The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-02-01

{
you are!-think you can scare me
away from here, you've walked up the
wrong man; and I'll tell you another
thing,-and you may repeat 1t to your
school teachers and to Mr. Pickering,
who pays you. and to Morgan, whom
somebody has hired to kill me-that
I'm going to keep faith with my dead
grandfather, and that when I've spent
my year here and done what that old
man wished me to do, I'll give them
this house and every acre of ground
and every damned dollar the estate
carries with it. And now one other
thing! l suppose there's a sheriff or
some kind Of a constable with jurisdic
ton over this place, and I could have
the whole lot of you put into jail for
conspiracy, but I'm going to stand out
against you alone,-do you understand
me, you hypocrite, you stupid Sinking
spy? Answer me, quick, before
throw you out of the roOm!"
I had worked myself into a great
passion and fairly roared my chal-
Ienge, pounding the table in my rage.
Yes, sir; I quite understand you.
sir But I'm afraid, sir"
"Of course you're afraid" I shouted,
enraged anew by his hating speech.
You have every reason in the world
to be afraid You've probably heard
that I'm a bad lot and a worthless adj
venturer; but you can tell Sister The
resa or Pickering or anybody you
please that I'm ten times as bad as
I've ever been painted Now clear out
Of here"
I knocked about the library all morn
Ing without easing my spirit, and
after luncheon I went off for tramp.
Winter had indeed come and pos
sessed the earth, and it had given me
a new landscape The snow continued
to fall in great, heavy fakes, and the
ground was whitening fast.
A rabbits track caught my eye and
I followed it, hardly conscious that 1
did SO. Then the clear print of two
small shoes mingled with the rabbits
trail. A few moments later I picked
up an overshoe probably lost IN the
chase by one of Sister Theresa's girls,
[ reflected. remembered that while
at Tech I had collected a diversity OF
memorabilia from school girl acquaint-
ances, and here l was beginning a
new series with a string of beads and
an overshoe!
A rabbit is always an attractive
quarry. Few things besides riches are
SO elusive, and the little fellows have,
l am sure, a shrewd humcr peculiar to
themselves. rather envied the school
girl who hadsventured forth for walk
in the first snow storm of the season,
and recalled Aldrich's turn on eau
tiers lines as I followed the double
trail:
"Howeer you tread, tiny mould
Betrays that light foot all the same;
Upon this glistening, snowy fold
At every step it signs your name"
A pretty autograph, indeed! The
snow fell steadily and I tramped on
over the joint signature of the girl and
the rabbit Near the lake they parted
company, the rabbit leading off at 6
tangent, on a line parallel with the
lake. while his pursuer's steps pointed
toward the boat house.
There was, so far as I knew, onl,
one student Of adventurous blood a
St. Agathas, and I was not in the leas
, surprised to see, on the little sheltered
balcony of the boat house, the red tam
/ o'-shanter. She wore, too the cover
coat remembered from the day saw
her first from the wall. Her back wa
toward me as I drew noar; her hand
| were thrust into her pockets. Sh,
) was evidently enjoying the soft ming
| ling Of the snow with the still, blu
waters of the lake; and a girl and
snow storm are, If you ask my opin
, ion, a pretty combination. The fact o
/ a girls facing a winter storm argue
nightly in her favor,-testifies, If yo
will allow me, to q serene and 'daunt
less sslrit for one thing, and SCUM
constitution for another.
ran up the steps, my cap in on
hand, her overshoe in the ether Sh
: drew back trife, just enough to brin
my conscience to its knees.
e Il didn't mean to listen that day.
) just happened to be on the wall, an
- 'NS q CLAOi Ou51lly UlQCl UlCQ lIlCh-
my INVITING you about it-and I Shout
have told you before if I'd known hoy
to see you"
. May l trouble you for that shoe?
! she said with tremendous dignity.
! They taught that cold dlsdain c
! man. 1 suppose, as a required study a
st. Agathas.
"Oh, certainly! Won't you allo7
me-"
, Thank you. no."
: She took the damp bit Of rubber
: wet overshoe, even if small and ha
< lowed by associations, isn't pretty-a
? Venus might have received a sof
i shell crab from the hand OF a fres
young norman. I was between he
and the steps TO which her eyes turne
longingly
i "Of course, if you won't accept m