The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1918-02-21

sah"t'A Fff tatH ~ WV ~ -
with smAri bgUwn eoaur Music Coated
out sgre,ably. also many odors
Yol ladies' don't really mind him
bciug here Mrs Browne whispered
81 ny c.bow He seemed right
young and innocent 10 80 20 gBol
Red never feel the same about him
eel, after be came out
Mind BIN Mr. Lnton' lie seems
q nice qalet boy Eel, magnanimous
IN fosg.giag his open dislike
Now that's What say, Mira
Browne went on But ledger left
today. because u me keeping him
A lodger left' bot Why, what did
be do
Look Il, that town." Mrs Browne
waved a desplsiug hand There's a
few white people up on the hill, but
much they know or care about par
Gel Of sailors. Just strange young
men. With mothers Of their own at
home, and sweethearts
Yes, ! noticed he wore a ring
Mrs Browne had much to tell.
Yes. and you win notice how bad he
feels when he looks at II, too And
gayer boy than he was, three days
ago. But what do people expect
Keep en- afloat three months, turn
I'm loose ashore in black and.tan
town like this, with money in their
,.AatFaNn nt tItpy for than
do Not home for the boys to go in,
not white woman TO throw them a
word What do they expect?" she
broke of impatiently
And what happened She
seemed TO await my question
What happened. miss? Why. the
ment here for one white lad not at
the best Of times, let alone a hundred
and more There's just two things
they can do. and getting DRINKS not
the worst"
Beyond, In the avenue OF palms,
could dlmly see Frank Liston pacing
to and fro, with bent head, detected
shoulders and the invincibly springy
step Of youth
And he could have lodged arrest.
II he'd been willing to quit like the
others" Mrs Browne continued.
They'd have never caught him Easy
enough for a sailor to swing out of
any window in this town. But he saw
the girl was dying"
The girl'" But this time was to
learn without further question.
Yes, miss OF course he never
should have been there You and
know that They were all, or most OF
them. in one Of those coon joints |
don't know just how 1t began, but a
girls black fellow got In, fighting
drunk, OF course. with machete
Slashed an artery. and she was bleed
ing badly The other boys lit out No
one wants to be mixed up in those
rows, BY the time the police got In.
there was no one but her and Frank
He waited to try and stop the flow
And that's how he's here now, under
surveillance. No friends to go bail
for him, till the trial Say, you don't
mind, do your" she asked abruptly.
But maybe we'd best not tell your
aunt"
With this heartily agreed And
the other lady LETT" | marvelled.
Perhaps being mother Is Just
why ! suggested. watching the lone
ly young figure on It's disconsolate
promenade
Presently the police officers again
interviewed Frank Liston, and Mrs.
Browne further volunteered that they
required him to keep early hours Not
that he's getting much sleep, these
nights, He's so afraid his people will
catch wind of it, and the girl at home
He comes from New Hampshire, a
country lad, and she's a schoolmarm
Certainly If a creaking couch be
a sign of troubled slumbers, Frank |
Liston spent night the wakefulness
OF which passed over the partition |
between our rooms He tossed and |
tossed, and all the while a sense of |
guilt. OF adding to his troubles, lay |
upon me. ridiculously. Enthusiastically. |
but with shiyer of growing respon.
sibility
At daybreak he was up, softly |
dressing | could swear that he wrote |
a letter. Then came a queer sound, a
click, another. | could not place that
sound. 1t worried me-
Sudden light flooded my room, the
dawnless tropic sunrise. Slipping on
q dressing gown passed out through
open doors into the quiet garden.
Strange dollhouse plants bloomed like
weeds. strange fragrances waited in
over the harbor. Far to the right,
long rollers OF surf broke on rocky
sending up fountains Of
cleaning spray Circling gulls lowered
above the anchored shipping. On the
sea wall solitary man seemed busy
with some planks. heavy stone.
Frank Liston, He balanced a stout
board over the water. staying It's
sarthward end with stone after stone;
then coming back, he picked up
small object from the gras. II gilt.
.ered in the sun.
Quickly moved towards him. You
"a. al a.. |