The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1922-02-15

HOt III present IN the house; he 'hQu
closed and locked 1t yesterday, giving
the servants n weeks vacation and
telling them not to return till he sent
for them; and had then gone out 'of
town to look over Il hominy mill he
thought OF buying. And yet, as the
wake went on, there was light I'm the
house, and under that light sat Noble
Din.
Returning home, after Florence had
placed the shattering news within his
hand, Noble had changed his shoes
and his tie. He was but mechnn-
ism; lie had no motive. The shoes he
put on were no better than those he
took OFF; the fresh tie was no lovelier
trlan the one he had worn; nor had 1t
even the lucldity to be n purple one.
rs evidence of grief. No; his action
was, If so viewed, "crazy," rs Aunt
Fanny had called 1t. Agitation first
took this form; that was all. Love
and change Of dress are closely allied;
and In happier times when Noble came
home from work and would see julia
in the evening he usually changed his
clothes. No doubt there is some faint
tracery here, too indistinct to repay
contemplation.
When he left the house he walked
rapidly downtown, and toward the
end Of this one-mile journey he ran;
hut rs he was then approaching the
railway station. no one thought him
eccentric. He was, however; for
when he entered the station, he went
to bench and sat looking upward
for more than ten minutes; then rose
and went to q ticket window and asked
for timetable.
"What road?" the clerk inquired.
"All points SOUTH" said Noble.
He placed the time-t table, still fold
ed. In his pocket, rested an elbow on
the brass apron Of the window, and
would have given himself up to re-
Elections. though urged to move away.
Several people wishing to buy tickets
had formed a line behind him and
they perceived that Noble had nothing
more to say to the clerk. The latter
encouraged their protests, and even
went so far as to exclaim, "For
heavens sake! Can't you let these
folks buy their tickets?" And since
Noble still did not MOVE: "AIy gosh,
haven't you got no feet?"
"Feet? Oh, yes" said Noble gently.
"I'm going away" And went back to
his seat.
After n while he sought to study
his timetable. Ordinarily, his mind
was one Of those able to decipher and
comprehend railway timetables; he
had few gifts, but this was one Of
them. 1t failed him, now; and lie
wandered back to the ticket window,
and, after urgent coaching, eventually
took his place at the end instead of at
the head Of the line that waited there.
In his turn he came again to the win
dow. and departed from it after
conversation with the clerk which left
the latter in unconscious accord with
Aunt Fanny Atwaters commiserating
adjective, though the clerks own pity
was expressed in argot. "The poor
NUT" he explained to his next client
Wants to huy ticket on a train
that don't pull out til ten thirty-tive
tonight; and me film it all out.
stampln' it and everything, what for!
Turned out all his pockets and
couldn't come nearcr'n eight dollars
short o. the price! Where you want
to go?"
Noble went back to his bench and
sat there for long time though there
was no time long or short for him.
He was not yet consciously suffering
greatly; nor was he thinking Mt ali.
True. he had dim, persistent impulse
to action-or else why should he be
at the station?-but for the clearest
expression Of his condition 1t Is neces-
sary to borrow a culinary symbol he
was jelling. The state Of shock was
slowly dispensing while n perception
OF anguish rs slowly increased. He
was beginning to swallow nothing ut
intervals. and the intervals were grow.
ing shorter
Dusk was misting down, outdoors,
when with dragging steps he came out
of the station. He looked hazily up
and down the street, where the corner.
lamps and shop-wlndows now were
lighted. and, after dreary hesitation
he went In search Of n pawn-shop, and
found one. The old man who operated
It must have been philanthropist, for
Noble was so fortunate as to secure O
loan OF nine dollars upon his watch
surrtiscd At this, he returned to the
station. and went back to the same old
bench.
A little after six o'clock changing
and ,commotion In the train.shed out
side, attending the arrival OF
through express" stirred him from
his torpor. He walked heavily across