The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-07-16

aSheS Tor, and the organ against the
wall with a crayon portrait above i;
some agent had sold. On the whatnot
was stereopticon views of the Chicago
worlds fair, an a glass globe full Of
sand that some relation on visit
from back east had brought as a reile
from Niagara Falls.
There was lounge that sagged
where the springs was broken, an n
crocheted tidy was GOVERN a place
where the upholstery had been worn
through
Some fancy place in it's day."
comments. DO we go in and Jungle
here for the night"
Pm takin no chances" answers
Hard-Faced Mike. 81 want to drop
down and see old man Harlow about
settlin' the thing up for me, and be
gone. He lives in that implanted
shack under the poplar trees at the
bottom of the hill The tallest pop
ioA . TIC oHe SllOI the CIOW out Oh
with a catapult. It's just the kind of
a deal that'll appeal to old man Har
low. He'll still be Twin alone, and
let him see little extra in it and he'll
be willin' to keep as mum as a clan
about my bein' here"
There was half a block of vacant
lots that was bein' used for a pasture
On the side of the hill that we walked
lalong by on the way down to old man
Harlow's. l reckon Hard-Faced Mike
had walked down that old plank side
walk a thousand and one times
hurrying oIt after supper to join the
gang; pickin' his way along barefoot
on some errand to the five blocks be
of an evenin' when he had become biz
and sassy enough to be a loafer il
front of the restaurant; takin' it that
morning on the way to the depot liz
his blue first-sergeant uniform.
We got to the row of poplars an
walked through the vegetable garden
to knock at old man Harlow's door
While we was waitin' for him to come
to the door-and we had to wait q
long time-I see that the swimmip
hole gang had come out on the vacant
block for an evenin' of "work-up," q
Teller bein' allowed to stay at bal
till he was caught out and then the
next Teller gettin a whack at the ball
When the kitchen door finally opens
it wasn't no old man who opened it
lit was woman with whitish hair an
pale-blue eyes.
All in glance could see she hat
come over from north Europe in tbs
steerage as young girl, and had hi
straight for her acquaintance in th'
middle west, where she'd pitched il
right away washin' other folks dishes
She was a robust-lookin' person, bu
the pink goes out of her cheeks whel
she sees who's at the door.
| Hard-Faced Mike stammers arount
, for while and then he explains tina
, he wants to see Mr.. Harlow
The woman looks down at tn
; freshly scrubbed floor The room bacl
of her was dark. There was clocl
, tickin on the mantel.
When she answers l see that She
got a trace of accent. "Mr. Harloy
amt here no more" she says. He
, over in the cemetery"
"Oh, if he amt here no more" say
Hard-Faced Mike, why, we won
bother"
But he didn't hurry away from tn
door An old couple was comm alon:
the board sidewalk on their way dow
town, and Hard-Faced Mike steps int
the kitchen just in time before the.
see him. l follows on in. There wa.
a washtub by the window, somt
cookin' and fiat-irons on the stove, ant
the dishes was set out on red table
cloth.
She offers US each une of the kitchen
chairs that had the birds egg blue
paint on 'em practically secured off
1t was up to Hard-Faced Mike t.
say something. "How is everything?'
he asks weakly.
The woman goes over to the stove
and tests the heat of fat-iron will
a quick slap of her forefnger. l CUES:
there was a washin' had to be deliv
cred that night
THE Norton's have got clear on by
now" she says pretty soon. "Yor
can get out without bein' seen"
Hard-Faced Mike does go and oper
the kitchen door again, an his openin
the door lets in full Whit of tina
game of work-up out on the pasture
lots. 1t was the kind of a game tha'
darkness COUNT interfere with unit
it got so pesky dark you couldn't sex
the ball.
Ever hear the echo of kids playin
like that on the edge of small towr
on a summer evenin'? It's a peculiar
kind of an echo that only youth car
make. Just a "once over at Hard
Faced Mike, and l knows how many