Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-05-02

morning face at 8 o'clock antemeridian
Monday as he HE'D himself to his daily
duty at the Washington National bank.
Yet more than the merely funereal
gloomed out from the hillocky area of
his countenance. Was there not,
/ faith, a glow, Vesuvian simmer,
beneath the murk of that dCrkllng
eye? Was here one, think you, TO turn
the other cheek? Little has he learned
Of Norbert Flitcroft who conceves
that this fiery spirit was easily to be
quenched! Look upon the jowl Of him
and let him who dares maintain that
people-evcn the very Pixies them
selves-were to grind beneath their
brougham wheels PROSTATE Norbert
and ride on scatheless! In this his
own metaphor is nearly touched: Il
guess not They don't run over me.
Martin Pike better look out how he
tries IT,
So Mother Nature at her kindly
tasks. good Norbert, uses for her
unguent our own perfect inconsist-
ency. and often when we are stabbed
deep in the breast she dstracts us by
thin scratches In other parts, that In
the itch Of these we may forget the
greater hurt till 1t be healed. Thus,
the remembrance Of last night, when
you undisguisedly ran from the wrath
of Pike, with a pretty girl looking
on Ito say nothing Of the acrid Arp,
who will fling the legend on a thou
sand winds), might we'll agonize you
now, as, in less hasty moments and at
a safe distance, you brood upon the
| piteous figure you cut. On the con-
trary, behold. You see no blood Grim
soning the edges of the horrid cash in
your panoply of self esteem; you but
smart and scratch the scratches, for
getting your wound IN the hot Itch for
vengeance. 1t is an itch which will
last for In such matters your temper
shall be stcadfast), and let the great
Goliath in the mean time beware of
you! You ran last night. You ran-of
course you ran. Why not? You ran
to fight another day!
A bank clerk sometimes has oppor-
tunities.
The stricken fat one could not I'M
derstapd how it came about that he
had blurted ont the damning confes-
sion that he had visited Beaver Beach.
When he tried to solve the puzzle. his
mind refused the strau. became foggy
and the terrors OF his position acute.
Was he. like Joe Louden. to endure
! the ban OF Canaan and, like him,
stand eXcommunicate beyond the pale
because of Martin Pixies displeasure:
For Norbert saw with perfect clearuess
today what the Judge had done for
Joe. Now that he stood in danger of
q fate identical this came home to him
How many others, he wondered. would
do as Mamie hadsdone and write notes
such as he had received by the hand of
Sam Warden late last night?
Dear Sir-this from Mamie, who, in the
Canaantish way. had been wont to ad
dress him AS "Norb"-Afy father wishes
me to state that after your remark yes
terday afternoon on the steps, which was
overheard by my mother, who happened
to he standing in the hall behind you
and your behavior to himself later or
he considers il Impossible to allow you
TO call any more or to speak to any mem
MAMIE PIKE
Erasures and reservations bore wit
ness to a considerable doubt in Mamie S
mind concerning Yours respectfully, u
but she had finally let 1t stand, evident
ly convinced that the plain signature,
without preface, savored of an intima-
cy denied by the context.
"'Dear SIR" repeated Norbert be-
tween set teeth "'Impossble to allow
you to call any more" These and
other terms of his dismissal REQUIRED
to him during the morning and ever
and anon he looked up from his desk,
his lips moving to the tune of those
horrid phrases. and stared out at the
street Basilisk glazing this. with nc
Christian softness in it, not even when
1t fell upon his own grandfather, sit
ting among the sages within easy eye
shot from the big window at Norberts
elbow. However, Colonel Flitcroft was
not disturbed by the gaze of his de-
scendant, being, in fact, QUITE unaware
of it. The aged men were having Il
busy morning.
been. (See Arp and all his works.
There had come as the years went by
few recruits but faces We're missing
The two Tabors had gone, and Uncle
Joe Davey could no longer lay claim
to the patriarchshlp He had laid II
down, with a half sigh, and gone his
way. Eskew himself was now the
Oldest Of the conscript fathers. the
colonel and Squire Buckalsw pressing
him closely, with Peter Bradbury no
great time behind
Today they did not plant their feet
upon the brass rail inside the hotel
windows. but courted the genial wealth
or outdoors and as their summer Gus
tom was, tilted back their chairs in the
shade of the western wall of the build
Ing.
And who could Of dreamed" Mr.
Bradbury was saying. with a side
glance Of expectancy at Eskew, THAT
Jonas Tabor would ever turn out to
have q niece like that"
Mr.. Arp ceased to fan himself with
his wide straw hat and said grimly:
II don't see as Jonas has turned
out'-uot In particular! If he's turned
at all lately I reckon it's in his grave
and I'll bet he has IL he had any way
of hearin' how much she must OF spent