Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-08-10
BY LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE
Author of The Private War
Terence O'Rourke. Gentleman
Adventurer
Copyright, 1907, The Dobbs- Merrill Company.

Ytop? Oh, hardly! 1t was all very
we'll to be daringly eccentric and
careless of the worlds censure; but
one scarcely cared to lay ones self open
either to an unknown girls decision or
to a sound pummeling at the hands of
fellow passengers enraged by, the insult
| offered to an unescorted woman.
The young man was still po16ering
WAYS and means when a dull bump APP
prised him that the ferry boat was en-
tering the Long Island city slip. The
! devil!' he exclaimed in mingled disgust
and dismay, realizing that his distraction
had been so thorough as to permit the
voyage to take place almost without his
realizing It, So that now-worse luck!--
! Il was too late to take any one of the
hundred fantastic steps he had contem-
plated half seriously. In another two min
utes his charming mystery, so bewitching-
" incarnated, would have slipped out of
his life finally and beyond recall. And
he could do naught to hinder such a finale
to the adventure.
Sulkily he resigned himself to the inev-
liable, waiting and watching. while the
| boat slid and Numbered clumsily, paddle
| wheels churning the filthy waters over
side, to the floating fridge; while the
| wlnches ratified and the woman, sitting
up brisKly in the drivers seat OF the mo-
tar car, bent forward and advanced the
spark; while the chain fell Changing and
the car shot out, over the bridge. Through
the gates and away, at a very considera-
BILE, even II lawful rate of speed.
whereupon, writing finis to the final
chapter of romance, voting the world a
] dull place and life treadmill, anathe-
| matizing in no uncertain terms his lack
of resource and address, Maitland paid
of his cabby, alighted. and to that wor-
/ thy's boundless wonder. walked into the
waiting room of the railway terminus
without deviating hairs breadth from
the straight and circumscribed path of the
sober in mind and body.
The ten-twenty had departed by bare
two minutes. The next and last train for
! Greenfields was to leave at 1888.
Maitland with assumed nonchalance COM
posed himself upon a bench In the walt
| ing room to endure the 81 min.
ute interval. Five minutes later an able
/ bodied washerwoman with six children
/ in quarter sizes descended upon the bench;
| and the young man in desperation allowed
1 himself to be dispossessed. The news
stand next attracting him, he garnered
| a fugitive amusement and two dozen cop
per cents by the simple process of pur-
| chasing six might extras which he
did not want, and paying for each with
! a five-cent piece. Comprehending at
i length that he had irritated the news
/ dealer. he meandered off, Jingling his
| copper fortune In one hand, Juggling his
newspapers in the other, and made
determined onslaught upon slot ma
chine. The latter having reluctantly
disgorged twenty-four assorted samples
| of chewing-gum and stale sweetmeats,
| Maitland returned to the washer-woman.
and sowed dissension in her brood by
presenting the treasure-horde to the eld-
| II, -
her brothers and sisters.
1t is difficult to imagine what folly
might next have been recorded against
him had not, at that moment ferocious
and inarticulate howl from the train
4 starter announced the fact that the ten
| fifty-nine was waiting.
Boarding the train In a thankful spirit.
Maitland settled as comfortably as he
might In the smoker and endeavored to
find surcease of ennui in his collection
of extras. In vain; even a two-comnln
I portrait of Mr.. Dan Anisty, craftsman.
| accompanied by a vivacious catalogue of
! that notoriety's achievements in the field
of polite burglary, hardly stirred his in
terest An elusive resemblance which
he traced In the features of Mr.. Anisty,
as presented by the Sketch-Artist-on
| Spot, to some one whom he, Maitland.
| had known in the dark backwards and
abysm of time, merely drew from him the
comment: "Homely brute!" And he laid
the papers aside. grading his chin in the
/ palm of one hand and staring for a weary
while out OF the car window at a Keeling
and moonsmitten landscape. He yawn-
ed exhaustively. his thoughts astray be-
tween a girl CARRIED in grey. Banner
mans thoughtful face and the perni-
Cf0tfa % " no al Apfo af
whose door Maitland laid the RESPONSE
bility for the most fatiguing errand.
The brakeman's wolf-lil1e yelp-"Green-
1elds!''-was ringing In his ears when he
awoke and stumbled down the aisle and
car steps just in the nick OF time.
, The train, whisking round a curve cloak
ed by a belt Of somber pines, left him
quite alone in the world, cast ruthlessly
/ upon his own resources.
An hour had elapsed: 1t was now mid
! night; the moon rode high. a cold white
disk against a background of sapphire
velvet, its pellucid rays revealing with
disheartening distinctness the inanimate
and lightless roadside hamlet called
Greenflelds; its general store and postof-
fee, its soi-distant hotel, its struggling
line OF dilapidated habkations, all
wrapped in silence profound and impen-
etrable. Not even a dog howled; not a
belated viliager was in sight; and II was
q moral certainty that the local livery
service had closed down for the night.
Nevertheless, Maitland, with a despera-
ton bred OF the prospective five-mile
tramp. spent some ten valuable minutes
hammering upon the door of the house
infested by the proprietor of the livery
stable. He succeeded only in waking the
dog, and inasmuch as he was not on
friendly terms with that animal, present.
~ withdrew at discretion and set his face
northwards upon the open road
1t stretched before him invitingly
enough, ribbon winding siver-white be-
tween dark patches of pine and scrub
oak or fields lush with rustling corn and
wheat. And. having overcome his pri
mary disgust, as the blood began to cir
culate more briskly In his veins, Matt
land became aware that he was actually
enjoying the enforced exercise. 1t could
have been hardly otherwise, with a night
so sweet with airs so bland and fragrant
of the woods and fresh-turned earth, with
so clear light to show him his way.
He stepped out briskly at first, swing
ing his stick and watching his shadow,
squat. incredibly agitated silhouette in
the golden dust. But gradually and in
sensibly the peaceful influences of that
still and lovely hour tempered his hearts