Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-08-20
CHARTER MIL
The Tyrant.

went nc one hNNiNdNI tCNllt tl a
heart sick and III at case was to- sc,
far away from citles, to find himself
under the blue skies. breathing clean
AIR, mixing, for a while among those
SIMPLER folk who wrcst hard lNinS
from Mother Earth.
50 he packed i grip with supple
ncceSSaticS, chose remote district
at haphalsrd, and boarded the 'ra,n.
A directory, computed tor tho purpose
nv the railway company gave hun the
address VI a small town where sum
ner hoatdcrs were received lie
-crhcr wrote in advance nor made
any inquiry, but preferred to trust TO
luck. which surely would not alway )
play him false
He neither knew nor cared what
sort Of place Frcshhcld, VI, might he,
nor what sort wi people he would en-
counter in the S,mmS family. tenants
OF the Meadowland farm, II the To-
cality suited his needs he meant to
remain there indefinitely, II trouble
beiell-as he had only too good
reason to drcad-he could leave the
place at moments notice.
For once in his lite, John Burton
Welded to a selfish feeling He want
ed rest He wanted to escape from
the evcr-present Shadow OF Evil
which seemed to attend his vcxed pill
grimagc through this vale OF tears
When. therefore, he alighted from
the train at Freshheld. he was pleased
to find himself the only passenger
with business there that day, He
asked the stationmaster for directions
The man eyed him curiously. 1t was
quite evident that distinguishedlo look
ing young men. extensively, il quiet
ly, dressed, were rare birds in that
district
The Simms farm lies a matter Of
four miles away among them woods"
said the official. pointing across an
undulating landscape basking in the
sun OF a summers afternoon. There
amt no automobiles round about
here, mister. You see that old TELLER
over there near the buggy? That's
Mike, and mebbe he'll take you to
Meadowland for a couple OF dollars"
Some bargaining with Mike ensued.
but the price was quickly agreed on,
and John climbed up beside the driver
on the front seat of vehicle which
reminded him of the deacon's WON
deriul One Hoss Shay in all but the
said shay's soundness OF material. In
effect, the poor old buggy contrived
to keep intact, but the rotten harness
Welded on a hill towards the close Of
the third mile and repairs became
necessary. Mike produced prickler
aid some whipcord, Evidently he was
prepared for such emergencies.
How long before you're ready to
take the road againI" inquired John
cheerfuiiy. The delay did not irritate
him. His bruised soul was already
yielding to the spell OF placid nature,
Here were trees and brushwood,
country lanes and tumbling grass
What blissful change from the
smooth ways of the city which led
with such deceptive ease to the haunts
Of misery and crimel
Reckon I'll be ten minutes or more
Fixin' this darned trace" growled
Mike.
"All right" said John. Give me a
hail when you're ready. I'll not be far
away
He sauntered into a wooded glade
and did some botanizing among the
wild flowers This was a hobby he
had taken up. Somehow, by analyzing
the structure of plants he believed
he drew nearer comprehending the
great purpose of the Creator.
Flowers of many varieties grew in
profusion on steep bank at some
little distance. Burton was busy
among them, having found no less
han Six diifercn: species OF butter
cups, when he was startled and sur
pr:sed by the unexpected vision of a
young anu pretty girl falling head
,onS down the bank.
She rolled almost to his feet, having
obviously lost her balance at critical
moment He would have picked her
Up, but she gathered herself together
with the agility of fawn, and, after
one shy and embarrassed glance, took
% her heels again and ran swiftly out
If sight.
Not a word did the two exchange.
For one instant their eyes met. Then
The woodland sprite was in full flight
and John was laughing heartily, He
Knew exactly what had happened.
This maid OF the wild had been sur
priSed in finding stranger in her do
main. She had hidden i'll order to OBJ
serve him, but curiosity was stronger
than prudence-hence the fall. John
returned to the broken-down buggy
and related his adventures to Mike.
"Thatll be the Simms gal, Jessie"
was all the information vouchsafed by
the grumpy driver. =
John reflected that il the remainder
of the farmers household was up to
the first sample he had seen.
some streak OF belated luck must
have led him to Already. In
due course the buggy drew into
the farmyard of Meadowland. The
surroundings were somewhat squalid,
but that element did not worry John
at all. There was no sight OF the
fugitive, Jessie. An elderly woman.
all a-flutter because of the arrival
of an unexpected visitor, and wiping
soapsuds from her hands on an apron,
came from an clubhouse and inquired
his business. Before John could utter
a word Mike explained.
Reckon this young man wants to
board here for a SPELL he said, with
a knowing wink.
The very tone OF his voice told
that prices were TO be raised for the
newcomers benefit. But John only
smiled. Even the bedraggled Mrs.
Simms looked honest enough, and
there could be no doubt whatever
that she was woman who worked
hard to wrest mere pittance from