the
corner. Eskew Arp had suffered
stroke" 1t was said, and, in Louden's
opinion, was mighty sick man. His
spouse replied in no uncertain terms
that she had seen quite that much for
herself, urging him to continue, which
he did with elaboration that caused
her to recall her wedding day with
gust of passionate self reproach. Pres
emily he managed to interrupt, remind.
Ing her that her dining room windows
commanded us comprehensive a view
OF the next house as did the front steps,
and after a time her housewifely duty
so far prevailed over her Indignation at
the mans unwholesome stolidity that
she followed him down the hall to pre-
side over the meal, not, however to
partake largely of it herself.
Mr.. Louden had no information of
Eugene's mishap, nor had Mrs. Lou
den any suspicion that all was not well
with the young man, and, hearing him
enter the front door, she called to
him that his dinner was waiting. Eu-
gene, however, made no reply and went
upstairs to his own apartment with
out coming into the dining room.
A small crowd, neighboring children,
servants and negroes, had gathered
about Ariel's gate and. Mrs. Louden
watched the workingmen dispense this
assembly, gather up their tools and de-
part. Then Mamie came out of the
house and bowling sadly to three old
men who were entering the gate us she
left 1t, stepped into her carriage and
drove away. The newcomers, Colonel
Flitcroft Squire Buckalew and Peter
Bradbury, glanced at the doctors bug
gy, shook their heads ut one another
and slowly went up to the porch, where
Joe met them. Mrs. Louden uttered
sharp exclamation, for the colonel
shook hands with her stepson.
Perhaps Flitcroft himself was sur
prised. He had offered his hand al
most unconsciously, and the greeting
was embarrassed and perfunctory, but
his two companions, each in turn,
gravely followed his lead, and Joe's
set face flushed a little. 1t was the
first time in many years that men of
their kind in Canaan had offered him
this salutation.
HE wouldn't let me send for you,"
he told them. He said he knew you'd
be here soon without that" And he
led the way to Eskew's bedside.
Joe and the doctor had undressed the
old man and had put him into night
gear of Roger Tabor's taken from an
antique chest. 1t was soft and yellow
and much more like color than the face
above it, for the white hair on the pill
low was not whittier than that Yet
there was strange youthfulness in the
eyes of Eskew, an eerie, inexplicable,
luminous, live look. The thin cheeks
seemed fuller than they had been for
years, and, though the heavier lines of
age and sorrow could be seen, they APP
peared to have been half erased He
lay not in sunshine, but In clear light.
The windows We're open, the curtains
restrained, for he had asked them not
to darken the ROOM
The doctor was whispering in doc
tors way to Ariel at the end of the
room opposite the bed when the three
old fellows came in. None of them
spoke Immediately, and, though all
three cleared their throats with what
they meant for casual cheerfulness to
indicate that the situation was not ut
all extraordinary or depressing, it was
to be seen that the colonel's chin trem-
bled under his mustache and his COM
rades showed similar small and unwill-
ing signs of emotion.
Eskew spoke first We'll boys?" he
said and smiled.
That seemed to make it more difficult
for the others. The three white heads
bent silently over the fourth upon the
pillow, and Ariel saw waveringly, for
her eyes suddenly filed, that the colo
mel laid his unsteady hand upon
Eskew's, which was outside the cover
let.
"It's-its not" said the old soldier
gently-"its not onion both sides, is II,
EskewW
Mr.. Arp moved his hand slightly In
answer. ut amt paralysis" he said.
'They call it shock and exhaustion
but it's more than that. It's just my
time I've heard the call We've all
been slidin' on thin ice this long time
and it's broke under me-
"Eskew, Eskew" demonstrated Pc
ter Bradbury. You'd oughtn't to talk
hathaway! You only kind Of over
done a little-heat O. the day, too,
and"-
Peter" interrupted this sick man,
with feeble asperity, did you ever
manage TO foil mo I'm vonr lifaS,,