The Hope pioneer., 1919-05-01

Barnes. What's your idear fer footin'
it this time o. the year?"
Il do something like this every
spring. A month or six weeks of it
puts me in fine shape. for a vacation
later on" supplied MI. Barnes whim-
sically.
Mr.. Jones allowed grin to steal
over his scanned face. He reinserted
the corncob pipe and took couple Of
pulls at it.
II never been to New York, but it
must be a heavenly place for a vaca-
tion, If feller en- Judge by what some
of my present boarders have to say
about it.. It's sort of play actors
paradise, amt it?'
ut is paradise TO- every actor who
happens to be on the road, Mr.. JONES'"
said Barnes, slipping his big pack
from his shoulders and letting it slide
to the floor.
"Hear that feller in the taproom
talkin'? Well, he is one of the lead
ing actors in New York-in the world,
for that matter. He's been talkin'
about Broadway for nearly week
now, steady"
MAY inquire what he is doing up
here in the wilds?"
"At present he amt doing anything
except talk. Last week he was treddin'
the boards, as he puts it himself. Bust
| ed. Up the flue. Showed last Satur-
day night in Hornville, eighteen mile
north of here, and immegiately after
the performance him and his whole
troupe started to walk back to. New
York, good four hundred mile. They
started out the back way of the opery
house and nobody missed 'em till next
mornin' except the sheriff, and he
! didn't miss 'em till they'd got over
the county line into our bailiwick.
Four of 'em are still stoppin' here
just because l amt got the heart to
turn 'em out ner the spare money to
buy 'em tickets to New York. Here
comes one of 'em now. Mr.. Dilling-
ford, will you show this gentleman to
room eleven and carry his baggage up
fer him? And maybe he'll want a
pitcher of warm water to wash and
shave in." He turned to the new guest
and smiled apologetically. "We're a
little short O. help just now, Mr..
Barnes, and Mr.. Dillingford has kind
ly consented to"
my word!" gasped Mr.. Dillingford,
staring at the register. Someone
from little old New York? My word,
sir, YOU Won't you have a-er-
little something to drink with me be-
fore you"
"He wants something to eat" inter.
rupted Mr.. Jones sharply. 'Tell Mr..
Bacon to step up to his room and
take the order"
"All right. old chap-nothing easier"
said Mr.. Dillingford genially. "Just
climb up the elevator, Mr.. Barnes. We
do this to get up an appetite. When
did you leave New York;"
Taking up lighted kerosene lamp
and the heavy pack, Mr.. Clarence Dill.
lingford led the way up the stairs.
He was chubby individual of indefi.
mite age. AT a glance you would have
said he was under twenty-one; a Sec
Ond look would have convinced you
that he was nearer forty-one.
Depositing Barnes pack on a chair
in the little bedroom at the end of
the hall upstairs he favored the guest
with perfectly unabashed grin.
I'm not doing this to oblige old
man Jones, you know. won't attempt
to deceive you. I'm working out a
daily board bill. Chuck three times a
day and bed to sleep in-that's what
I'm doing it for, so don't get it into
your head that applied for the job.
Let me look at you. I want to get a
good square peep at man who has
the means to 60 somewhere and yet is
boob enough to come to this gosh
awful place of his own free will and
accord. Darn it, you look intelligent.
don't get you at all. What's the mat
ter? Are you fugitive from justice?"