Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-07-26
CHAPTER XVII.
(Continued.)

The visit had set me up a good
deal. The knowledge that / had
been so much in the senator's
thoughts, and that he approved my
decision to leave the learned Judge.
gave me new heart. / had never
cherished the thought that he
would take me to Washington, al
though, now and then, a faint star
of hope had shone above the CAPT
toll in my dreams. AS ] rode along
l amagined myself in that great
arena and sitting where / could
see the flash of its swords and hear
the thunder of Homeric voices.
That is the way l thought OF 1t.
Well, those were no weak, piping
times of peace, my brothers. They
were times of battle and as l rode
through that peaceful summer aft
ernoon l mapped my way to the
fighting line. | knew that l should
enjoy the practice of the law but
I had begun to feel that eventually
my client would be the people
whose rights were subject to con-
slant aggression as open as that of
the PATRONS or as insidiOuS as that
of the canal ring.
The shadows were long when l
got to Canterbury. AT the head of
it's main street 1 looked down upon
a village green and some fine old
elms. It was a singularly quiet
place. 1 stopped in front of big
white meeting house. An old man
was moving in its graveyard near
the highway. Slowly he swung his
scythe.
TITS a fine day" I said.
mo, it amt nuther-too much
hard work in it," said he.
do you know where Kate Fuller
ton lives?" I asked.
We'll, it's purity likely that I
do" he answered as he stood rest
ing on his snath. I've lived Y
years on this hill come the 14th
day o. June, an if 1 didn't know
where she lived I'd be 'shamed of
It,"
He looked at me thoughtfuIly for
a moment and added:
81 know everybody that lives
here an everybody that dies here,
an some that ortO be Twin but amt
an some that orto be dead which
We couldn't kill 'em with an ak
don't seem sol declare it don't.
Do you see that big house down
there in the trees?"
| could see the place at which he
pointed far back from the village
street in the valley below us, the
house nearly hidden by tall ever
greens.
f'Yes," I answered.
mo, We can't, nuther-leastway
if We can we've got better eyes'n
mos people, ye can't see only a
patch o. the roof an one chimney
them pine trees bein' thicker'n the
hair on a dog. It's the gloomiest
OF house in all creation, I guess.
Wal, that's the Squire Fullerton
place-he's Rates father"
Does the squire live there?"
mo, sir-not eggzac1y. He's
dyin' there-been dyin' there fer
two years er more. By gosh It's
wonderful how hard tits fer some
folks to quit breathin' Say, be you
any o. his fam'ly?"
"No."
"Nor no friend o. his?"
''No!"
Course not. He never had a
friend in his life-too mean! He's
too mean to die, mister-toO mean
fer hell an I wouldn't wonder
honest, I woudln't-mebbe that's
why God is keepin' him here-jest
to meller him up little. Say, mis-
ter. be you in hurry?"
mo"
"Yis We be. Everybody's in a
hurry-seems to me-since we got
steam power in the couGtry. Say,
hitch yer boss an come in here. l
want to show We suthin'."
He seemed to enjoy contradicting
me.
Nobody seems in a hurry in this
town" l said.
Don't, hey? Wal. We ought to
"a seen Deacon Norton run when
some punkins on his side hill bust
their vines an come rollin' down
an chased him half a mile into the
valley"
l dismounted and hitched my