Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-05-28


For a moment she said nothing.
then shook her head again. a.
Issue your ORDERS" he insisted. 81
am waiting to obey"
She hesitated again. then said.
slowly:
Have your hair cut It's the one
uncivilized thing about you"
For an instant Samson's face hard
ened.
NO" he said; 81 don't care to do
that"
"Oh, very WE'LL" she laughed lightly.
In that event, of course, you shouldn't
do It," But her smile faded, and after
a moment he explained:
You see, it wouldn't do"
What do you mean%
Il mean that I've got to keep some
thing as 1t was to remind me of a prior
claim on my life"
For an instant the girls face cloud
ed and grew deeply troubled.
you don't mean," she asked, with
|
than she had meant to show, or real
lied she was showing-"you don't
mean that you still adhere to ideas Of
the vendetta?" Then she broke off
with laugh, rather nervous laugh.
of course not" she answered her.
self. THAT would be too absurd"
Would it?" asked Samson, simply.
He glanced at his watch. 1.-TWO min
utes up" he announced. 1.-THE model
will please resume the pose. By the
way, may drive with you tomorrow
afternoonT
The next afternoon Samson ran up
the street steps of the Lescott house
and rang the bell, and few moments
later Adrienne appeared. The car was
waiting outside, and, as the girl came
down the stairs in motor coat and
veil, she paused and her fingers on the
banister frightened in surprise as she
looked at the man who stood below
holding his hat in his hand, with his
face upturned. The well-shaped head
was no longer married by the name
which it had formerly worn, but was
close cropped, and under the trans
forming influence of the change the
forehead seemed holder and higher,
and to her thinking the strength of
the purposeful features was enhanced
and yet, had she known it, the man
felt that he had for the first time sur.
rendered point which meant an aban.
donment of something akin to prin.
ciple.
She said nothing, but as she took
his hand in greeting her fingers
pressed his own in handclasp more
lingering than usual.
Late that evening, when Samson re-
turned to the studio, he found a mis-
sive in his letter box, and, as he took
it out, his eyes fell on the postmark
1t was dated from Hixon, Kentucky
, stairs, he turLed the envelope over il
! his hand with a strange sense Of mis-
, giving and premonition.
r The letter was written in the
, cramped hand of Brother Spencer
, Through its faulty diction ran a plain
ly discernible undernote of disapprova
for Samson, though there was no wore
t of reproof or criticism. 1t was plair
. that it was sent as a matter of cour
: tesy to one who, having proved al
: apostate, scarcely merited such consid
Grafton. 1t informed him that ole
Spicer South had been mighty pore
ly," but was now better, barring the
breaking Of age. Everyone was "tol
, cradle" Then came the announce
! ment which the letter had been writ
a ten to convey.
r The term of the South Holman true,
! had ended, and it had been renewed
+ for an indefinite period
\ Some of your folks thought the,
e ought to let you know because the,
: promised to give you a say" wrott
e the informant. But they decided tina
: it couldn't hardly make no differenc,
4 to you, since you have left the noun
e tains, and if you cared anything abou
D it, you knew the time, and could o
8 been here. Hoping this finds yol
= we'll"
9 Samsons face clouded. He threw
the soiled and scrubbed missive dow
on the table and sat with unseein,
\ eyes fixed on the studio wall So, the.
had cast him out of their councils
!. They already thought Of him as on
II who had been.
T In that passionate rush of feeling
a everything that had happened sine
:. he had left Misery seemed artificial
;. and dreamlike. He longed for thu
realities that were forfeited He want
,, ed to press himself close to the great
, gray shoulders of rock that bTok
a through the greenery like giants tear
!. ing off soft raiment. Those were hi
n people back there He should be run
ming with the wolf pack, not coursini
y, with beagles.
He had been telling himself that h
was loyal and now he realized that b.
was drifting like the lotus eaters.
A