The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1907-07-04
CHAPTER XVI
CHAPTER XVI.
Y YHEN Joe left Ariel at Judge
IA Pixies gate she fingered there.
" her elbows upon the upper
most crosshar like q villa 1e

" AC4 ClDoWo tuC upper
, most crossbar, like a village
girl at twilight, watching his thin fig
ure vanish into the heavy shadow Of
the naples. then emerge momentarily
ghost gray and rapid at the lighted
crossing down the street. to disappear
again under the trees beyond, followed
a second later by brownish streak as
the mongrel heeled after him. When
they had passed the second corner she
could no longer be certain of them, al
though the. street was straight. with
fat, draftsmanlike western directness.
both figures and Joe's quick footsteps
merging with the night. Still she did
not turn to go. did not alter her posi-
ton nor cease to gaze down the dim
street. Few lights shone. almost all
the windows of the houses We're dark
ened, and save for the summer MUIR
murs, the faint creak of upper branch
es and the infnitesimal voices of in
sects in the grass there was silence
the pleasant and somnolent hush.
swathed in which that part of Canaan
crosses to the far side Of the eleventh
hour
But Ariel, not soothed by this balm.
sought beyond it to see that unQuiet
Canaan whittier her old friend bent his
steps and found his labor and his
dwelling other Canaan where
peace did not fall comfortably with
the coming of night; a place as alien
IN habit in nj -,
speech as if it had been upon another
continent. And yet-so strange is the
duality of towns-it lay but a few
blocks distant.
Here about Ariel as she stood at the
gate of the Pike mansion the houses
of the good (secure of salvation and
daily bread were closed and quiet. az
safely shut and sound asleep as the
churches. But deeper in the town
there was light and life and merry,
evil industry. screened. but strong to
last until morning. There were haunts
Of haggard merriment in plenty; sur
reptitious chambers where roulette
wheels swan beneath dizzied eyes; i'll
favored bars. reached by devious ways.
where quavering voices offered song
and were harshly checked. And through
the burdened air of this Canaan wan
dered heavy smells Of musk like that
upon Happy Fears wife. who must
now be so pale beneath her rouge And
cause of all this was that one resort to
which Joe now made his way-that
haven whose lights burn all night long.
whose doors are never closed, but are
open from dawn until dawn-the Jail.
There in that desolate refuge lay
Happy Fear, surrendered sturdily by
himself at Joes word The picture of
the little man was clear and fresh in
Arieps eyes, and, though she had seen
him when he was newly come from a
thing so terrible that she could not re-
alize it as fact, she felt only an over
whelming pity for him. She was not
even horror stricken, though she had
shuddered. The pathos Of the shabby
little figure crossing the street toward
the lighted doors had touched her.
Something about him had appealed to
her, for he had not seemed wicked. His
face was not cruel, though it was des-
perate. Perhaps it was partly his very
desperation which had moved her. She
had understood Joe when he told her
that this man was his friend and COM
pretended his great fear when he said:
"rve got to clear him! / promised
him!"
Over and over Joe had reiterated:
"rve got to save him! I've got tor!
She had answered gently, yes, joe"
hurrying to keep up with him. Hes
a good man." he said. ''I've known
few better, given his chances. And
none Of this would have happened ex-
cept for his old time friendship for
me. It was his loyalty -oh, the rarest
and absurdest loyalty that made the
first trouble between him and the
man he shot I've got to clear him."
"Will 1t be hard r
.They may make it so. can only
see part Of it surely. When his wife
left, the Office she met Cory on the
street. You saw what pitiful kind
Of fool she was, irresponsible and help
less and feather. Drained. There are