Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-06-11
CHATTER XIV

Sams0a St&yped at hs studio and
threw 0py& IN old clossz where, from
a litteTef Bsie of discsstied background
drapeT1es, canVases and stretchers, he
HBke6 out a buri-a and dust-covered
pair OF eaddlebags. Iner aad long
lam there forgotten, but <4ey held the
rusty clothes in whics ne had left
Miserr.
Samson had caugtss he fastest west.
boNnd express on The schedule. In
fhirty-six hours ta you'd be at Hixcn.
There were mary things which his
D2ain must attaca and digest in these
hgurs. Re must arrange fiS plan of
action to It's minutest detsal, because
Bio would have as little ti.ae for reflec-
Gon, cnce he had reTthed his own
country, as wildcat eung into a pack
OF hounds
From the railroad station to his
home he must III axe his way-most
probably fight his way-through thirty
miles of hostile territory, where all
the trails were watched. And yet, for
the time, all that seemed too remotely
unreal to hold his thoughts.
lie took out Saily's letter, and read
Il once more. He sead it mechanically
&nd as a piece of news that had
brought evil tidings. Then, suddenly,
another aspect of It struck him-an as
pect to which the shock of it's recep-
tlon had until this tardy moment
blinded him. The letter was perfectly
grammatical and penned in hand of
Gopybook roundn9ss and evenness.
The address, the body of the missive
and the signature were all in one Chi
geography. She would not have intrust-
cd the writing of this letter to anyone
sAIse.
Sally had learned to write.
Moreover, at the end were the
words, with love" 1t was all plain
now. Sally had never repudiated him.
She was declaring herself true to her
mission and her lave
Good God!" grcaned the man, in alb
iectly bitter self-oontempt. His hand
went involuntarily to his cropped head.
and 5ropped with a gesture of self.
doubling He looked down at his tan
shoes and silk socks He rolled back
mis- shirtsleeve and contemplated the
forearm that had once been as brown
and tough as leather. 1t was now the
arm of city man. except for the burn.
ing Of one outdoor week. He was
FptnrninO thA
stripped of the faith of his kinsmen.
halfStripped of his faith in himself.
II he were to realize the constructive
dreams of which he had last night so
confidently prattled to Adrienne, he
must lead his people from under the
blghting shadow of the feud.
He must reappear before his kins-
men as much as possible the boy who
had left them-not the fop with new
tangled affectataous. His eyes fell
upon the saddlebags upon the floor of
the Pullman and he smiled satirically
HE would like to step from the train
vt Hixon and walk brazenIy through
the town in those old clothes, chal-
longing every hostile glance. If they
shot him down on the streets, as they
certainly would do, it would end his
questioning and his anguish of diem
ma He would welcome that but it
would, after all, be Sinking the issue.
He must get out of Hixon and into
mis- own country unrecognized. The
lean Toy Of four years ago was the
somewhat tilled-out man now The one
concession that he had made to Paris
life was the wearing of a closely
cropped mustache. That he still wore
had worn 1t chiefly because he liked
TO hear Adrienne's humorous denuncia-
ltion of it. He knew that. in his pres
snt guise and dress, he had an excel
Sent chance of walking through the