Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-07-11

Mr.. Bacon? Any word from New
York?"
Mr.. Bacon lowered near, perhaps
hungrily.
"Our genial host has instructed me
to say to his latest guest that the
rates are two dollars a day, in adj
vance, all dining-room checks payable
on presentation" said Mr. Bacon, apol-
ogetically
Rushcroft exploded. 20 scurvy in
suit" he doomed. "Confound his"
The new guest was amiable. He
interrupted the outraged star. '"Tell
Mr.. Jones that 1 shall settle prompt
ly," he said with smile.
''Tt has just entered his bean that
you may be an actor, Mr.. Banes," said
Bacon.
Miss Tilly, overhearing, drew a step
or @wo nearer. A sudden interest in
Mr.. Barnes developed She had not
noticed before that he was an uncom-
monty good-looking fellow. She al
ways had said that she adored strong,
''athaletic" faces.
Later on she felt inspired to jot
down, for use no doubt in some future
literary production, concise, though
general, description of the magnificent
Mr.. Barnes. She utilized the back of
the bill of fare and she wrote with
the feverish ardor of one who breads
the loss of first impression. I here
with append her visual estimate of TIE
! hero of this story:
'He was a tall, shapely specimen
Of mankind, wrote Miss lilly. Broad
shOuldered. SmOOth-shaved face. Pen
etrating gray eyes. Short, curly hair
about the color of mine. Strong
hands of good shape. Face tanned
considerable. Heavy dark eyebrows
Good teeth, very white. Square chin.
Lovely smile that seemed to light up
the room for everybody within hear
aristocratic and reverberating with
education. Age about thirty or
thirty-one. Rich as Croesus. Well
turned legs. Would make a good no
bleman."
All this would appear to BE reason
ably definite were it not for the note
regarding the color of his hair. It
leaves to me the simple task of COM
pleting the very admirable description
Of Mr.. Barnes by announcing that
Miss Tilly's hair was an extremely
dark brown.
loo 10 1x1Scy hi 10 Ln
following biographical information:
Thomas Kingsbury Barnes, engineer,
born in Montclair, N. J., September
&c, 1885. Cornell and Beaux Arts,
Paris. Son of the late Stephen S.
Barnes, engineer, and Edith (Valen-
tine) Barnes Office, Metropolitan
| building, New York city. Residence,
Amsterdam mansion. Clubs: (Lack
of space prevents listing them here).
Recreations, golf, tennis and horse
back riding. Fellow of the Royal Geo
graphical society. Member of the
Loyal Legion and the Sons of the
American Revolution.
Added to this, the mere announce
ment that he was in position to in
dulge a fancy for long and perhaps
aimless walking tours through more
or less out-of-the-way sections of his
own country, to say nothing of excur-
sions in Europe.
He was rich. Perhaps not as riches
are measured in these Midas-like days,
but rich beyond the demands Of ava
rice. His legacy had been an ample
one. The fact that he worked hard at
his profession from one years end to
the Other-n0t excluding the six
devoted to mentally productive jaunts
is proof sufficient that he was not
content to SubSiSt on the fruits of an
other mans enterprise. He was
worker.
The first fortnight of a proposed
six weeks jaunt through upper New
England terminated when he laid
aside his heavy pack in the little bed
room at Harris Tavern. Cockcrow
would find him ready and eager to be-
gin his third week. At least so he
thought. But, truth is, he had come
TO his journeys end; he was not to
sling his pack for many day to come.
After setting the mind of the land
lord at rest Barnes declined Mr..
Rushcroft's invitation to QUAR- a cor
dial with him in the taproom, explain
ing that he was exceedingly tired and
intended to retire early
Instead of going up to his room i'm
mediately, however, he decided to
| have look at the weather. His I'M
! easiness concerning the young woman
of the crossroads increased as he
| peered at the wall of blackness loom
ing up beyond the circle Of light. She
was sOmwhere outside that sinister
| black wall and in the smothering
| grasp of those invisible hills, but was
! she living or dead? Had she reached
her journeys end safely? He tried to
extract comfort from the confidence
she had expressed in the ability and
integrity of the old man who drove
with far greater recklessness than one
would have looked for in a wild and