Show The Evening Telegrams Telegram's I Daily Short Story A GRAVEN IMAGE S By By MARTHA WILLIAMS Copyright 1913 1 h hv the McClure l Newspaper Newspaper News News- paper Syndicate was JS agog Well Wll It might be In ln a society whoso 1050 epochs were births deaths and marriages m a man a mystery and a motor car CRr all strange nil all In some occult fashion linked together all comin coming cornI com corn I in ing ng nobody knew how or why were amply sufficient t to set all wagging wagging- The man came first b by six hours Ho Ho was thin aue am and tall tail with Uh a a face youngish but lined his hands hands' were wasted Vi and his voice a trifle uncertain Still he was very masculine masculine masculine-as as Dett Betty the tile tavern avern av- av em ern In maId makl a was ready to avouch He I railed at the sheets frilling n for l long ng fresh cah ones lones big enough to tuck turk all over the mattress lie He had further ordered the feather Cather bed Into retIrement and set act wide every one ono of or the the three big windows Im lm here for fOI air understand air understand jou OU have I plenty plent of or It It he said ald Dont tr try to stop us from coming together Curtains Take down the lot of or them Take your our rugs rus out of or sight they sight they profane floor floorboards floorboards boards of real hand sawn oak Also o he ho had lied banished three perfectly good chronics In tine line gilt frames After that he had flung himself on the fresh white T bed and slept siept like a baby until baby until tho the mystery appeared that Is to say When It halted In the turnpike fifty yards oft off tho tavern ta gate folks stared hard enough but nothing to compare with what they did when the tho who had fetched It unhitched Ms Is team I mounted the leader and whisked awn away without a word ord to anybody Tho The thing h ho he had hall left behind was full fuli of or an angles les and jutting offsets so offsets so much was plain through h a padded swathing scathing of or tarpaulin upon excelsior Before Defore real Investigation tion could determine more moro the tho motor forbidding chauffeur chauffeur chaut- chaut large and blue with a n feUl sitting primly upright at the wheel hummed Into town and out stopping at last In In front of or gates and staying staying stay stay- ing there Once Gilead had been the show place of or Now It was a ruin picturesque picturesque picturesque esque but hardly hard habitable It had stood twenty years jears but tenantless but lately ru rumor rumor rumor ru- ru mor said ald the last st of or the family was VB comin coming com corn tog ing back to see after attel It Hence tho the ap apparition ap- ap of the till halted motor was not really s-o s o amazing as the other things Tho owners of Gilead had been rich rich very cry nob for their time If It motors had been beel In liz fashion then they thoy would doubtless ha have ha oo owned at 1 least three The man slouching out Into the gazing crowd viewed tho the mystery with e eyes es that twinkled Ever o ver hear of Gilbert Ransom Ran Ran- som sorn he asked of ot Squire Barrow Darrow who ho howa wa was was' poking the m tentatively with his cane S Tho squire snorted I l know kno Gib Ransom Ran Ran- som sorn same paine as all I did my rn own oon self while ho h was w In these parts ho said standIng standIng stand stand- In Ing straIghter makes ye yo ask Has Fins he done anything Out 0 o tho th common common com corn mon I J mean The Tho papers aint mentioned men men- him as na I rn Ive vo seen him as na I rn Ive vo seen No Xo hes he's merely merel made millions more millions more than ho can count handily tho the man answered with a n faint taint very faint Mind Und Hm not saying I know It St St. but It has somehow pot got ot through m my head that hes he's tired of or making money an and now hOW wants want to play with It Wonder how Midvale would take It If It ho came here horo and played with It by giving It for a park paik Why h hI I should say sav a wed we'd welcome him himas as aR a noble nobie and patriotic native son on onless onless onless on- on less he wanted franchises and things to set et up a trolley fight you ou know the quiro said doubtfully Ye YO see ECO w we had hada a 0 troley fight three years cars back and arid the upshot was we had tor walk three months with snow t two o feet foet deep ITo Ho Isn't that sort sort not not at all In fact I t dont don't believes believe you could cOl chase him fast enough to give him an any ort port of ot fran- fran clil c. c tho the man Juan an answered lifting tr the tarpaulin tarpaulin tarpaulin tar tar- paulin from tram a a. specially salient allent spot and nd pC peering underneath With Witha a satisfied chuckle huckle ho straightened and went on I If this town Is wise It will vill pet get busy busy busy- nt t once Ranson RaMon I Is coming hero here In a a. fortnight ht or so 80 Ho Ito ought to find himself him him- self famous famous In In as he Is 19 else else- where Indeed suppose ho camo an and amid 1 saw sa his statue set act up hero In front of or ortho tho the old oIl First church church lila his p people ople worshiped there them I hear why hear why hed he'd bo be about ready to tho the town and and But we But wo haven't got no It Il takes time timo to make thorn thom things the squire raid mid hi his ce eyes round his mouth hangIng open In In surprise o. o Tho The man laughed softly M My name namo Is Hartly and Hartl and andI I ht have got a statue A model rather rather- U there erf It Is just Is-just Just tho the cIa clay you OU know But It how what bronze or marble willbo willbe will willbo bo be like Suppose we set It up up-on up on speculation la lation as It were How dye dja come by It the squire asked Again Hartly Hartt laughed Ive a knack knick at such things he lie said Also I Ive I've ve Ye a knack of or adaptation adaptation- Dont Don't tell tell tell-It It would ruin us sculptors to give any awny our secrets s crets hut but wo we 00 can get exact measurements from tho the tailors after that It U Is only a matter of eye and knowing how I had nad tho the further r ad So of or seeing Ransom pretty his often often his his daughter Jau brought him to tomy tomy tomy my place she sho Is II simply dippy over or artAnd artAnd art And An eh oh h the UIA squire t sup sup- iI hig Hartly a dig die In the ribs S Say Sy 81 y lad h he went ont on tell me the I straight of all au this I J sorter like lIko your looks i It if f youre you're straight and square- square w r why id I'd know But Ill I'll eee see you through A bargain Hartly said Eald holding out his hand They walked ott orr together to the wonderment won won- derment of the crowd 0 th Midvale dv simply wall wallowed wed In excitement throughout the next month An army of habitable restorers was aa makl makinG Clead Gilead not only but luxurious another orin army smaller but lut more astonishing through h being foreign r Cl n was bu busy r In ln front of or the tho o Old First First doing something Inside of oC a high fence fence fenee something which nobody was WM permitted to see In full Adventurous lads announced from the fence top sun sun- dry and several things things things-It it was a R. h house OUse n. n grave m r ve a ft set of ot stair steps th they y were building The Tho one sure euro thing was that tho time town council had authorized th the tho work agreeing r to pay for tor it out of ot Us Its own j pocket If it need should arise i The Tho mystery rested also inside o the tho high fence fence It It had been lieen drawn there thero first I thing Hartly was there the tho best part of the time except for the days when h he wont went motoring In the big car along wit wita with a n very pretty girl whom it fetched in th the morning and took away at night He ha had lost the tho pallor of Illness Ulness grown plump plum and tanned even ruddy ruddY his his eyes ces twinkled twin twin- kled more than ever time the the squire said sight sigh of him was equal to vaudeville Indeed things were going 01 very well ell with Ith th the young man As midsummer drew on th the pretty prett girl Irl assured him solemn solemnly I If yo yoU do pull t this ls oft off without a hitch hitch why why you'll simply own dad for all the rest o ot of time Came at last Jast the great man the tho great day clay Gilead stood royally read ready to welcome wel wel- como come Its owner l stood more ronit royall royally roy roy- nit all ally ready to honor Its foremost son H He was coming comins in the big car it U was waR halted at ot the very edge of ot town looking ou out from It Ransom saw his townspeople on foot toot on horseback in procession slon sion to follow him home At least h he thought so 80 but after the hurrahing chocked checked d a n. bit a A. tall lithe fellow on horseback horseback horse horse- back led Jed the band with everything following following fol tol- fol- fol lowing around b by tho the Old First There Ther came camo a halt Ransom was halt half titled lifted halt half dragged Jt d to a a. platform beside a queer rather shapeless something wrapped d about with flags flag As he so set foot on the platform minute men fired a blank salute drums ruffled trumpets trumpet sang shrill and sweet then a tiny girl Irl snatched away the flags fias revealing Ransom Ransom Ransom Ran Ran- som n his habit as all he ho 11 lived ed fairly modeled modeled modeled mod mod- In clay As he stared his breath coming short abort the minister said loudly Ir you von ma may go SO aa as you ou have come bu but means to keep you OU In enduring Whereupon soft sort hearted after the manner of or millionaires when they thc cease from Ransom let falsome fall fal some ome tears and shook hook hands with or kl kissed ed everybody who camp came near him Perhaps he ho understood when his daughter daugh hp t ter r ramo came Int dra a a. reluctant Hartly by bj bythe bythe the hand he said too 10 low lorr for others hearing Young Yount man what willbe will wll willbe I be tho the of ot yoUr bill for this en cra answered with his Image And Hartly bravest bow Your Tour daughter not your yourd d ducats |