The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-01-21


C@ by the Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.)
There were five Rohlf boys in the
small house on the hill. Four stall
wart fellows, filling the soil, studying
for future labors, and one Indifferent
lad who, as time passed, showed 20
inclination for any work His amSi-
tous old father and mother spoke
openly their discOura cement Rad
don't pear to have it in him." they
confessed. The neighborhood view was
even less charitable.
"No-good Rohlf" they named the
boy contemptuously.
Certain village maidens who secret
ly INDUCED in a shamed admiration Of
Rad Rohlfs dreamy eyes and courte-
Gus ways, turned from him sadly. In
| their busy lives was no place for mo
good" however charming.
| RAIDS Oldest brother surprised the
| community by taking his thrifty store
and starting for the city, to study ned
! icine. The second took mp promising
| travelling position, while the other two
| remained to work the farm Rad had
long been left to his own ways
Through with the necessary studies
of the village school. he idled his time
tramping tie woods or fishing ahsently
in a nearby stream. Usually he car
ried with him a book of poems, and
on his tramp through lonely places lie
might be heard humming some tune or
I other, weirdly sweet.
Young girls eyed him wistfully, as
on certain Sundays "No-good" Rohlf
leaned his curly head against the cab
met frame of the old church organ.
But Rad was all unaware; satisfied in
his vaguely sweet dreamings, their
aloofness or their elder brothers dis
approval disturbed him not. 1t was
only when his brothers grew vehement
in their disgust over his uselessness
: that RAIDS dark eyes were grieved and
brooding. At such times he would
saunter down the Hill to the village
hotel
/ 1t was quiet neat frame building,
this hotel, and Rad made always for
1 the quaint parlor, with its ancient
7 square piano. The hotel keepers father
: had kept the place before him, and
Rad was welcome to play the melodies
I he caught by ear on Zed WarreD's
. mothers piano. One favor Zed asked
4 in return, that Rad would come when
n sent for, to play for the young peO-
1t pies entertainments.
q 1t was usually in the early hours Of
the morning. before Warren's hotel
- had opened for the business of the
! day, that Rad chose to pick out. unin-
Il terrupted. the songs that sang them
o. selves so sweetly through his brain.
# Seated before the piano. with morn
ing glories nodding through the old
ID glass doors, Rad in his mellow glory,
was far removed from sordid. criti-
Is cal world.
:. It happened that on one dark night,
I at hate hour for the early-retiring
town, Lillian Lcrimer, great prima
ut donna, was delayed there in her dis
abled car.
Impadently, her chauffeur endeav-
Z ored to hunt out the garage man of the
= place, who resOlutely refused to be dis
- turbed until morning. There was
n nothing for it but that the beautiful
re songstress must reconcile herself for
the remainder of the night to the hum
a bic hospitality of the hotel.
ne Pleasant, at least, was the room to
which Warren's wife led her. with
!. flowers on the spotless dresser ana
= windows open to welcome the coming
sunlight.
But it was not the morning sunlight
which awakened Lillian Lorimer, but
a series of birdlike, yearning notes
coming from beneath the window
Quickly she sat up in the big bed
listening with eager, discriminating
ears. The birdlike notes ran pleasant
ly together, like the theme Of a rip
ping brook, interpolated with the joy
Gus calls of greeting birds.
Lillian Lorimer dressed hastily; the
frock she drew from her bag was white
and simple, and She did not wait tC
bind up the long braids of hair. SO
in the parlor doorway, Rad saw hel
as he sat at the piano. and though he
wondered a little at this girls early
appearance, he was not, as usual
startled or embarrassed.
A girl with braids down her back
even such q very pretty girl-waS no
to be feared as a listener. She ha,
probably come to the school; so. at he
entreating gesture. Rad played on.
Absorbed, he did not notice her hast.
. exit or her return later with for
eign and MISUNDERSTANDING man |
was when at last his Limitation of tn
Sounds of the Wood" had sent out it
U last vibrant chord that No-goo
\! Rohlf received his great surprise.
You are coming with US" the whit,
lf clad girl cried breathlessIy. You ar
a genius-the wizard man l have be-.
seeking. You Shall play for me you
IS phantasies, and l will sing them"
a. "a The foreign-looking man nodded.
IL at is so.n he said earnestly, ''yo
O must come
It's SO No-good Rohlf went away. An