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Cfe Gentleman
From Indiana
. !
.
Hy Hooth
::::
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Copyright. I ODD. by TJoubteday
Copyright. ID02,
ii. .
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n-ONTiM-Ki) i hum 1..UT wcKK ) iuu-uslry. told of tlie sowing or another
harvest, of till' tnwny shock, of the
"Meredith," nld tlie other, turning to pur,,,. rnpo, or tin rod apple, ami call
him aravely, "yon may think me a ctt ,, muscle and laughter, breath-f-ol
if ,on will, and lt' likely 1 am. mf, K!lVet.v Into men's hearts. The little .
lint I don't leave this station oe-ept hy 9ta(i(is huinincel with bnstleand noise. '
train. I'e emly two la.s to work In. j, ,-,., wagons rattled oil' tip the vil
n 1
v; ill -
WPS W&S&&' jf
. "'S i
HarMc&n, )v.lly ivm', tea ktundhuj in
Hie inlthllc oj the Jloor.
and. every minute lessens our chances
to beat MeCune, and I have to begin by
wasting time on a tussle with a traitor.
There's another train at 11:.". "5; I don't
take any chances on missing that one."
"Well, well." laughed ills friend, push
ing him good huinorcelly toward a dooi
by a red and white striped pillar,
"we'll wait here if you like. But at
least go iu there and get a shave; It's a
cleau shop. You want to look your best
If you are going down to tight 11. Fis
bee." "Take thee, then, and you will un
derstand," said Harkless. and he thrust
his three telegrams of the morning
Into Tom's hand and disappeared into(
the barber shop. When he was gone
Meredith went to the telegraph olllcc
iu the station and sent a line over tlio
wires to Uvlen: "Keep your delegation j
at home. He's coining on the 11:."m."
Then lie rend the three telegrams,
Harkless had given mm. iney were
all from I'lattvllle.
Pnrrv cannot oblige. Present Incumbent '
tenacious. Delicate, matter. No hope tot
K II. Hut don't worry. Everything all
right. WAHKKN SMITH.
Harkless, If ynu have tin- Htrength tt
walk. I'ome down before tlie convention.
Cet hero by 10:17. Looks bail. Come If it
kills you. K. II.
You intrusted me with sole responsibil
ity for nil matters pertaining to Herald.
Declared outsell mere spectator. Does
this permit your Interfering with my pol
icy for the paper'.' Decline to oonslilcf
any proposition to relieve mo of my du
ties without proper wnrnlng and allow
am e of time. Forced to disregard all uug
geslloiis us to policy, which, by your own
Instructions, is entirely my afiulr uml
must be carried out ua i direct.
11. FISliEK.
CIIAFTEIt XIV.
TIlIE accommodation train wan
dered down through the aft-
WSrS eriioou sunshine, slopping a.
acaPlil every village and every coun
try postolllce on the line. There was a
pas-enger iu the smoker who found
the stops at these wayside hamlets in
terminable. He got up and paced the
aMe now a'nd then, and his companion
reminded him that tills was not cer
tain to hasten the hour of their nrrivn.
at their destination. "I know that,"
answered he, "hut I've got to beat
MeCune."
"Hy the way," observed Meredith,
''you left your stick behind."
"You don't think I need a club to
fnce"-
Tom choked. "Oh, no; I wasn't think
ing of your giving II. FIsbee u beating.
I meant to lean on." I
"I don't want It. I've got to walk
Intne all my life, but I'm not going to
bobble on a stick." j
Tom looked at him sadly for n mo
ment. It was true, and the Crossroad
ers might hug themselves in their
cells over the thought. For the rest ol
bis life John Harkless was to walk
with Just the limp they themselves!
would have had if. ;is In former days,
their sentence had been to the ball and
chain. '
"Sit down, hoy, sit down," said
Meredith, and his friend obeyed.
The window was open beside the two
young men. anil the breeze that blew
In soothed like a balm, yet held a tang
and spice In It, a hint of walnuts and
of roiiilnir frost. There was a newness.
In the atmosphere that day, a brlghT
tnvlcoration. that set the blood tin
gling. The hot months were done with;
languor was routed. Autumn spoke to
4.4
:
TARK.IJGTOff
ctt MeClurt Co.
by McClure. Thlllipj (KL Co.
lage streets and raced with "out under j
or omnibus; people walked with quick I
steps; the bnggagoiuasie't'S cancel ,
cheerily to the trainmen, and the
brakoiuon laughed goodbys to rollick
ng girls. At times the train ran be
j tween shadowy groves, and delicate
landscape vistas, framed in branches,
I opened, closed and succeeded each oth
er, and then the travelers were carried
I hevond into tlie level open again and
looked out to where the intensely blue
September skies ran down to the low
horizon, meeting the boundless aisles
of corn. It takes a long time for the
full beauty of the Hat lands to reach a
man's soul. Once there, nor hills, nor
sea, nor growing fan leaves of palm
shall sullice him. It is like tlie beauty
iu tlie woid Indiana. It may be that
there are people who do not consider
Indiana a beautiful word, but let It
ring true In your ears, and it has a
richer sound than Vallombrosa.
All at once the anger ran out of John
Harkless. lie was a hard man for
anger to tarry with. And iu place of it
a strong sense of home coming began
to take possession of him. lie was go
ing home. "Mack to I'lnttvllte. where 1
belong." he said to himself without bit
terness, and it was the truth. "Every
man conicth to his own place in the
end."
Yes, as one leaves a gay acquaintance
of the playhouse lobby for some hard
hnnded, tried old friend, so he would
wave the outer world godspeed and
come back to tlie old ways of Carlow.
What though the years were dusty, he
had Ids fr'ends and his memories and
his old black brier pip. He had a
girl's picture that he should carry iu
his heart till his last day, and if his
life was sadder it was infinitely richer
for it. His winter llreside would be not
so lonely for her sake, and, losing her,
I he lost not everything, tor lie had had
the rare blessing of having known her.
And what man could wisli to be healed
f such a hurt? Fur better to have had
it than to trot a smug pace unscathed.
He had been a dullard, a sluggard,
weary of himself, unlit to tight, a fail
ure in life and a failure In love. That
was ended. He was tired of falling,
and it was time to succeed for awhile.
To accept the worst that fate can deal
and to wring courage from it Instead
of despair that is success, and it was
thfc success that he would have, lie
would take fate by the neck. Hut had ,
it done him unkindnessV lie looked '
out over the beautiful, "monotonous" i
landscape, and lie answered heartily, .
"No!" There was Ignorance In man,
but no unklndness. Were man utterly
wise he were utterly kind. The Cross
readers had not known better, that was
all.
The unfolding aisles of corn swam
pleasantly before his eyes. The earth
hearkened to man's wants and answer
ed. The clement sun and summer rains
hastened the fruition. Yonder stood
the brown haystack, garnered to feed
the iuduntrlous horse that had earned
his meed. There was tlie straw thatch
ed shelter for the cattle. How the or
chard boughs bent with their burdens!
The big red barns stood stored with
the harvest, for this was Carlow coun
ty, and he was coining home.
They crossed a byroad. An old man
With a streaky gray chin beard was
sitting on a sack of oats In a sunt less
wagon waiting for the train to pass.
Harkless seized his companion excited
ly by the elbow. "Tommy," ho cried,
"it's Kim Fentrtss! Look! Did you
see that old fellow 7"
"I saw a paitlculerly uninterested
and uninteresting fcntlemuii sitting on
a bag," replied ills friend.
"Why. that's old Kimball Fentriss.
He's going to town. He lives on the
edge of the county."
"Can this be true?" said Meredith
gravely.
"I wonder," snid Harkless thought
fully a few moments later "I wonder
why he had them changed around."
i "Who changed around':"
I "The team. He always used to drive
tlie bay on the jiear side and the sor
I rel on the oil'."
"And at present," rejoined Meredith,
"I am to unders
uul that he Is driving
the sorrel on tin
on tlie off?"
near side and the bay
"That's it," returned the other.
He
must have worl
ted them
like that for
some time, beciuse they didn't look
"m!,,sy,
; train, tl
They'ii; all right about the
lose twoj rve seen tnem stand
with their headii
almost against a fast
freight. See t lie
re." lie pointed to a
white frame
larmhouso with green
We're
Just outside of Heaver."
"Heaver? Elucidate Heaver, hoy."
"Heaver? Meredith, your Informa
tion ends at home. What do you know
of your own state If you are Ignorant
of Heaver? Heaver Is that city of Car
low county next in importance and
population to I'lattvllle."
Tom put his head out of the window.
"I fancy you are right," he said. "I
ftlready see live people there." ,
Mured I til had observed the change in
Us companion's mood, lie had watched J
hint closely all day. looking for a re-,
turn of his malady, but he came to the
conclusion that in truth a miracle had
been wrought, for tlie lethargy was
gone and vigor seemed to Increase iu
Harkless with every turn of the wheels
that brought them nearer I'lattvllle,,'
and tlie nearer they drew to I'lattvllle,
the higher the spirits of both tlie young
men rose. Meredith knew what was
happening there, and lie began to lie !f
little excited. As he Intel said, then
were live people visible at Heaver, ami
he wondered where they lived, as the'
only building in sight was the station,
mil to satisfy his curiosity he walked
out to the vestibule. The little station
stood in the woods, and brown leaves
whirled along the pint form. One of the
live people was an old lady, and she en
tered a rear car. The other four were
men. One of them handed the con
ductor a tek'grntn. Meredith hen rel tlie
olllcial say: "All rigid. Decorate ahead.
I'll hold It live minutes."
Tlie man sprang up the steps of the
smoker and looked in. He turned to
Meredith. "lo you know If that gen-'
tleinan in tlie gray coat is Mr. Hark
less? lie's got his back this way, and
1 don't want to go inside. The air In a
smoker always gives me a spell."
"Yes. that's Mr. Harkless."
The man Jumped to the platform.
"All right, hoys," he said. "Kip her
out!"
The doors or the freight room were
thrown open, and a big bundle of col
ored stulls was dragged out and hastily
unfolded, One of the men ran to the
farther end of the car with a strip of
red, white ami blue bunting and tack
ed it securely, while another fastened
the other extremity to the railing of
the steps hy Meredith. The two com
panions of this pair performed the
same operation with another strip on
the other side of the car. They ran
similar Hues of bunting near the roof
from end to end, so that eweopt for the
windows the sides of tlie car were
completely covered by the national col
ors. Then they draped the vestibules
with Hags. It was all done in a trice;.
Meredith's heart was beating fast.
"What's it all about?" he asked.
"Picnic down tlie line," answered the
man in charge, removing a lack from
bis mouth. He motioned to the con
ductor, "(lit ahead!"
The wheels began to move; the dec
orators remained on the station plat
form, letting tlie train pass tliein, but
Meredith, craning his neck from tlie ,
steps, saw that they Jumped on the
last car.
"What's the celebration?" asked
Harkless when Meredith returned.
"Picnic down the line," said Mere
dith. "Nipping weather for a picnic. A lilt
cool, don't you think? One of those fel
lows looked like a friend of mine.
Homer Tlbbs. or as Homer might look
if lie were In disgrace. He had ids hat
hung on his e-yes, and lie slouched like
a thief iu melodrama as lie tacked up
the bunting on this side of the car."
He continued to point out various
familiar places, finally breaking out
enthusiastically they drew nearer
the town: "Hello! Look there beyond
the grove yonder! See that house?"
"Yes, John."
"That's the Howlders'. You've got to
know the Howlders."
"I'd llfco to."
"The kindest people In the world.
The Hrlscoe house wo can't see because
it's so shut In by trees, nnd, besides, it's
a mile r so ahead of us. We'll go out
there for supper tonight. Don't you
like Hrlscoe? He's the best they make.
Ve'll go uptown with Judd Hennett iu
the omnibus, and you'll know how a
rapid lire machine gun sounds. I want
toao straight to the Herald olllce," he
finished, with a suddenly darkening
brow.
"After all, there may be some ex
planation." Meredith suggested with a
little hesitancy. "11. FIsbee might
turn out more honest than you think."
Harkless threw his head back and
laughed. "Honest! A man in the pay
of Kodney MeCune! Well, we can let
It wait till we get there. Listen!
There's the whistle that means we're
getting neai home. Why, there's an
oil well!"
"So It is."
"And another three, live, seven
even lu sight at once! They tried It
three miles south and failed, but you
can't fool Eph Watts, bless him! 1
want you to know Watts."
They ran by the outlying houses of
the town amid a thousand descriptive
exclamations from Harkless, who wish
ed Meredith to meet every one iu Car
low. Hut he came to a pause lu the
middle of a word. "Do you hear mu
sic," lie asked abruptly, "or is it only
tlie rhythm of the ties 7" t,
"It seems to me there's music iu the
air," answered his companion. "I've
been fancying I heard it for a minute
or so. There! No yes. It's a band,
blinds. "'Hint's Win Illbbard's.
Isn't It?"
"No. What would a band-yes, it
Is!"
The train slowed up and stopped at a
water tank '00 yards east of the sta
tion, mid their uncertainly was at an
end. From somewhere down tlie track
came tlie detonating boom of a cannon.
There was a clash of brass, and the
travelers became sure of u band play
lug "Marching Through Georgia."
Meredith laid his hand on Ids com-
panlou's shoulder. "John," ho said,
"liilm!"
The cannon Ilred
came a cheer from
shouters all unseen.
again, and there
Il.ooi) throats, the
The engine cough-'
ed and panted, the train tolled on, and
In another moment It had stopped
alongside the station lu the midst of a
riotous Jam of happy people who were
waving Hags and banners and handker
chiefs and tossing their hats high lu
the air and shouting themselves hoarse.
The baud played In dumb show. It
could not hear Itself play. The people
e-aine at Ihe smoker like a long wave,
mil Warren Smith, Hrlscoe, Keallng
I lid Mr. Hence of Gnlnes were swept
ahead of It. Hefore the train stopped
they had rushed eagerly up the steps
and entered the ear. Harkless was
Ids feet and started (o meet them. He
stopped.
"What does It mean?" he said and be
gan to grow pale. "Is Hallim'ay did
MeCune have you"
Warren Smith seized one of Ids
hands and Hrlscoe the other. "What
does it mean!" cried Warren. "It
means that you were nominated for
congress at live minutes after 1 o'clock
this afternoon!"
"On the second ballot," shouted the
Judge, "Just as young FIsbee planned
It weeks ago."
It was one of the gn :t crowds of
Curlew's history. Since noon an al
most uiilutermlttent procession of pe
destrians and vehicles had been making
its way to the station, anil every wag
on, buekboard, buggy and "cut under"
bad Its Hags or limiting or streamer of
ribbons tied to tlie whip. The excite
ment Increased as the time grew short
er. Everybody was struggling for a
better position. The people In wagons
mid e-arrlages stood upon the seats, and
ne pedestrians besieged them, climbing
on the wheels or balancing recklessly
with feet on the hubs of opposite wag
ons. Everybody was bound to see him.
When the whistle announced the coin
lug of the train tlie band began to play,
the can noli tired, horns blew and the
cheering echoed and re-ee-hoed till heav
en's vault resounded witli the noise
the people of Carlow were making.
There was one heart that almost
stopped beating. Helen was standing
on the front seat of the Hrlscoe buck
board, with Minnie beside her, and at
the commotion the horses pranced and
backed so that Llge Wllletts ran to hold
them. Hut Helen did not notice the
frightened roans, nor did she know
that Minnie clutched her round the
waist to keep her from falling. Her
eye's were lixed intently on tlie smok"
of the faraway engine, and her baud,
lifted to lie- face in an uncertain,
tremulous fa.dilon, as it was one day
In a circus tent, was laid against tlie
deepest blush that ever mantled a girl's
cheek. When the train reached the
platform she saw Hrlscoe ami the oth
ers rush Into the bunting covered car,
and ther ensued what was te her an
alineist Intolerable pause of expecla
tion while the crowd assaulte-il the win
dows or tlie smoker, leaping up and
climbing on each other's shoulders to
catch tlie first glimpse of him. Hrlscoe
nnd a red faced young man (a stranger
to I'lattvllle) came' down the steps,
laughing llke boys, and then Keating
and Hence, and the-n Warre'ii Smith.
As the lawyer reached tlie platform he
turned toward the1 door of the car and
waveel his hand as lu wele-oine'. "Here
ho Is, boys!" he shouted.
At that It was as If all the noise that ,
hnd gone hefore had Immmi mere leak
age of pent up enthusiasm. A thousand
horns blared de'iife-nlngly; the whistle
of the locomotive and that of Illb
bard's mill we're ailile-el to the din; the
courthouse he'll was pealing emt a wel
come, and the church bells we're ring
ing; the e-auiiou thundered, and then
cheer on che-er shook the air us John
Harkless caine out under the flags and
passe'd down the steps of the car. I
When Helen saw him over the heads
of the people and through heaving tu
mult of Hags and hats and handker
chiefs she' suddenly gave a frlghte'tied
glance about her and Jumped down
from her high perch nnel sank lute) the
buck se'iit of the' buekboard, with her
burning lne-e turned from the' station
nnd lier e-ye-s llxe-d on the grounel. She
wante'd to run away, as she had run
I from him tlie lirst time she eve-r saw
I him, ami then, as now, he e-ainc In tri
umph, hailed by the- plaudits ef his fel
lows, and now, as on that long ilepart
ed day of her young glrlhooel, he was
borne high over the1 heads or tlie peo
ple, feu- Minnie cried to her to look
they were carry lug him em their shoul
ders to his carriage. She had had only
that brief glimpse' ef him bed'ore he
was lost in tlie crowd that was so glad
to get him bni'k again and so proud of
him; bill she had seen that he looked
very white and solemn.
I Hrlscoe brought Tom Meredith
through the crowd and put him In the
buekboard beside Helen. "All right,
Llge!" called the Judge to Wllletts, who
was at the horse's' heads "You go get (
1 Into Hue with the boys; they want you.
We'll go down on Main street to see
the parade," he explained, gathering
the reins in his hand,
"Dlel you tell him about Mr. Hallo
way?" asked Helen, leaning forward
anxiously.
"Warren told liiin before we; left the
car," answered Hrlscoe "He'd hnvo
declined ein the spot, I expect, If we
hadn't made him sure it was ail right
Willi Ketlge'."
"If I uuderntooil what Mr. Smith was
saying, llnllcwny must have behaved
very well." salel Meredith.
The Judge laughed. "He saw It was
the only way to beat Me-Cnne, and he'd
have given his life' ami Harkless', too,
rather than let MeCune have It."
"Why did you leave Mr. llarkh'ss?"
He'len askeel her cousin, her eyes not
meeting Ills.
"My eh'ur girl." he refilled, "because',
for some' Inexplicable' reason, my lady
cousin has not nominated me for con
gress, anil, oddly enough, the tintlis
criminating multitude we-re' not cheer
ing for me; the artillery was not lu tie
tlMi to celebrate mo; the band was not
playing to eh me honor. Why should I
rlele lu tlie midst or a proirsslou that
knows me not? Why should 1 en
limine me lu an open barouche, with
four while horses to draw it and draped
with sllki'ii Hags? Slui'o these tilings
were not for me, 1 Hew to your side to
dissemble my spleen under the licensed
prattle of u cousin."
"Then who is with him?"
"Tlie population of this portion of In
diana. I take it."
"Oh. It's all right," salel the Juelge:.
leaning back to speak to Helen. "Keat
ing and Smith and your father are to
rlele In the carriage1 with him. You
needn't be afralel of any of tlii'iu letting
him know that II. FIsbee Is a lady.
Everybody unilerstnnils about that. Of
course I hey know It's to be left to you
to break It to him how a girl has rim
his paper."
The old gentleman chuckled ami look
ed out of the e-orner of his eye at his
daughter, whose expression wus In
scrutable'. "I!" cried He'len. "I tell him! No
one must tell him. He lii'i'd never know
It."
Hrlscoe ri'iieheel back and patted her
cheek. "How king do you suppose he
will he here In I'lattvllle without Its
leaking out?"
"Hut when they kept watch over
him for months nobody told him."
"Ah," said Hrlscoe, "but this Is different."
"No. no, no!" she exclaimed. "It
must he kept from him somehow."
"He'll know It by tomorrow; so you
better tell him this evening."
"This evening?"
"Ye'.s; yeiu'll have a good chance."
"I will?"
"He's coming to supper with us ho
and your father, of course, and Keating
and Hence and Hoswell and Smith and
Tom Martin and Llge. We're going to
have a big time, with you and Minnie
to do the honors, and wc-'re all coining
Into town arterwaril for the fireworks,
and I'll let him el rive you In the phae
ton. You'll have1 plenty of clmne-es to
talk It over with him and tell him all
about It."
Helen gave a little gasp. "Never!"
Bbe erieel. "NYvor!"
The buekboard stnppetl on the Her
ald corner, ami here ami along Main
street the line of vehicles which had fol
lowed It from the station took positions
to await the parade'. The square was
almost a solid mass eif bunting, and
the north entrance or the' courtliouso
had been dee-orated with streamers and
flags so as to make a sort of stand.
Hither the' crowd was already stream
ing and hither the procession made its
way. At Intervals the gun boomed
from the station, and Schoflelds' Henry
was winnowing the nlr with his bell.
Nobody had a better time that day than
Scholli'lels' Henry, e.cept old Wllker
son, M'ho was with the' preiccsslon.
In aelvance mine the boys, whpoplng
and somersaulting, and behind them
roele a baud of moiinteel men, sitting
the'lr horses like e-avalrynien, h-el by the
sheriff and his deputy and Jim Hani
lock. Tlieui followed the Harkless club
of Amo. led by Hoswell, with the mag
nanimous Ilalleiway himself inarching
In the ranks, and at sight of this the
people slieuiti'el like madmen. Hut when
Helen's ve' fell upon Halloway's fat,
rather unhappy fae-e she felt a pang of
pity and unreasoning reinense, which
warned her that he who looks upon
politics whi'ii it is re-el must ste-el his
eye's te see many a man with the heart
burn. After the men of Amo came the
Harkless club ef (hilnesvllle, Mr.
Hence' hi the van with the ste'p of a
grenadier. There followed next Mr.
Kphralin Watts, bearing a light wand
In his hand anil leading a detachment
of werkorn from the oil Held In their
stained blue overalls and blouses, and
after thi'in e-ame Mr. Martin and Mr.
Landls at tlie head or an organization
recognized In the "order of procession"
printed In tlie' Herald as "the business
me'ii eif I'lattvllle'." The band played lu
such magnificent time that every high
stepping leeit lu all the line caine down
with the same Jubilant plunk and lift
ed again with a unanimity as complete
an that of tlie last vote the convention
had taken that day. The leaders of the
proce'ssleiii set a brisk pace, and who
could have set any other kinil or a pneo
when on parade to the strains of such
a biinil playing hucIi a tune as "A New
Coon In Town" with all its might and
main? '
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