Show THE HOUSE WITH THE GREEN SHUTTERS 4 D I BY GEORGE DOUGLASS D I Copyright Y I o P Phillips P Co o CHAPTER XII XII Continued 1 I And nd oh thought Wll Wilson on what a How are you doing at the school schoon sara aIa the Templar Oh hes he's an ass said Gourlay He Ho takes takE's after his mother in that The lassies lassie s more smart smart she she favors our side o 0 o the hou house e Eh Johnny he In InQuired Inquired In- In and tugged her er pl pigtail tall smiling emil smil In lug ing down at nt her In grim fondness on Yes nodded Janet encouraged by bythe bythe the petting Johns John's always at nt the tho bottom bottom bot bot- tom torn of or the class Jimmy Wilsons Wilson's al always al wa ways at the top tops and tho the dominie set him to teach John his counts the tho day day- after aCter he had thrashed him She cried crIel out outS at a sudden tug on her pigtail and looked up with tears In her eyes to meet her fathers father's scowl You said eald Gourlay gazing at his son with a s savage contempt have you OU no pride to let Wilson's Wilsons son be your our master Ster John slunk fro from the room Tide Bide where here you are Templand- Templand muir said Gourlay after aCter a a. little Il Ilbe be back bick directly He went through to tho the kitchen and md took a crystal Jug from the dreg dresser er He mn made c a point of or bringing the water for or his whisky ky I like to pump It up cold he used to say Ea- cold and cold ye 0 Know till theres there's a mist on the outside of or the glass like tho the bloom on ona ona ona a plum and th then n by Goad ye have havethe havethe havethe the fine drinking Oh no ye no-ye ye needn't tell me I wouldn't lip Up drink If it the water water wa wa- vater va- va ter Ice varied H He lIE never from rom the tipple he approved ed In his long with he would slip out to the pump before er c every brew to get water of or sufficient coldness Tonight he bin the bottle with as usual till the fuddled laird should think himself a fine big fellow fellow fellow fel fel- fel- fel low as being the Intimate of or John Gourlay Gour Gour- lay lay and and then sober as a jud Judge e himself he would drive him home homo In the sm 1 hours And when hen next day they met the valiant pot would chuckle proudly proud Faith yon on was g a night B Bj By Bya a n. crude crudo cunning of or the tc kind Gourlay had maintained his ascendancy for years ears and tonight ho would maintain It still He went out to the pump to fetch water with his own hands for their first libation But Dut when he came back and set out the big decanter started started started start start- ed to his feet Noat tonight Mr Ir Gourlay he stammered and stammered and his unusual flutter of or refusal might have warned Gourlay Gourlay- noat tonight If Ir you ou please noat to tonight tonight tonight to- to night If Ir you please As a matter of or fact what act eh what I really came to town for you ou see was was was-eh-to eh to attend the meeting the Provost Pro has convened about tho the railway You'll come to the meeting will viII you noat He lIe wanted to get Gourlay awa away from the House with the Green Shutters It would be easier casler to quarrel with him out of Mr Ir Gourlay gaped at nt him across the table his e eyes es big with surprise and dl disapproval al Huh he growled I I wonder at a a. aman aman man like you OU giving your OUr head to that Its It's a damned nonsense Oh Im I'm not so sure of or that drawled the Templar I 1 think the railway means to come The whole country was as agog l og- og about tho new railway The question agitating agitating ing solemn minds was whether It should Join loin the m main ln lIn line at al thirty miles ahead or pass to the right through and aid Barbie to a a. i. i Junction Junc June tion up at Drone Many were the r reasons sputtered In vehement d debate de do- late hate for one route or the other On the one side ye 0 see was a abig abig abig big place aready and look what a center It would b be I If It had three lines of or rail running out and In JEh h. h m my what a center Then there was and Barbie they Barbie they would be the big towns towns' Up the valley too was the shortest road It would be a daft hike thing to build thirty mile of or rail when fifteen was enough to establish the con- con And wa was it lIk likely likely likely-I ly 1 I put It to aln amy alny man of or was sense sense was It likely the tho Coal company wouldn't do everything e In their power to get tho the railway up the valle valley seeing seeing- that If Ir it didn't come como that they would need to build a a. aline aline line o of their own Ah own Ah but then ye e see w was wa a big place too and there was Jots up there as aswell aswell well And though It Il was w a longer road rond to F chars and part of It lay hay across moors there were several wee towns that Just lust waiting for a chance chanco of or growth I 1 can tell ye yo sirs this was wa going to h bo a Q close question Such was the talk taUe in pot-house pot and parlor at kirk and mart and tryst and fair fall and wh wherever rever potentates did gath- gath cd ed and abound The partisans on either cither side began to canvass the countr country country coun coun- tr try In support of or their contentions They might have kept their breath to cool their porridge for these matters we know arc aro settled In the great But Dut petitions were prepared prepared pre- pre pared and meetings convened In tho those e days dos Provost Connal of Barbie was In constant communion with the ers Pow Yass he nodded graVely 0 only only n I nod Is 19 a word too swift for forthe forthe forthe the grave Inclining of or that mighty pow pow Yn ye e know the great thing In matters like this Is to get the Powers Powers Powers Pow Pow- ers you OU 5 see e Oh yass yass we must get at the Pow ers and ancl and he looked as It If n none ne but hut he lie were sere the equal to the Job He lIe even cven went to London to Interrogate the tho Pow ers and simple bodies gathered at the Cross for their Saturday at een cen told each other with hated breath that the Provost Pro Pro- yost was awn away to the seat scat of to see about the tho railway When hen he came back and shook his head heart hope drained from his fellows and left lett them hollow In an empty world But when he lie smacked his lips fillS on receiving receiving- an nn Important letter the heavens were brightened end and land landscape smiled The Provost walked about the town tawn nowadays with the air all of or a man on whose shoulders the weight of empires did depend But for all his airs It was not the Head o o. the Town who was the ablest ocate ad of or the route up the Water atel of or Barbie It was that public public- spirited citizen Mr James Janice Wilson lIson of or orthe the Cross Crots Wilson Vilson championed the cau cause e of or Barbie with an ardor that did Infinite credit to his civic heart For Forone Forone Forone one thing it was a grand crand way of or recommending recommending rec rec- himself to his own townsfolk townsfolk towns towns- folk as IlS he told his wife and so In Increasing increasing In- In creasing the circle of or our present trade dont don't ye 13 understand for or for another nother he was wag as keen as the keenest that the railway should hould come and enhance the value alue of or his property We Ye must mut agitate agitate agitate agi agi- agi- agi tate he hc cried when Sandy Toddle murmured a doubt whether anything they could do would be of or much avail Its not settled yet what road the theline's theline's lines line's to follow tollow and who knows but a trifle may turn the scale In our behalf Local opinion ought to be expressed ed Look at and and Barbie three Barbie three towns at our back and the new Coal Coni company compan- A A. public opinion of or that size ought to have ha a great w weight weight weight-if If Put forward properly Wo We must agitate sirs sin we must agitate agitate we we maun scour the countr country country coun coun- tr try for tor names in our support support- Look what hat a number of or things 8 there thero are arc areto areto to recommend our route it Its It's s 5 t the e shortest and theres there's n no need for h heavy cuttings such as are arc needed ded on the theother theother theother a ready ready- other side sides tho the rond there Barbie water vater has hns cut it through the hills Its It's the manifest design of or Providence ProvIdence that there should be e a a. line up p for tor or t t.- t. Barbie valley What a 3 position site for building houses In m my holm holm- holm Let a meeting be bc con convened conned ned u at t The Tho meeting was is-as convened con with Provost Provost Pro Pro- yost Connal In the thc chair and Wilson as general factotum come down clown to the tho meeting said Bald to Gourlay Go to to a a. meeting for which Wilson lIMn had sent out the bill bills At another nother Gourlay would have hurled buried his usual that he would see him condemned condemned con con- to eternal agonies ere ho grant grant- his request But was different Gourlay had always alwn's flat fiat terell this man whom he Inwardly despised de do- by hy a companionship which made proud the other He lie had always ah I yielded to In small things for the sake of or the quarry which was a great thing He yielded to him now non Verra VeTra well he said short shortly and androse lose rose to get his hat When hen Gourlay put on his hat the shallow meanness of or his brow was hid and nothing was seen to impair his dark clarl strong stron gravity gra of or face lie lIo was a aman aman aman man you OU would have turned to look at nt as ns he marched In silence by the side of t tie te le Templar Thou Though h taller than the laird ho looked because of or his enormous breadth He lie had a chest like the heave hel of a hill bill was afraid arnld of or him And fretting at th the necessity he le felt to quarrel Ju with a man manof manof manof of whom he was afraid he had luni an un- un hatred of or Gourlay whose conduct this quarrel necessary at the same time that his character made it to be feared and he ho brooded on his growing ro rage rase that with it for a n. stimulus he might work his cowardly nature to the point of or quarrelling Conscious of or the coming row then he felt relt awkward In the plesent and anU was Ignorant of what to say Gourlay was silent too He lie felt elt It an Insult to the House HOUM with the Green Shutters that hat the laird should refuse Its proffered hospitality He lie hated to be dragged ged to a n meeting he ho despised Never before was such uch Irritation between them When hen the they came to the hall hall- liall where the meeting meeting- was convened cOn there were knots knot of oC bodies grouped about the foot floor Wilon fluttered from Crom group t to group an Important man with a roll rollof rollof of or papers In his hand Gourlay quick for Cor once In his dislike took in ever every feature of or the man he loathed Wilson lIron was what the sentimental l women of or the neighborhood called a bonny vonny man His Ills features were ere re remarkably remarkably re- re regular and his was remarkably fair Ills His brow was wasso wasso wasso so delicate of or hue that the blue veins running down his temples temple could be traced distinctly beneath the whiteness of the skin Unluckily for him he was wasso wasso so fair that In a strong light as now beneath the iras gas the suspicion of or un- un became a n. certainty certainty as as If he ho got a bit Idle now and than and never a good rub thought Gourlay Gourlay Gour Gour- la lay In iii a clean disgust Full lips sho shoed sho ed themselves bright re red In the middle between the two wings of or a very blonde and cr very symmetrical mustache The ugly feature of ot the face was the blue calculating eyes They The were wore tender tender tender ten ten- der round the lids so 80 that the white lashes stuck out In little peaks leaks And fn fri conversation con he had a habit of or peeping out of or these eyes as If Ir he lie were constant constantly constantly con con- stant spying for fOt something to emerge that he ml might ht twist to his advantage As he talked to a man close b by and amI glimmered not at the man beside him but far awa away In the tho distance of or his mind at some chance o of Rain gain aln suggested by the others other's words Gourlay heard him sa say musingly Imph Imph Imph there hero might ml be he something In that nodding his head and stroking his mustache as he uttered each meditative med mell- Imph It was Wilsons Wilson's unconscious revelation revelation rc ela tion that his mind was sas as busy with a commercial hint which he lie had stolen damned from his neighbors neighbor's talk The drawer thou thought ht Gourlay en enlI enlightened enlightened en- en lI lightened b by his hate hes sucking Tam Tain Finlay's s brains to steal some Idea for or And still sUll as Wilson Wilson Wil Wil- II son listened he lie murmured swift swiftly I see Mr 11 Finlay Imph Imph Imph nodding his head and pulling his mustache and glimmering at nt his new opportunity Our Insight ht Is often deepest Into those we hate because annoyance fixes fles our thought on them to probe We Yo cannot keep our minds mind off them them Vh Why do thc they do It 7 we snarl and wondering wondering- wh why we find Und out their true character Gourlay GOut Gour la lay hay was not nn an observant man Luteel but Lut el e every man Is 18 In any man somewhere and hate tonight ht driving his mind Into Wilson lIson helped him to read him like hike nn an open oven book hook He Ho recognized with a with fear for Cor vague uneasiness uneasiness not not Gourlay Courlay did not know what It meant but with uneasy anger the anger the superior cunning of his rival rhal a strong stron block of or a man cut off from the world by Impotence of speech could never have got ot out of or Finlay wh what t Wilson drew from Crom him In two minutes' minutes easy conversa conversation Wils Wilson lIson on Ignored l Gou-l Gourlay 1 hut but he ho was and vcr very blithe with Inveigled lell him oft to a corner The They talked together very er brisk briskly and Wilton Wilton Wil Wil- ton eon laugh once e with uplifted head glancing at Gourlay as he laughed Cur Curse o them were they speaking of Ii him I in The hall hail was crammed at last and the thA Important bodies took their seats upon the front benches henches Gourlay re refused Ie IC fused to be seated with the thc rest but stood near the platform with his back bark to the wall sali by the sido of or Templand Templand- mull muir After what the Provost Pi d described as asa as asa a te few preliminary they they lasted hasted half hair an hour hour hour-he he called on Mr Wilson to address a the meeting Wilson descanted on the benefits that would accrue to Barbie 1 if It got the tho railway and on the for Cor a long Ion pull and a n strong pull and a pull to together to- to gether gether a a phrase which he rep repeated many times limes In the course of or his ad- ad drees He sat at down donn at last amid thunders thun thun- ders llers of or applause I Theres Therea no for Cor me to tomake tomake make a loans bang speech said Bald the Provost Hear hear hear f said Gourlay an and tho the meeting was unkind enough h to laugh Order order cried Wilson per Continued tom tomorrow |