Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-03-12

Madison stared al him sOr moment.
then he reached out and caught the
Flopper's arm in sudden and far
from gentle grip. U
''Out with IT, he snapped
The Hopper blinked,
"Aw, wot's de use!' he blurted out,
as though his mind, suddenly made up.
brought him unbounded relief. "Yousell
find it out anyhow. Say. she went OF
wild Thornton in de buzz wagon yes
terday. an l put de Patriarch to bed
last night cause she wasn't back. an
dat's wot's de matter wild him. She
amt showed up since, an he's near OF
his chump. an'-fer Gods sake, let go
my arm, Doc. Youse're breakin' it,
sort Of cold frenzy seemed to seize
Madison. He was perfectly calm; he
felt himself perfectly calm and com
posed. on all night with Thornton.
eh? Funny, wasn't It? Shed gone
pretty far at last-gone the limit.
"Why didn't you send me word this
morningY Was that his own voice
speaking? Well, he wouldn't have rec
ognized It, but he was perfectly calm
nevertheless. ,..
Fer Gods sake. let go my arm"
whimpered the Flopper IL amt no
squealer, OATS why"
Madison's hand fell away to his side.
He felt a Wilderness creeping to his
face and lips, felt his lips twitch, felt
the fingers Of his hands curl in and the
nails begin to press into the palms.
"Mabbe," suggested the Flopper tim
idly-"mabbe dere was an accident.
wot-wot'll do wild de Patriarch" he
stammered miserably.
And then Madison smiled at him, not
happily. but eloquently.
"swipe me-" mumbled the Flopper
a. he backed out from the trellis. IBIS
love games fierce, an mabbe I don't
know! 'Sposin' she'd been Mamie an
me the Doc-'sposin' 1t had! He gulp-
ed hastily. "swipe me" said the Flop
per, with emotion.
Madison, mctionless, watched the
Flopper disappear. He wasn't quite 40
calm now, not so cool and collected and
composed. He must go somewhere and
think this out-somewhere where 1t
would be quiet and he wouldn't be dis
turbed.
A step sounded on the path, Madi-
son looked through the trellis. A man
with yellow, unhealthy skin and sunk
en- cheeks, his head bowed. was pass
ing in through the porch. 1t caught
Madison with fierce, exquisite irony.
Why not go there himself If he wanted
ouiet-the shrine room-the place OF
meditation! Well, he wanted to medi'
tate! He laughed jarringly. The
shrine room-for him! Great! I'm
mense! Magnificent! Why not? That's
what he had created 1t for-to medi'
tate in!
He stepped inside, then turned and
stopped. The doorway at the farther
end Of the room was framing males
tic figure, tall and stately, and sun
CLEAN struggling suddenly through the
lattice seemed to leap in golden ray
to caress in homage the sanity face OF
the Patriarch.
Into the room he advanced. and his
hands were Outstretched before him.
and he moved them little to and fro,
and the gesture, the poise. the mien.
as, touching nothing he seemed to feel
his way through space Itself. was as
one invoking blessing of peace inef'
fable.
Spellbound. Madison watched. Upon
the face Of the old man was yearn-
ing that saddened it and. saddening,
glorifed It; the head was slightly turn
ed. as though to listen. while slowly
with measured, certain tread. as though
indeed he had no need for eyes, the
Patriarch circled the table and passed
on down the room. The man and the
woman reached out and touched him
and drew back reverently to let him
pass: then. rising from their knees. fol-
lowed him through the door and out
on to the porch.
The room was empty. Madison star
ed at the doorway. Upon him fell
sudden awe; it was as though vision.