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T$e Gentleman
From Indiana
Z By OOTH TA.-RK.ISfGTOSf
'3X
& Copyright. 1899. by Doubttday 3L McClure Co.
Tj Copyright. 1902,
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Tin- Hinge 1 1 ii in ltit'il with life before
them. They walked through shimmer
liif? nlrs. sweeter to breathe than nectar
is to ilrinU. Slie caught a bntterlly
backing on n Jitusoii weed, and before
she let ll go held It out to him In her
hand. It was a white bntterly. He
asked which was the bntterlly.
"Bravo!" she said. tossing the captive
craft aboe their heads and watching
Slic liistnud her rote in jihicc o tic
Kifo one.
the small sails catch the breeze. "And
so yon can make little (latteries In the
morning too. It Is another courtesy
yon should he having from me if It
M'crcn't for the dustiness of It. Walt
till we come to the board walk."
She had some big pink roses at her
waist.
Indicating these, he answered, "In
'the meantime. 1 know very well a lad
that would be blithe to accept a pretty
token of any lady's high esteem."
"Hut yon have one already, a very
, bountiful one." She gave him a genial
up and down glance from head to foot,
'half quizzical and half applauding, UMt
so quick lie scarcely saw It, and he was
glad he had resurrected the straw hat
with the youthful ribbon and his other
festal vestures. "And a very becoming
flower a white ro.-e Is," she continued,
"though I am a bold girl to lie blarney
ing Willi a joung gentleman I met no
longer ago than last night."
"But why shouldn't you blarney with
a gentleman when you began by sav
ing his life?"
"Especially when the gentleman had
,the politeness to gallop about the coun
ty with me tucked under his arm."
She stood still and laughed softly, but
consummately, and her eyes closed
tight with the mirth of li. She hud
itaken one of the roses from her waist,
nnil as she stood holding it by the long
fitem its cool petals lightly pressed her
lips.
"Von may have it in exchange," she
,sald. lie bent down to her, and she
;fastoncd her rose In place of the white
ne In hl coat. She did not ask him,
directly or Indirectly, who had put the
white one there for him. She knew by
Jtlie way it was pinned that he had
done it himself. "Who is It that ev'ry
morning brings me these lovely How
ors?" she burlesqued as he bent over
lier.
".Mr. W'lmby," he returned. "L will
point him out to you. You must sec
ihlm and Mr. Bodeffer, who Is tho old
est Inhabitant and the crosses t of Cur
low." "Will you present them to me?"
I "No; they might talk to you und
ftnko some of my time with you nway
.from me."
IIor eyes sparkled into bis for the
interest fraction of u second, and she
(laughed. Then she dropped his lapel,
jtiml they proceeded. She did uot put
(the wld'tc rose In her belt, but carried
lit
The square was heaving with a jos
tling, moving, good uutured, happy und
'constantly Increasing crowd thut over
flowed on Main street iu both dlrec
rtlons and whose good nuturc augment
ed In the ratio that its size increased.
The streets were a knleldoscopo of
many colors, and every window open
ing on Main street or the square was
tilled with eager faces. By 1) o'clock
it II t lie windows of the courthouse In
rtho center of the square were occupied,
jllere most of the damsels congregated
rto enlov the spectacle of tho parade.
riinl their swains attended, posted at, dust, his chin sunk In his breast and his
(ilgns of less vantage behind the la- J hnnds clinched tight at his sides. Now
dies. Some of tho faces that peeped, nnd then he stopped and bitterly hurl
fro m the windows of the dark, old, I ed a stono at a piping bird on the fence
shady courthouse were pretty, and or gay bobwhlto In the fields. At noon
some of them were not pretty, hut near- the patient figure was still waiting In
jy all of them were rosy cheeked, and
by McClurt. ThitUpj cO, Co,
o r
nil were pleasant to see because of the
good cheer they kept.
Here and there, along the sidewalk
below, a father worked his way through
the throng, a licorice bedaubed cherub
on one arm, his coat (borne with long
tnough) on the other, followed by a
mother, with the other children hang
ing n her skirts and tagging oxnspor
utlngly behind, holding red and blue
toy balloons and delectable candy
batons of spiral striped peppermint in
tightly dosed, sadly sticky lingers. A
thousand cries rent the air- the stroll
ing mountebanks and gypsy lug booth
merchants, the peanut venders, the
boys with palm leaf fans for sale, the
tandy sellers, the popcorn peddlers, the
Italian with the toy balloons that tloat'
like a cluster of colored bubbles above
the heads of the crowd anil the bal
loons that wall like a baby: the red
lemonade man, shouting in the shrill
voice that readies everywhere and en
dures forever: "Loino'I I.emo'! The
n glass! Ice cole lemo'l Five cents, a
nickel, a half a dime, the twentieth
potofadollah! Lemo'. Ice cole lenio'!"
ail the vociferating harbingers of the
circus crying their wares. Timid
youths In slioe.s covered with dust
through which the morning polish but
dimly shone and unalterably hooked
by the arm to blushing maidens bought
recklessly of peanuts, of candy, of pop
corn, of all known sweetmeats, per
chance, and forced their way to tho
lemonade stands, and there, all shyly,
ellently sipped the crimson stained am
brosia. Everywhere the hawkers din
ned, and everywhere was heard the
plaintive squawk of the toy balloon.
Iu the courthouse yard, and so sin
ning In the very eye of the law, two
swarthy, shifty looking gentlemen were
operating with some greasy walnut
shells and a (tea what the fanciful or
unsophisticated might have been pleas
ed to call a game of chance, and the
most intent spectator of the group
around them was Mr. James Hardlock,
the town marshal. He was simply and
unofllclally and earnestly Interested.
Thus the eye of the law may not be
aid to have winked upon the tiefari
ousness now under Its vision. It gazed
with strong curiosity, an itch to dab
ble and. It must be admitted, a grow
ing hope of profit, the game was so di
rect and the player so sure. Several
countrymen had won small sums, and
one, a charmingly rustle stranger, with j
a peculiar accent (he said that him and
bis goil should now have a sinoot' olt
time off his wlnninks, though the lady
was not manifested) hail pocketed .$2."
with no trouble at all. The two oper
ators seemed depressed, declaring the
luck against them and the L'lattville
people too brilliant at the game.
It was wonderful how the young
couples worked their way arm lu arm
through the thickest crowds, never sepa
rating. Even at the lemonade stands
they drank holding the glasses in their
outer hands. Such are the sacrifices
demanded by etiquette. Hut, observ
ing the gracious outpouring of fortune
upon the rare rustle Just mentioned, n
youth in a green tie disengaged his
arm-Tor the Ilrst time in two hours
from that of a girl who looked upon
him with fond, uncertain smiles und,
conducting her to u corner of tho yard,
bade her remain there until he return
ed, lie had to speak to Hartley Bowl
dor, he explained.
Then he plunged, red faced and ex
cited. Into the circle about tho shell
manipulators and offered to lay a wa
ger. "Hoi' on there, lieu Fentrlss," thickly
objected u Hushed young man beside
him. "Iss my turn."
"I'm tlrst, Hartley," returned the oth
er. "You can hold yer bosses, I reckon."
"IMenty for each and all, gents," In
terrupted one of the shell men. "Place
yer spondullcs on do little ball. W'lcb
Is do nex' lucky gent to win our mon
ey V Clout bets four slxty-tlvc he seen do
little ball go under de middle shell. Up
she comes! DIs time we wlnB. Tlatt
vllle can't win every time. Who's de
nex' lucky gent?"
Fentrlss edged slowly out of the cir
cle, abashed and with rapidly whiten
ing cheeks. He paused for u moment
outside, slowly realizing that all 1)1b
money hud gone In one wild, blind
whirl the money be had earned bo
bard und saved so bard to make n holi
day for his sweetheart nnd himself. He
stole one glance around the building to
where u patient figure waited for him.
Then he fled down a side alley and soon
was out upon tho country roud, trump
ing soddonly homeward through the
the corner of the courthouse yard, meek -
?. A.I. A. . i
ly twisting a coral ring upon her linger.
Hut the tl'ishod young man who had
spoken thickly to her deserter drew an
envied roll of bank bills from his pock
et and begun to bet with tipsy caution,
while the circle about the gamblers
watched with fervid Interest, especially
Mr. Hardlock. town marshal.
From far up Main street came the
cry "She's a-coinln'! She's a-coinln!"
and this announcement of Hie parade
proving only one of a dozen false,
alarms a thousand discussions took
place over old fashioned silver time
pieces as to when "she" was really due.
Sehollelds' Henry was much appealed
to as an arbiter in these discussions,
from a sense of ills having a good deal
to do with time lu a general sort of
way, and thus Sehollelds' came to bo
reminded that It was getting on toward
10 o'clock, whereas, In the excitement
of festival, he had not jet struck .).
This, rushing forthwith to do, he did,
nnd. In the elation of the moment, seven
or eight besides. Miss llo'en Sherwood
was looking down on the mass of shift
lug color from a second story window
of the courthouse, and she had tho
pleasure of seeing Sehollelds emerge
on the steps beneath her when the bells
had done and heard the cheers (led by
Mr Martini with which the crowd
greeted his appearance after the per
formance of his feat.
She turned beamingly to llarkless.
"What a family It is!" she laughed.
"Just one big. Jolly family! 1 didn't
tnow people could bo like this until 1
dime to l'lattville."
"That is the word for It," he said,
rvttlng ids hand on the casement be
Bide her. "I used to think It was deso
late, but that was long ago." lie lean
ed from the window to look down, lu
his dark cheek was a glow the Carlow
folks had never seen there, and some
how he seemed less thin and tired than
Usual; indeed, lie did not seem tired at
all. by far the contrary, and he carried
himself upright, when he was not
stooping to see under the hat, though
not as If he thought about It. "I be
lieve they are the best people I know,''
be went on. "l'orhups It Is because
they have been so kind to me; but
they are kind to each other, too kind,
good people."
"I know." she said, nodding, "I
know. There are fat women, women
who rock and rock on piazzas by the
sea, and they speak of country people
as the 'lower classes.' How happy
this big family Is lu not knowing It Is
the lower classes!"
"We haven't read Nordau down
here," said John. "Old Tom Martin's
favorite work It 'The Descent of Man,'
and Miss Tlbbs cares most for 'Lalla
Rookli' and 'Heulah.' And why not?"
"It was a girl from Southeast Cotton
bridge, Mass.," said Helen, "who heard
I was from Indiana and asked me II
I didn't 'hate to live so far away fiom
things.' " There was a pause while she
leaned out of the window with her face
aside from him. Then she remarked
carelessly, "1 met her at Winter Har
bor." "Do you go to Winter Harbor V" he
asked.
"We have gone there every summer
until this one for years. Have you
friends who go there'"
"I had once. There was n classmate
of mine from ltouen"
"What was his name? Perhaps I
know him." She stole a glance at him
and saw that his face had fallen Into
sad Hues.
"He's forgotten me. I dare say. 1
haven't seen him for seven years, and
that's a long time, you know, and he's
'out lu tho world,' where remembering
is harder. Here In Piatt vllle wo don't
forget."
"Were you ever at Winter Harbor?"
"I was once. I spent a very happy
day there long ago, when you must
have been u little girl. Were you there
ln"-
"Llsten!" she cried. "The procession
is coining. Look at the people!"
The parade hud seized a psychologic
al moment. There wus a fanfare of
trumpets in tho east. Lines of people
rushed for the streets, nnd us one look
ed down on tho big straw hats and
sunbonuets und many kinds of finer
head apparel tossing forward they
seemed like surf sweeping up the long
benches. She wus coming at last. The
boys whooped In the middle of the
street. Some tossed their arms to
heuven, others expressed their emotion
by somersaults; those most deeply
moved walked on their bands. In the
dlstnnce one saw over the heads of the
multitude tossing bnnners and the
moving crests of triumphal curs, where
"cohorts were shining In purple and
gold."
There was another flourish of music.
Thcu all the band gave sound, and,
with the blare of brass and the crush
of drums, the glory of tho parade burst
upon l'lattville. Glory in the utmost!
The Impetus of the march time music,
the Hare of royal banners, the smiling
of beautiful court ladles und great silk
en nobles, the swaying of howdnhs on
camel nnd elephant nnd the uwesomo
slinking of the earth beneath tho ele
phant's feet and his devastating eye
(every one declared ho looked the
alarmed Mr. Hill Snoddy, stoutest citi
zen of the county, full In the face us he
passed him, und Mr. Snoddy felt not at
all reassured when Tom Martin severe
ly hinted that It was with the threaten
ing glance of a rival); then tho badi
nage of tho clown, croaking by In his
, donkey cart; tho terrific, recklessness of
the spangled hero who was drawn
nlong In a cage with two striped tigers
the delight of all this glittering pomp
nnd pageantry needed even more than
walking on your hands to express.
Lust of all came I lie tooting calliope,
followed by swarms of hoys as It exe
cuted "Walt Till the Clouds Roll Hy.
Jennie." with infinite gusto.
When It bad gone Miss Sherwood's
gaze relaxed she had been looking on
as eagerly as any child and she turned
to speak to llarkless and discovered,
that he was no longer In the room. In
stead she found Minnie and Mr. Wit
letts, whom he had summoned from
another window.
"He was called nway," explained
Llge. "lie thought he'd be back before
the parade was over and said you were
enjoying it so much he didn't want to
speak to you."
"Called away?"
Minnie laughed. "Oh, everybody sends
for Mr. llarkless."
"It was a farmer name of Howlder,"
added Mr. Wllletts. "Ills son Hartley 's
drinking again, and there ain't any one
but llarkless can do anything with
him. You let him tackle a sick man to
nurse or a tipsy feller to handle, and I
tell you." Mr. Wllletts went on, with
enthusiasm, "he Is at home. It heats
me, and lots of people don't think col
lege does a man any good. Why, tho
way he cured old FIs" Miss Hrlscoe
Interrupted him.
"See!" she cried, pointing out of the
window. "Look out there! Something's
happened!"
There was a swirl in the crowd be
low. Men were running around a cor
ner of the courthouse, and the women
and children were harking after. They
went so fast ami there were so many
of them that Immediately that whole
portion of the yard became a pushing,
tugging, squirming Jain of people.
"It's on the other side." said I.ige.
"We can see from the hall window.
Come quick before these other folks fill
it UP."
"They followed him across the build
(eg and looked down on an agitated
swarm of faces. Five men were stand
ing on the entrance steps to the door
below them, and the crowd was thick
ly massed beyond, leaving a little semi
circle clear about the steps. Those be
hind struggled to get closer and leaped
iu the air to catch a glimpse of what
was going on. llarkless stood alone on
the top step, his hand resting on the
shoulder of the pale and contrite and
sobered Hartley. On the lowest step
Jim Hardlock was standing with sheep
ishly hanging head and between him
hud llarkless the two gamblers of the
walnut shells. The Journalist held In
his hand the implements of their pro
fession. "Yes; give up every cent," ho said
quietly. "You've taken i?SU from this
boy. Hand It over."
The men began to edge down closer
to the crowd, giving little, swift, des
perate, searching looks from left to
right and right to left and moving nerv
ously about like weasels in a trap.
"Close up, there," said llarkless,
"Don't let them out."
"W'y can't wo git no squuro treat
ment here?" one of the gamblers whin
ed. Hut his eyes blazed with u rage
that helled tho plaintive passivity of
his tone. "Wo ain't been ruuiilu' no
skin. W'y d'ye say we gotter give up
our own money V You gotter prove It
was a skin. We risked our money
fnir."
"Prove It! Come up here, Eph Watts.
Friends" the editor turned to the
crowd, smiling "friends, hero's a man
wo ran out of town once because ho
know too much about things of this
sort. He's come back to us ngniu, und
he's here to stay. He'll give us an ob
Ject lesson on the shell game."
"It's pretty simple," remarked Mr.
Watts. "Tho best way Is to pick up
the bull with your second finger nnd
the back part of your thumb, ns you
pretend to lay the shell down over it
this way." lie Illustrated nnd showed
several methods of manipulation with
professional sang frold, nnd ns ho
made plan the vulgar swindle by which
many had been duped that morning
there arose an angry und threatening
murmur.
"You nil see," said llarkless, raising
his voice, "what a simple cheat it Is
an old, wornotit one. Yet a lot of you
lost your own money on It and then
stood by, staring like Idiots, nnd let
Hnrtley Howlder lose .$S(J, nnd not one
of you lifted n bund. How hard did
you work for what these two chonp
crooks took from you? Ah," ho cried,
"it is becuuso you were greedy that
they roblwd you so easily! You know
it's true. It's when you want to get
something for nothing that the 'con
fidence men' steal the money you sweat
for and make you the laughingstock
of the country. And you, Jim Bnrd
lock, town marshal; yon, who con
fess that you 'went in tho game 00
cents' worth' yourself" His face wus
wrathful and stern as he raised his ac
cusing hand and leveled It at tho tin
happy municipal.
The town marshal smiled uneasily
and deprecutlngly about him nnd, see
ing only angry, frowning brows, hear
ing only words of condemnation, passed
bis hand unsteadily over his fat mus
tache, shifted from one leg to the other
and buck again, looked up, looked
down, and then, an amiable and pleas
ure loving man, beholding nothing but
uccusutlon und wrath In heuven nnd
earth und wishing nothing more than
fo sink Into the waters under the
earth, but having no way of reaching
them, und finding tils troubles quite
unbearable and himself unable to meet
the manifold eye of man, he sought re
lief after the unsagaelous fashion of
a larger bird than he. His burly form
underwent a series of convulsions not
unlike sobs, and he shut his eyes tight
and held them so, presenting a picture
of misery unequnled In the memory of
'Ton, you, u iiuH vhvtal to"
nny spectator. The editor's outstretch
ed baud began to shake. "You," ho
tried to continue; '"you, a man elected
to"-
There came from the crowd the sound
of a sad, high keyed voice drawling,
"That's a nice vest .llm's got on, but It
ain't hardly the feathers fitten for an
ostrich, Is II?"
llarkless broke Into a ringing laugh
and turned to the shell men. "Give up
the boy's money. Hurry."
"Step down here and git It," said the.
ono who had spoken.
There was a turbulent motion In tho
crowd, and a cry arose: "Htm 'em out!
Hide 'em on a rail! Tar und feathers!
Hun 'em out o' town!" ,
"I wouldn't dillydally long If I were
you," said llarkless. A roll of bills was
sullenly placed lu his hand, which ho
counted and turned over to tho elder
Bowlder. One of tho shell men clutched
the editor's sleeve with his dirty hand.
MWe linlu't done wP yousc," he said
hoarsely. "Don't belief It, not for a
minute, see?"
Tho town marshal opened his eyes
briskly and, placing a hand on each of
tho gamblers, said, "I do hereby arrest
your said poisons and declare you my
prisoners."
The cry nrosu again louder: "Hun 'em
out! String 'em up! Hang 'em! Hang
them!" Ami a forward rush was made.
"This way, Jim. Quick!" cried Hark
less, bending down and Jerking one of
the gamblers half way up the steps.
"Get through the hall to the other side
and then run 'em to the lockup. No
one will stop you that way. Wutts und
I will hold tills door."
Hardlock hustled his prisoners through
the doorway, nnd the crowd pushed up
the steps, while llarkless struggled to
keep the vestibule clear until Watts
got the double doors closed. "Stand
back, there!" ho shouted. "It's all over.
Don't be foolish. The law is good
enough for us. Stand hack, will you?"
Ho was shoving vigorously with open
hand nnd elbow, when a compact little
group of men suddenly dashed up the
stops together, and n heavy stick
swung out over their heads. A straw
bat with a gay ribbon sailed through
the nlr. The editor's long nrms went
out swiftly from his body In several
directions, the hands not open, but
clinched and hard. The next Instant
he and Mr. Wutts stood nlono on the
steps, and a man with a bleeding, blas
pheming mouth dropped his stick and
tried to lose himself in the crowd. Mr.
Watts wus returning something lie had
not used to his hi;) pocket.
"Prophets of Israel!" exclaimed WU
Hum Todd ruefully. "It wasn't Eph
Wutts' pistol. Did you wo Mr. Hark
less? I wus up on them steps when ho
begun. 1 don't believe ho needs ns
much tukln' cure of us wo think."
"Wasn't it ono of them Crossroads
devllH that knocked his hut off?" nsked
Judd Bennett. "I thought I sec Hob
Bkillott run up with a club."
llarkless threw open the doors be
hind him. The hull was empty. "You
may come In now," he said. "This Isn't
my courthouse."
CHAPTER VI.
nEY walked slowly buck nlong
the pike toward tho brick
house. He was stooping very
much us they walked. Ho
wanted to bo told that he could look at
her for a thousand years. The small
fnce wus rarely and exquisitely mod
eled, hut perhaps Just now the salient
characteristic of her beauty (for tho
salient characteristic seemed to be a
different thing at different times) wus
tho coloring, a delicate glow under tho
white skiu, n glow that bewitched him
in Its seeming to relied the rich bene
diction of the noonday sun that blazed
overhead.
Once he hud thougt
Briscoe homestead n
(Continued ou Pugo Seven.)
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