, 1908-03-05

" "
Snote the Table With My cIsnchsd
Hand.
or your employer, Mr.. Pickering, or
that damned hound Morgan, or you
damn you, | don't know who or what
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 t o your
school teachers and to Mr.. Pickering,
who pays you, and tt 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 10, I'll give them
this house and every acre of ground
and every damned dollar the estate
carries with 1t. And now one other
thing! | 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 l
throw you out Of the room!"
had worked myself into a great
passion and fairly roared my chal-
lenge, pounding the table in my rage.
Eyes, sir; | quite understand you,
sir. But I'm afraid, Sir
"Of course you're afraid" l 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 ad-
venturer; but you can tell Sister The
resa or Pickering or anybody you
please that I'm ten times as bad AZ
I've ever been painted. Now clear out
of here!"
I knocked about the library all norm
ing without easing my spirit, and
after luncheon / e off for a tramp.
Winter had indeed come and pos
sessed the earth, and 1t had given me
4 new landscape. The snow continued
to fall in great, heavy fakes, and the
ground was whitening fast.
A rabbits track caught my eye and
/ followed it, hardly conscious that 1
did SO. Then the clear print OF W o
small shoes mingled with the rabbits
trail. A few moments later l picked
up an overshoe, probably lost IN the
chase by one of Sister Theresa's girls.
l reflected. l remembered that while
at Tech | had collected a diversity Of
memorabilia from school girl acquaint-
- l-,a urnC Machining
new series with a string of beads and
an overshoe!
A rabbit is always an attractive
quarry. Few things besides richie are
so elusive. and the little fellows have.
1 am sure, a shrewd humor peculiar to
themselves. | rather envied the school
girl who had ventured forth for a walk
in the first snow storm of the season.
and recalled Aldrich's turn on Gau-
tiers lines as l followed the double
trail:
..Howe'er you tread. a tiny mould
Retrays that light foot all the same:
Upon this glistening. snowy fold
At every step 1t signs your name"
A pretty autograph, indeed! The
snow fell steadily and | tramped on
over the Joint signature of the girl and
the rabbit, Near the a they parted
the rabbit leading of at a
tangent, on "a line parallel with the
la, while his pursuer's steps pointed
aaa' house.
There was, 30 far as l knew, only
one student of adventurous blood AZ
st. Agatha's, and | was not in the least
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 was
toward me as | drew near; her n
were thrust into her pockets She
was evidently enjoying the soft ming
ling of the snow with the still, blue
waters of the lake; and a girl and q
snow storm are, If you ask my opin.
ion. a pretty combination. The fact OF
q girls facing a winter storm arsues
nightly in her favor,-testihes, II you
will allow me, to a serene ana uauht'
less spirit for N thing, ana a SCUM
constitution for another.
ran up the steps, my cap IN one
hand. her overshoe In the other' ohe
drew back a trife, Just enough to prihs
my conscience to Its knees.
II didn't mean to listen that day
lust happened to be on h wall. aho
IL was a thoroughly u~nderbred trlch-
my twitting you about it-and shoule
ave told you before If I'd known no"