Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1917-03-15

see you'll"
leather puttees and whipcOrd riding
breeches, and Wickersham from the
far side Of the room bowed back in
equal gravity. Then Caleb Hunter
grasped Steve's elbow and spun him
around toward the light and peered at
him accusingly. Barbara had not no
ticed until then how tired Steve looked
Before the others get to talking"
said Caleb before the tide grows too
strong for my weak voice, young man,
/ want to deliver a message. Miss Sa-
rah wants it explicitly understood that
unless you stop in to say hello on your
next trip down she herself will take
the trail up here And lest that ulti-
matum sound too little threatening l
might add that when Miss Sarah takes
the trail she never travels with less
than six trunks"
Caleb chung so tightly to his arm
that it brought a tinge of color to
Steve'S cheeks. It was minutes before
he could get away to change his wet
clothes, and in that minute Or two he
could not help but contrast, grimly, his
own mud despatched attire with that
Of Archie Wickersham. The tired blue
circles beneath his eyes were even
more noticeable when he returnd, to
be ushered with much ceremony by Fat
Joe to the head of the table.
1t was an utterly irresponsible gath
ering that leaned over the red table
cloth that night-an oddly assorted
group which from the very first Joe
realized was not at all to Wickersham's
liking. Dexter Allison himself, fairly
radiating good will, sat at the foot Of
the table, with his sOn-in-law to be oD
one side and Barbara's little maid, Ce-
Gle, on the other. And between Cecile
and Barbara, who sat opposite Garry
and Miriam, Fat Joe leaned both ell
bows upon the table edge and monOpO-
liZed the conversation. The seating ar
rangement was Joe's; it was his party.
And the absolute inattenti0n to detail,
the large Indifference to veracity which
his discourse disclosed before that
noisy supper was over, grew to be an
astonishing thing. His flights of fancy
left Steve aghaSt in more than one in
stance; they even forced a stiff smile
to Understands lips, and that is say
ing much for JOe's success as an enter
tainer, for in the bearing of those two
men toward each other there had been
evident from the first a chill antipathy
which amounted actually to armed
truce. And the color in Miriam's cheeks,
whenever his gaze Strayed to that side
of the table, helped Steve to forget,
temporarily, much that he found not
pleasant to recall at all
For Miriam's tongue was no less If
responsible than was Joe's. Her mood
was SO mercurial that she drew time
and again the eyes Of all at the table.
She chartered with an abandon that
scandalized Barbara; broke in and in
terrupted every argument with hoy
denish trivialitieS, in one breath, to
appeal to Garry the next for refuta
ton. And Garry, the light tOngued and
quick Witted, sat almost dumb of lip
before her happy garrulity. But his
Sy SS AcN cA 1C1I uSA, luCJ SpOhS LIS
thoughts aloud. The quick lift and
droop of her eyelids, the brilliancy of
her lips, made Miriam's face a living
thing of happiness-made Barbara's ST
lence seem even more profound. For
the latter's withdrawal from the hilar
ity, dominated half the time by her
fathers booming bass, was nearly as
complete as that of Wickersham him
self.
Just once, shortly before they with
drew for the night, Steve caught
CLEAN Of mischief in the dark eyes she
turned toward him. She rose tee next
moment and started slowly around the
room, poking demurely into corners
and closeted hooks. Every >eye was
following her when she finally found
the thing forS1h she was searching
She drew red felt, yellow noticed
cushion from beneath the deer hide
covering a chair and held it up SO that
all might read. ''NNhat Is Home With
out a Father?' it ran, and when the
JOY that Stormed through the room
made it sure that the exhibition needed