The Washington herald., 1913-03-30

and will give them up. You're a fool
George Robbins. to mix yourself UP In
It on a chance Of getting a few dol.
lars from q Kansas City paper for q
telegram"
nearing lights, while the wagon
the road.
! We got TO save the lantern to GO
home by" Orr remarked at last. "else
I'd light up: they amt got any more
lights in the streets. But I guess we
| can see.''
| There were enough lights in the win.
dows to reveal the wide untidiness of the
street. the black, boarded windows OF the
empty shops. the gaps in the sidewalk, the
haggard gardens. where savage winds had
| blown the heart out Of deserted rose
trees and geraniums. In general the sky
line was low and the roofs the simplest
peaks: but II was broken In a few places
| by three and four storied brick buildings
| Of the forid pomp on which a raw West
ern town loves to lavish it's money. Now
they doomed. dark and silent. landmarks
! Of vanished ambition. Robbins, who was
a man OF parts and education, with a fan
ciful turn, felt the air Of defeat and DESC
lation hanging over the town choke him
like miasma- To him the dreariness was
the more poignant for the half a dozen
little shops that still nickered their chal-
lenge to fate in the guise of a dim coal
oil lamp in the window. There appeared
TO be no customers at these dismal marts:
in some cases not even the shopkeeper
was visible. and only the stove in the rear
Of the room kept a lonesome red eye on
the shelves. The sole sparks Of life in
the place were at the hotel. II had been
built during the BOOM" a large rectangle
Of wood. with a cheap and gaudy piazza
all painted four shades Of green. which
the climate had burned and blistered and
bleached into one sickly. notified brown.
Long ago the stables OF the hostelry had
been abandoned. but this night the stable
yard was full of wagons.
The upper story OF the hotel was dark.
and the greater part OF the lower story:
but the kitchen was bright. and yellow
light leaked through every chink and
crack In the office blinds
Boys have turned out we'll. / guess"
said Robbins.
They better turn OUT said Orr.
No word was spoken by either while
they unhitched their horses. led them
within the sheds. and tied them among
the sorry company already housed. Rob
bins noted that after Orr had laid the
blanket which had served them for robe
on one thin back. he flung his own quilt
over the other. Then they stumbled Gor
they were unwieldly with cold through
the yard to the hotel.
The office was full Of men. gathered
about the stove. talking to each other.
The innkeeper sat behind his counter.
affecting TO busy himself with a blot
ted ledger. Originally ne had been a
stout man. but he had lost flesh OF late
years. lie was wrinkled and Habby.
and the furtive eyeshots that he cast
toward the stove were anxious beyond
his concealing. Any one, however.
could perceive that matters OF heavy
import were being discussed. The
miserably clad men about the stove
all looked sullen. There was none of
the easygoing badinaCe SO habitual
with Westerners. They exchanged
glances rather than words: what words
were uttered werc in low tones.
where is he?" said Orr. in the same
undertone TO a large man in a buffalo