Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-03-14

be had his hours of exaltotion he ako
had his hours of black apprehension.
1t is all very well to exercise a ghost
by sheer strength of will, but one has
also to eliminate the idea that gave 1t
existence, Lillian Astrupp, with her
unattested evidence and her ephemeral
Interest, gave him no real uneaslness,
but Chilcote and Chilcote's possible
summons were matters of graver con
sideration. and there were times when
they doomed very dark and sinister.
What If at the very moment of fulfill.
ment-- But invariably lie snapped the
thread of the supposition and turned
with fercer ardor to his work of prep
aration.
And 80 the last morning of his pro
baton dawned, and for the first time
| he breathed freely.
lie rose early on the day that was to
witness his great effort and dressed
| slowly. It was splendid morning.
The spirit of the spring seemed en-
| bodied in the air. in the pale blue sky,
In the shafts OF cool sunshine that
danced from the mirror to the dressing
| table, from the dressing table to the
| pictures on the walls of Chilcotes vast
room. Inconscquently with its dancing
rose n memory of the distant pasta
memory Of long forgotten days when,
as n child, he had been hidden to watch
/ the came sun perform the same fan.
tastic cvolutions. The sight and the
! thought stirred him curiously with an
| unlocked for sense of youth. He drew
himself together with an added touch
! OF decision as he passed out into the
corridor. and as he walked downstairs
/ he whistled a bar or two of an inspirit
| ing tune
in the morning room Eve was nj.
ready waiting. She looked up, cUlOred
| and smiled as he entered. Her face
looked very fresh and young and she
wore Il gown of the same pale blue
! that she had worn on his first coming.
! She looked up from an open letter as
he came into the ROOM and the sun
That fell through the window caught
/ her in shaft Of light, intensifylng
her blue eyes. her blue gown aud the
bunch of violets fastened in her belt
TO Lodcr. still under the influence Of
early memories she seemed the en-
bodiment of some youthful ideal-some
thing lost, sought for and found agnin.
| Realization of his feeling for her al
most came to him as he stood there
looking Mt her. 1t lowered about him,
1 il tipped him, as il were. with its
winga; then it rose again and scared
away. Men Ike hm-meu keen to
/ grasp an opening where their careers
are concerned and tenacious to hold it
when once grasped-arc frequently the
last to look into their own hearts. lie
/ glanced at Eve he acknowledge the
I stir of his feeling, but lie made no
attempt to define its cause lie could
/ no more have given reason for his
sensations than he could have told
the precise date upon which. coming
downstairs at 5 o'clock. he had first
found her waiting breakfast fer him.
! The time when all such incidents We're
to stand out each to a nicely in its ap-
/ pointed place had not yet arrived. For
the moment his youth had returned to
/ him; he possessed the knowledge of
work done, the sense OF present COM
| partnership in world Of agreeable
things; above all, the steady, quiet CON
viction of his own capacity. All these
! things came to him in the moment of
1 his entering the room, greeting Eve
| and passing to the breakfast table;
then. while his eyes still rested CON
/ tcntcdly ON the pleasant array Of china
and silver. while his senses Wore Siill
alive 10 the fresh, earthly scent If
! Ewes viole;s, the blow SO long dreaded
so slow In coming fell with accumu-
lated force.