Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-01-12

~ N my way back from my walk
Fl / came across Duncan sitting
~ on the wall Of the bridge.
introduced myself to him. and
we walked along together. Finally
asked him the reason for his presence
in the town.
I'm reading law. Mr.. Littlejohn;
that | shnll continue. In the mean
time shall keep my eyes open for
Job" he answered. "At any day. at
any amount. the opportunity may pre-
sent itself. the opportunity I'm looking
for
Probably you're right" ! assented.
impressed. as we turned n corner.
A young woman in a very attractive
linen gown was strolling toward us.
quite prettily engaged with book
which she read as she walked. her fair
young head bowed beneath a sunshade
which tinted her face becomingly. She
gave me a shy smile and low voiced
greeting "a we passed. Only my
knowledge of the young woman pre-
vented me from being blinded by her
engaging appearance.
That" said when we were out OF
earshot. shows you what furore a
good looking young man can create in
a town like this. Josie Lockwood has
put on her best bib and tucker to 20
walking in this afternoon on the off
chance Of meeting you, Mt Duncan"
"Flattery note" he commented.
"Whos Josie LockwoodT
Daughter of Blinky Lockwood. the
richest man In Radville."
"Ah" he said graphically.
managed to hear much Of Mr. Dun
can while | myself was engaged In
formulating an estimate Of the young
man. He left the hotel and took mod
est accommodations ut the house of
Hetty Carpenter. He engaged the
popular Imagination no less than mine
own. although was more intimately
associated with him as a fellow resi-.
dent at Hetty Carpenters. Ny pro-
fessional duties making their habitual
demands upon my time. / saw, It may
be. less Of him than many Of our peO-
pie. Certainly learned less Of his
ways from 6rst hand knowledge. But
from my desk-it's the nearest to the
window right above the postotnce door
II was enabled to keep pretty closa
line upon hts habits and movements
during the first fortnight Of his stay
in Radville.
At home I saw him with unvarying
regularity at nealtimes and less fire.
quently after supper. Between whlles
he seemed to observe fairly regular
routine In the morning after break
fast he walked abroad for his health's
sake In the afternoon and evening
he sequestered himself In his room for
the pursuit Of his legal studies. About
the genuineness Of these latter l was
long without a question. Having been
privileged to inspect his room, | found
1t redolent of an atmosphere Of highly
commendable application. His writ
ing table was model Of neatness, and
his store of legal treatises impressed
one vastly. That no one. not even Het
out remarking the open volume of
THE Law of Torts." with its numer-
Gus pages painstakingly spaced by
slips of paper by way OF bookmarks.
is an attested fact. That 1t was al
ways the same volume is less widely
known.
Less directly-that is to say, via my
window-I learned OF him compen-
diously from sources which would
have been anonymous but for my long
townspeople. | write these pages at
my desk at home and. II truths TO be
told. somewhat surreptitiously But
with these voices ringing in my mem
ory's ear seemed still to be sitting at
my erstwhile desk by tle window,
looking out over Courthouse square,
chewing the rubber heel Of my pencil
the while listen.
Immediately opposite. on the far
side Of the square. the courthouse
rises proudly in all the majesty OF its
columned front and clapboarded sides.
Farther along there's the Methodist
church, very severe. with its rows OF
sheds on one side for the teams Of the
more rural members. Behind them all
bulk our hills. dim and purple against
the overwhelming blue OF the sky. It's
very quiet. There are few sounds and
those few most familiar-the raucous
warcry of rooster somewhere on the
outskirts Of town, an intermittent
thudding OF hoofs In the inch deer
dust OF the roadway. Miles Stetsor
wringing faint but genuine shrieks OF
agony from his cOrnet In a room be
bind the opera house on the mex
street, periodically a shuttle of feet OF
the sidewalk below. less frequently tn,
whine Of the swinging doors a
Schwartz's place and above 1t all per
haps the shrill but not unpleasant &c
cents Of Angie Tuthill as she pause.
on the threshold downstairs and in
5ects surprising information into tn,
nothing reluctant ears of Name Gar
| rison:
Hes got six suits Of clothes, thre,
for summer and three for winter. ano
two others to wear to parties. one reg
ular full dress suit and another with
out any tails ON the coat that he toll
Miss Carpenter was dinner coat, bu
Roland Barnette says he must ",
meant tuxedo, because nobody
wears that kind of clothes except a
night. so how could 1t be a dinner
coati And Miss Carpenter told I'M
he's got twelve striped shirts and eigh