The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1908-10-01

ously Somebody Is kicking II IN
pieces" he said.
Somebody Is trying to-" smiled ST.
ward.
Harrington" nodded Fleetwood. ST.
ward nodded back. Plank was silent
"Of COURSE" continued Fleetwood
tentatively, you people need not wor.
ry with Howard Quarter back of
YOU"
Nobody said anything for awhile.
Presently Siwards restless hands.
moving IN search Of something, en-.
countered pencil lying on the table
beside him, and he picked 1t up and
began drawing initials and scrolls on
the margin of newspaper, and all the
scrolls framed initials. and all the
initials were the same. twining and
twisting into endless variations of the
letters S. L.
Yes, must 60 to the Office tomor-
row." he repeated absently II am
better-in fact. am quite well except
for this sprain." He looked down at
his bandaged foot; then his pencil mov-
ed listlessly again, continuing the end
less variations on the two letters. 1t
was plain that he was tired.
Fleetwood rose and made his adieus
almost affectionately. Plank moved
forward on tiptoe. bulky and noiseless,
end Siward held out his hand, saying
something amiably formal.
would you like to have me come
AGAIN." asked Plank, red with embar-
rassment. yet so naively that at first
Siward found no words to answer him:
then:
"Would you care to come, Mr..
Plank?"
Eyes"
Siward looked at him curiously, al
most cautiously His first impressions
Of the man had been summed up In
one contemptuous word. Besides. bar
ring that, what was there in common
between himself and such a type al
Plank? He had not even troubled
himself to avoid him at Shotover. He
had merely been aware Of him when
Plank spoke to him.
Perhaps Plank had changed, perhaps
Siward had, for he found nothing Of
fensive in the bulky young man now
nothing particularly attractive, either,
except for certain simplicity, a GER
tain direct candor in the heavy blue
eyes which met his squarely.
"Come in for a cigar when you have
a few moments idle" said Siward
slowly.
at will give me great pleasure
said Plank, bowling.
And that was all. He followed Fleet
wood down the stairs. Wands held
their coats and bowed them out into
the falling shadows Of the winter twi
light
Siward, sitting beside his window
watched them enter their hanson and
drive away up the avenue. A dull
flush had settled over his cheeks, the
aroma Of spirits hung in the air, anf
he looked across the room at the de
canter Presently he drank some Of
his tea, but it was lukewarm, and he
pushed the cup from him.
"Gumble, are you there?' he asked
carelessly.
The butler entered from the hall
way. "Yes. SIR"
"You may leave that decanter."
But the old servant may have mis-
understood, for he only bowed an(
ambled off downstairs with the de
canter, either needless or deaf to hi!
masters sharp order to return.
Lamplight brought out sharply thu
physical change in Siward-the angu
lar shadows fiat under the cheek bones
the hard, slightly swollen flesh in tn
blush shadows around the eyes. TIL
mark of the master vice was there
its stamp In the swollen, worn out hol
lows; its imprint In the fine lines a
the corners of his mouth; its sig
manual in the faintest relaxation o
the under lip, which had not yet be
come looseness.
For the last of the Siwards had a
last stepped into the highway whic
his doomed forebears had travelled be
fore him.
"Gumble" he called irritably.
A quavering voice, an unsteady steI
and the Old man entered again. "Ml
Stephen, sir?"
Bring that decanter back. Didn'
you hear me tell you just now?"
'Sir?'
didn't you hear me?"
eyes, Mr.. Stephen, sir"
There was a silence.
"Gumble"'
"Sir."
'Are you going to bring that d.
canter?"
The old butler bowed and amble
from the room, and for long Will
Siward sat sullenly listening and scol
ing the edges Of the paper with hi
trembling pencil. Then the lead brok
short, and he flung 1t from him an
pulled the bell. Wands came thi
time, a lank, sandy, silent man. grow
gray as rat in the service of the S
wards. He received his masters Of
ders and withdrew, and again Siwar