Show j v THE HOUSE WITH THE GREEN SHUTTERS t tD r D BY GEORGE DOUGLASS D I i Copyright Y I C. McClure a p Phillips p Co CHAPTER III Continued IlI-Continued Continued And so so gradually lila his dwelling 1 had come to be a passion slon of oC life Ue It wa was Wali a t. word by-word in the place that t If H evet his ghost W waa 9 teen Seen it it- would ho bo haunting r. the House with the tho Green Oreon Shutters Deacon All trying to tomake tomake make a n phrase with him onCe quoted the ea saying In his presenceS presence nc Likely enough said Goury Its anI only reasonable rea I should prefer r my own awn house hOus to you rabble In the graveyard I Both in appearance lp and position tho the hOUM hOUMas tva was as worthy counterpart of ot Its owner It was a 11 substantial two story dwelling planted antI and on an ona Ona ana a little natural terrace that projected a n considerable distance Into nto the Square At the foot toot of or the tho steep little bank shelving shelving- to the tho terrace ran a n. stono wall vali ot of no great groat hel height ht and the Iron railings tailings It u uplifted wore vore no na higher than n tho sward award within Thus the whole house bouse was baro to tle View from Crom the ground up nothing in front to screen Its admirable qualities qUI From each corner behind flanking walls went out outto outto outto to the right and loft IoU and hid the yard ard and th tha granaries In front of oC th these M walls traIls the tho dwelling seemed to thrust Itself ou out t for or notice It took the eye CC of oC a n. stranger the moment he hc entered th Square Whose Square Whose place Is that 7 wa waft his natural question A house that challenges re regard In that wa way should have a L gallant bravery In Its look looks If IC Its aspect bo ho mean Its assertive e po position post post- l. l tion but directs the eye to ta It iti tlc ties There Is something pathetic about a tall tt cold like barn house set hl high h upon a brae brne It cannot hide Its Ib naked shame it thrusts Its ugliness M dumbly on your our notice a manifest blotch upon the world worM a a. place for the winds to whig whig- tie round But nut Gourlay's Gourlays s 's house was worthy Its commanding station A little little lit lit- tle tie dour and blunt In the outlines like Gourlay himself It drew and satisfied your eye ee os as he did And It Its position up there on the brae ma made e It the theme of oC constant constant con con- stant remark to men because of or the tyrant who owned It It and to women because of oC the poor woman who mismanaged mismanaged mismanaged mis mis- managed Its affairs De Deed d I dont don't wonder that gur gurly Gourlay as thc they Cahim ca' ca cahim cahim him has hae an nn III ill temper said sald the gossips gas gos Og- Og sips gathered at the pump with their bare baro arms akimbo whatever or led him to marry that of a tI woman clean beats mel tact I never could make head hearl nor tall ot As for or the men they twisted every ery Item about Gour Gour- la lay and his domicile Into fresh Cresh matter of assailment the news asked one returning from Crom a lon long absence ab ab- ab- ab sence to sence-to to whom the smith after atter In ing In silence for Cor or five o minutes said Gourlay has got new rones runes Ha Hn Ha a aye man Gourlay has got new rone rones rones' buzzed the visitor and then their lr eyes ces diminished in mirth twinkled at each other from Crom out their ruddy wrinkles as If It wit it had oll volleyed ed between them In short the tho House with the Green Shutters was on over every ton tongue anc and and with a scoff In the voice It If possible CHAPTER IV Gourlay went swiftly to the kitchen from Crom the inner yard He had stood so long In silence on the step and nd his I coming was BO so noiseless that he SUrprIsed surprised surprised sur SUr- a n long thin trollop o of a lI woman with a long thin scraggy neck seated by the slatternly ta tale table le and busy with witha L a frowsy paper covered d volume over which her head was bent in Intent pe pe- pe At your our said he Aye woman Oman will It be a good story She rose In a nervous flutter nutter when she abc saw sas him yet needlessly shrill In her defense defense de de- de- de ease because she sho ho was was' angry ln ry at detection de do Ah ih welt well wem she cried In weary petulance lance Its an nn unco thing If a n. body's body not to have hn a a. moments moment's rest reEt art after r such I darg I Just sat pat down withe wi wl the book for or a little till tilt John should I come till his breakfast So said I Gourlay God d aye aye he lie went on on youre oure makIng making mak mak- I ing lag a n nice Job of oC him Hell He'll be a cr credit L I Ito to the House Oh Its It's right ight no doubt that you OU should ne neglect lect your our work ork till I ho he consents to rise Eh the pull la la-amb she protested dwelling on oti the vowels In fatuous maternal ma ma- love the bairn's d. man manlies manlie's man I lies He's but strong and the thc schooling's s 's wre sore BOre on him Poor lamb iamb said Gourlay It was a sheep that dropped I him It was pride In his house that made mad him hint harsher to his hlll wife than I others since her ess was a a. L constant offense to ta the ord order r in which 1 he loved lo to have his dear possessions lIe He for or his liked part everything e pre pre- cise else His cla clat cla toed t hammer always 3 hu hung g by the head on ona a n couple of nails nail close together near the big blE clock hl hi 4 gun always lay across a pair of oC wooden t pegs projecting from rOm forn the brown rafters Just above the h hearth arth Ills His bigotry otry In ii t trines expressed his character Strong Strongmen men of or a mean often deliberately de do assume and pa passionately de do de- de Cen fend peculiarities of or no Importance because the they have ha nothing else to set get geta a I. I repute for Cor No no said Gourlay OUn never see a n broWn cob in my mi p gig gig lg-l I wouldn't take talce one in a no present Ho was full of r such fads ads art and 1 nothing r could persuade him to alter the tho th I crotchets which for 01 or want of at something i better ho he made the marks of oC his dour doul character He had wor worked them up ns a. a a. part of or his IH personality r and his pride prid of oC pe personality was such that th he would I never nover consent nt to change chango them Hence Honce i the burly and gurly man was t prim print as a. asan 5 an old maid maltI with regard to hl his belong belong- ings InKs Yet his wife was continually in In- In fringing the order on which he lie set his hi u heart hoort If Ie he went forward to the bit big r clock to look for his hammer it was va a sur sure to ta be bo gone the thc the two bright ht nails nail 3 staring at him vacantly Oh oil she would say In a n. weary wenry complaint I Just jus t took it ta break a coals cords and I he be would find It in the hole coal and greasy grem r marks linger engrained ot on S the handle which be he loved to keep a so a smooth and cl clean cloan an Innumerable he her r offenses of or this kind lelnd Independent o of ot f these the eight of ot her general incont-e incont ten tence e filled OIled him with witha a seething race mar which found vent ent not In l lengthy tirades tirade a but th the smooth venom of his hiM tongue Let him keep the outside of or the House flous a never so 50 spick and span inside Wa was S awry with her untidiness lne She was as unworthy un un- worthy of the tho House with the Green Greet t Shutters that Shutters that was the gist of or it It Eer Ev Er er cry ery time he lo sot set eyes on the poor lop the C fresh sh perception of ot her Incompetence which the sudden sight of oC he her r Hashed as she ho trailed aimlessly ly about 8 seemed emed to ta fatten his rago rage and give a 11 L co r er birr to his tongue Mrs Irs Gourlay had only four tour people to 10 look after arter h her hr two children chil chil- dren and Jock the orra oira man And the wl wife of or Dru Druken who had to KO ha because she fihe was we S tho the wife of oC came came In it 1 every overy day and all nil day long to help her he with her work Y Yet t the house was al always 01 ways ays In confusion Mrs Gourlay had hat I naked asked for tor another servant ser but Gour Gour- la lay would not allow that t ones on enough said he and he once b laid down he never went back on Mrs bunny had to muddle alon along as 09 a u best she could and having hewing no strength I cither r of oc bO body i or r r alto bo be let things thing I A and took refuge refugo In th reading silly fiction As Gourlay shoved his hh t et Into his hla hoots boots and stamped to make them easy he glowered at the tho kitchen from rom under hl his hla hen heavy brows with a n. huge disgust The table wo was isas littered 11 with unwashed dishes and on Ott tho corner of oC It next him was a a. great Arent bla black blak k sloppy ring showing where a wet saucepan had h been beon n laid upon the bare board boari rh The rho sun MiI streamed through the tho window In Sn yellow yel yei ellow el low heat right on to a a. pat of oC melting butter Thero There was a basin of or dIrt dirty water wa ira- ter tOr beneath the tho table with tho the dishcloth dishcloth dishcloth dish dish- cloth slopping stopping over on the ground Its Ils a n. tidy house said Mid he Ach Aeh well sh she cried you and anI your ur kitchen range It was was' that that did aid It Tho The masons could have r redd out tho the fireplace to make room fort tort In the afternoon af of- before It comes comen ham ham hame The They could have Conet brawly but you ou hear heat ot ot ah ah no no ye ye bude to have havo the whole place gutt gutted d out yes yes- estreen es treen I had hla to boll boil er c everything on the parlor fire this morning no morning no wonder Im I'm Ima a little The Tho old fashioned kitchen erl grate tc had haa been removed and the Jambs jamb had J been heen widened on each side Bide of oC the fireplace it yawned empty empt and ana cold A little rubble of or mortar newly dried lay hout th lb bottom of tho square spare r recess The flIght fight of or the crude unfamiliar scRaps or of dropped lime In the ho gaping place where warmth should have been increased the discomfort of the tho kitchen Oh that's It Ill iti said saul Gourlay G I see Re pee It was want of oC the fireplace that kept ye from washing the dishes that we used e treen That was terrible However oIt have plenty of oC boiling water when I In the grand new range for Cor ye e there Inna be Its Us equal In the parIsh paIsh Well We'll maybe have a clean hou house e than Mrs Gourlay leaned with the outspread outspread out out- spread thumb and red raw knuckles 0 of her right hand on the sloppy table and gaz gazed d nW avy through the back window win win- dow of the kitchen In iii a kind of mournful mourn mourn- ful mI vacancy Alwa Always vh when n her first complaining defense had failed to turn aside her hu husbands tongue her mind became a n. blank beneath his h heavy avy sarcasms sar sar- ar- ar and Mu sought Bought ht refuse refuge b by drifting far or away She would fix lx her eyes Ces on the distance In drear dreary contemplation and rind her mind would follow ollow her eyes In a vacant and wistful regard The preoccupation of or her mournful gaze enabled her to meet her husbands husband's sneers with a kind of or numb unheeding acquiescence She scarcely heard them Her lIer head hung lung a little to one side asIC asif as asIf If IC too toa heavy for Cot or her wilting witting neck Mck Her hair of a a. dark bro brown n curved cuned low Iowan on either side of h her r brow bro In a thick untidy un un- tiC tidy m mass to her almost transparent ears cars A AB As she Ahe gazed In weary and dreary nb absorption h her r lips had fallen heavy henri and relaxed In unison with her mood and through her Item open mouth her breathing ivos quick and short and noiseless She wore no stays and her slack cotton blouse showed the tho flatness s soC of oC her bosom and the faint taInt outlines of her withered and pendulous breasts hanging low loti within There was something tragic in her ber rose as 19 she stood sad ad and abstracted by the dirt dirty table She was scraggy staring blaring in sorrowful va a va- va cancy But Rut Gourlay Courlay eyed ered her with disgust dis lis gust gust why why b by Heaven Helen even now her petticoat was gaping b behind worse than the at the Red lied Lion Sh Shwas She is was waR as a n. r pr wife for Cor John Gout Gour In lay The sl sight ht of her feebleness would have roused pit pity in some pome ome Gourlay it moved to n a stead steady and seething rage As f she hc stood helpless before him him he ho stung her with crude brief Iron Irony Yet he wa was not wilfully cruel only a stupid man with a n strong trong character in which he took a dogged pride Stupidity Stupid Stupid- ity and pride linde provoked the brute In him hint He was so dull only dull only dull Is hardly hardI hard hard- I ly the word for a a. man of oC his smolderIng smolderIng smolder smolder- Ing fire ho ho was of or wit that he lie could never hope hop to distinguish himself him him- self Belf by anything In the shape of or Cloy clev erness Yet so resolute il x n man must make the strong strong- personality of oC which ho he was proud roud tell in some wa way isay How then should he ho assert his superiority and hold his lila own Only b by affecting a brutal s scorn orn of or every everything thInS thInS' Bald salil and e dot unless it was Bal said and anel done Ilona b by John Gourlay HI His lack of oC understanding understand understand- ing made his affectation of contempt the ca easier caster cr A man cn can cr ever sneer ata at ata a a a. thing thins which he ho really understands Gourlay un understanding nothing was as able to sneer at nt everything Hah I dont don't understand that Its It's damned nonsense non non- sense that e that Was Sas h lila ls s attitude to life lite If Ir that had been an utterance of oC Shakespeare or Napoleon on it would have made no difference to John Gourlay It would have b boon cn damned nonsense e junt jURl the same And ho he would have tol told them so If Ie he lie had met them The man ha had mado made dog dogged d scorn a n principle of or Iffe Irre to maintain ml himself at the which his courage warranted war war- ranted Ills thickness s of or wit was never ne nevera a n. bar to the success of his Irony For tho Irony of or the I Ignorant Scot I la is rarely tho the outcome of or Intellectual qualities It depends on a n falsetto al etto voice and the tho use of or a recognized number t l f catch catch- words WONS D Dee nr nr ec me de-c. de ar eo or o-or me ma Just so-a so Just a so Im Irn I IDy Dye Dy tell me that Wonderful Von err wonderful Ah Ah well ay may ma maa may ay these may a ahe he these be words ord of oC potent poten Irony when ihen uttered with a certain birr Lon Long practice had made mado Gourlay an run adept In their use UlC II He never spoke to those ho he despised or disliked dislike without th the birr Not that he was voluble of or speech he wasn't clever cr enough for tor lengthy abuse He said and his voice olce was low lou but every word from the hard harel clean lips was a n. stab slab And often otten MH his silence was more withering than Any tny utterance It strUCk k life Ufe Ilk lik 1 black frost Crost In Iho those e carl early days to be sure Gourlay Gourlay Gour flour lay had o occasion caslon for tor th the tho uso use ot of his crude but potent Iron Irony since the theof ense of ot hi his material well-being well warm warmed 11 him and made mad him Il less bitter to the tho World To the substantial farmers anners and potty path I squires around he was civil ivl even en hearty In his manner unless manner unless they offended of of- fended ended him For th they y belonged to th the close corporation of ot hien mn mon and his familiarity with them |