Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1914-12-30
HIS
FAITH Frs
FRIEND
By PERLEY POORE
SHEEHAN
Copyright by Frank A. Munsey Co.

i i i ]. ]. i ]. +
When man has been pining for the
romantic all his life-a man who is
going on forty and has an economical
wife and a steady job, a man who
stays home evenings and rolls his own
cigarettes-when a man like this has
been yearning for just one weird, scar
let adventure before he is forever too
old and he is suddenly confronted with
it, what happens?
Does he fall for it?
Sometimes, and again There was
the case of William O. Johnson!
Of course you may argue that his
case was exceptional in that William
was none other than the son of Bill
Johnson.
Bill had brought his picturesque ca
reer to close by getting hanged in
Melbourne-an interesting man and ia
nous in his day throughout the south
seas.
But William had never been permit
ted to know anything about his ia
theirs activities. And, as for ships and
things, his sainted mother had brought
On the evening Of his adventure
Johnson came home from the Office, as
usual, at $50, dutifully kissed his wife
and washed himself hurriedly in prep
aration for the waiting soup. He was
visibly preoccupied.
Presently his wife said to him:
"You look worried, dearie. Isn't your
work all right?''
"Everything's o. X" he responded,
but he relapsed into silence.
She didn't question him further. He
had these silent spells.
Sometimes it was dispute with his
chief at the office, sometimes a stirring
of old ambitions, sometimes gOading
thought of his small salary.
It was never anything worse than
that. His habits were exemplary, and
his wife knew it.
Yet the very thing that now held
Johnson tongue tied was something he
dared not cOnfess-sOmething he could
hardly admit to himself without blush
ing.
1t was the memory Of a girl!
We should state at once that there
/
only was the girl extraordinarily beau
tiful, but the way in which she came
across Williams notice was eXtraordi
nary as well
He had seen her just as he was com
ing up the steps with his latchkey il
his hand. She couldn't have been more
than nineteen or twenty. She was
slim and dark, and her face was won
derfuIly IOvable and alert.
For a fraction of a second she ha6
inclined in his direction-eyes, face
figure-with parted lips, as though
about to speak to him.
Then something in his attitude-he
was the most delicate minded of men
or some second thought of her OWL
had made her hesitate.
The girl passed hurriedly on. Will
liam passed into the house.
The oddly Of the experience had not
Immediately appealed to him. But q
minute later as he climbed the stairs
and later still when he washed his face
and on through supper he recalled the
alertness of the way she had looked al
him.
1t gave him a shadOwy feeling OF
uneasiness and regret He tried over
and over again to imagine the words
that she might have said had he giveI
her the opportunity.
Recollection of the incident returned
to him necessarily long after Mrs
Johnson had gone to bed.
He was nervous and wide awake.
Ind NJ
the deepening night-the ticking of thu
clock, the rumble of a distant trolle!
car, the stirring Of an uneasy window
sash-there came a SOFT distant tap
ping at the door,.
Johnston started and looked up.
It was past II. For an interval b.
did not stir. The summons was re
peated, little louder, but still guarde'
and cautious.
Johnson tiptoed to the inner hal
turned up the gas and cautiously open
ed the door.
He. had pretty good nerves for a
office man, still he couldn't suppress
movement of surprise.
Standing there before him, gre
tesuuely black and misshapen, was
negro dwarf.
The visitor didn't attempt to come il
Instead he Immediately plunged int
a series of urgent signs that Johnso
was to follow.
He was obviously in hurry.
Johnson came to a swift resolution
The night had begun adventurous
He would see it through.
AS best he could he made the dwa1
understand that he would come {
soon as he could change his slipper
for his shoes. A few minutes late
without having disturbed his wife,
was following the negro silently dow
the stairs.
1t was but few minutes walk fro
the placed Johnson lived to a par