The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1914-02-26
? xY-tcontinuedl.

HlSdAWulie t1aTIan pIugge away. he
seemed more reserved. but still his
genial self. He picnicked with the girls
Of his set along the river; the High
street young people wandered in and
out Of his mothers home at informal
summer dances, and played tennis or
n lawns. and ate ice ream Of eve
nings. and flirted on the veranda much
as they had done when he was 16
q man at a mans work. Much Xix his
father. people said. From his office
window Harlan could see the Judge
drive in town behind old Dutch. tie him
to the rail and walk slowly under the
naples to the court house steps, speak
ing gently to every one. bowling with
old time courtesy to the women. pat
ting the dogs-a fine. upright, beloved
figure OF a man. That was what he
should come to be, doubtless. a sturdy,
u~nfearing. clear minded American OF
he best people.
And once as he watched the court
room windows with the June sweetness
straytng in. he thought of that eve
ming when John Lindstrom's hoarse
and despairing voice cursed his father
and the law. He felt that even now
the hurt Of 1t was on his his fathers
mind. A hurt growing with what the
town was slowly coming to think of
Lindstrom. He had defied society, cut
himself OFT. a religious fanatic. in his
patch OF Corn land in the pocket. Only
last week. a shotgun under his Grip
pied arm. h saunt quarry worker had
come upon the surveyors on his land
running the line for the diversion dam
n forbade them further entry. Har-
Ian remembered that he had heard
Marryat, the good natured sheriff, tel
ling his father that he would have to
drive out and have'a little friendly talk
with John. The somber quarryman
was a bit or maybe. Taken his chill
dren out OF school, forbade them to mix
with h town boys and all that. The
Judge had not answered. Harlan knew
In his heart there was a grief N an
outrage he would not reveal. People
had whispered that John had become
an outlaw from the day Judge Van
Hart put the faint OF the Jail on him.
Then to Harlan's mind the thought
OF Lindstrom brought the memory Of
another summer-the long quiet eve
nings when he had met Aurelie in the
hills. It seemed that he must have been
desperately sorry for her to love her
SO. That was it-her pathos and her
grace and prettiness and all tho magic
OF h summer. Now he heard her dis
cusse| about the verandas by the nice
girls ne knew-her notoriety. the laugh
able idea of her going on the stagel-
backed financially by the McFet-
ridge boysi It seemed TO Harlan. as
the nice girls talked OF IL in" the ham
mocks and owe their ices. that all that
was cheap. unworthy. 's~rotesque, utter
ly apart from all he had known. had
come to gather about Aurelie.
n "Inaginel" said, EliGe Dickinson in a
group about his mothers perch one eve-.
ming. "A travelling man who came In
paDa's store yesterday told him that
AureIe LAndstrom was being billed In
stock company as the 500, 0eO mize
beauty-and was wearing diamondsI 4
suppose they are realI"
Mrs. Van Hart was watching HL--
lan's face She was thankful that none
Of h younger set had ever known OF
her som summer infatuation. Now
Harlan's firm lips closed as coldly. his
square Jaw set as hard as his moth
ers had done the night Aurelie was
The mothers placidity was
unruffled. "A real. my DEAR" she
"as her beauty prize. AS
an advertisement for the newspaper
ever. But the diamonds--are those
men who used to run the livery stable
IT'LL her menagers?"
Ever SO c~arelessly! But HarLan's
law set more doggedly. She had stung
the last refuge Of his pride. The Nc
boys-and Aureliel
And The story Of those diamonds wan
Tered over the town and grew : and
rev. First q mere brooch. then a neck
druggist. told Wiley Curran Of Hen
McFetridge clothing Aurelie in dia-
nonds out Of the exploitation of his
doubtful oil. speculations, and Wiley |
him a liar. The News lost an
advertising contract right there.
Wiley told Aunt Abby about IL that |
light at supper. She looked curiously
It his drawn face. Wiley, i don't be- I
ieve 1t. That girls as good as gold. \
md good girls don't sell their virtue.
Wiley--they give 1t away, maybe, be-
they love. And Aurelie doesn't
owe Hen McFetridge-the twins Just
muse her. Her letter shows that.
And the old lady waddled to the sew
ng circle that night to hear what she
aou1d hear. TO defend what might be
defended. There was need. Aurelie
vas the towns daughter Of scarlet long
'efore half the missionary boxes were
that ear and the Shakespeare
Tub was done with its critical study
Il Desdemona's story. Aunt Abby was
Unable to counteract the Shakespeare
Tub ~.digressions, for the Shakespeare
Tub was composed almost wholly OF
high street ladies. And Shakespeare
Tub gossip. though covert and well
,red. was. as deadly. The Rome Shake
club held itself aloof. The Earl
lille Woman's club was busy with civic
programs. Every time the Rome |
Shakespearian ladies had a paper on
Night or Lear, the Barlvflle
women had q protest to the city coun-
about street lighting or the saloons
,r the need of shade trees. AS the
Mercury-Journal said: THE woman's !
club was the nvest booster in the |,
"t'F
The Rome women never boosted any
body except Shakespeare or Ruskin. or
The intellectual development OF Europe.
Or the court of Louis XIV.
There were two persons in Rome who
we're silent about that gossip concern |
ng Aurelie. Harlan. kounging In WI
.ey's shop as Of old. after the days
grind. reading state exchanges and
oantering the editor on politics. never
asked OF her: o did Wiley relate Of
her letters. Apparently their friend |
ship drifted back to the old affection. |
yet there was this one reserve.
Wiley would look up from hts job
press to find Harlan's serious face
to him in a study. Harlan was
easily the best dressed man in the
eyen the drummers about the
Elks' club In Earlville. or the Hotel
were no more punctilious as
to business garb, And Wiley was in
his shirt sleeves and well linked sleeves
a 49, T-wrz LM-wHa---rNA AAI