Show The Evening Telegrams Telegram's Daily Short Short- Story A GRAVEN IMAGE By MARTHA RTHA WILLIAMS Copyright 1013 1913 by the McClure Newspaper Newspaper News News- paper aper S Syndicate Midvale alc was aS a agog og Well Wen It might bein be In a society whose ho c epochs were cre births d deaths and marriages es aman a m mystery Bler and a motor ca car 1 all strange all In some soma occult fashion linked together all an com com- Jug jog nobody ly knew kne how or wh why wore were cre amply sufficient to lo set all tongues wagging The Th man t tame m me first b by six hours He Ho was as thin and nd tall with a face youngish bu but lined his haJ dt hands hards were Vero wasted and arul his ol n na a trifle uncertain Still ii he lIe was very macul e 1 Bett Betty the tavern ertz erh ern mId was Mas re t td avouch He had railed at nt the sheet for long IonS fresh fresl ones big enough h to lo tuck all an over the tho mattress He lie had further order ordered d the tho feather bed Into Inlo retirement and and set wide every er C one of the three big bl windows Im 1 here for 01 air understand air understand you jou ou have plenty of or It lt he lie paid ald Dont tr try to Curtains Curtains' slop stop us from coming together tog rako Take down own the lot hot of or them them- Take your rugs russ out o of sight they sight they profane floor loor floorboards boards of o real hand sawn wn oak Also ho lie had banished three perfectly good In fine tine gilt frames After that he ho had nun flung himself elf on the fresh white bed and slept like lIko a baby until baby the tho mystery appealed ed that Is to say a When Whon it halted In the turnpike fifty yards off the tavern ta gate ate folks stared hard enough h but nothing to compare with what they did when the tho who ho had bad fetched It It unhitched hIs team mounted the leader header and whisked al a away without a word sword to lo anybody The thing thinS he had hall left heft behind was full fun of angles and jutting offsets offsets so so o much was plain through a padded swathing of tarpaulin excelsior o Before real Investigation a tion determine more the motor largo large and blue with a forbidding chauffeur chauffeur cur sitting primly upright at the wheel hummed Into town and out stopping at last in front of ot Gilead gates gales and stayIng stay- stay in Ing ng there Once Gilead had been the show place of Midvale lId al Now it was a ruin picturesque esque but hard hardly I habitable It had hind stood twenty years ears tenantless but but lately ruI rumor ru ru- ru- ru mor said tho Jn last t of the family was coming com corn I tn lug ing l back to see lee after It Hence tho the apparition apparition apparition ap ap- ap- ap of or the thc halted halte l motor was not I really ally to so amazing as the other things The Ransoms owners of ot Gilead had been I rich rIch very very rich for their time lime If motors had hall been In fashion then they would have own o at least three The man slouching out Into the gazing cron crowd viewed Ien the tho mystery with eyes that twinkled Ever hear of Gilbert Ran flan Ransom som Oln ho he asked of Squire Barrow who was poking the tho mystery tentatively tentative with hl hi cane Gib Ransom Ransom Ransom Ran Ran- Th The squire snorted l. l I know knon- som Same fame ame as I did rn In my own self sell while ihle h he was In III these parts he said laid standIng stand stand- III lug Ing straighter hut makes ye ye 0 ask Has fins he done anything Out o o 0 the common cornmon com corn mon i I mean rhe The papers aint mentioned men men- him as l Ive I've e seen No Xo hes he's merely meret made mado millions more millions more than he can count handl handily the tho man answered with a faint very faint chuckle I Mind Im I'm not saying I know It but It has somehow got ot through m my head that hes he's tired of making money mone and anil now wants to play with Ith It Wonder 1 how Midvale would o take It If Ie he came here and anti played with ith It by giving it Gilead for tora R park wed we'd welcome ome him himas hima Wh Why I 1 should say as a fa a noble awl arid patriotic native o eon son onies onless on- on less ies he wanted franchises and things s to toNet set Net up a trolle trolley fight you rou ou know kno the I squire said Mid doubtfully Ye Ye see sec we had hadu hada I u u. nolle trolley fight three thre years back and the upshot was as wo had tor walk three months with snow mow two feet deep Ito Ho isn't that sort sort not not at all In fact I dont don't believe f you ou could chase chane him fast enough h to give him any sort of franchise fran fran- chise tho the man mati answered lifting the tarp tarpaulin tar tar- paulin p from a a. specially p lall- lall salient allent spot slOt mid arul peering underneath tho With a R. sa satisfied d huckle he lie straightened and went omI on om I If town Is wise it will Ill get busy bUH- bUH at nt once Ranson Is coming coining her here herIn In a 1 fortnight ht o or o- so Ho ITe ou ought ht to find himself him him- i ei self If famous famous ln In 11 halo ns 05 h lie is III else else- Indeed d. ho camo and sa saw w his status statue set up U hero in front of ot the oM old First church his church his people Wor worshiped there I hear why wh why hed he'd ho bo about read ready to the tho town But But we ut e we haven't got no and and It takes time to 11 make mako them thinS things tho the squire said ald hl his cys rs round his mouth hanging open In surprise e. Th The man laughed softly My 1 name Is 18 Hartly and and andI nd I hay hav got a statue A model rather Tather- there it la Just Is-Just Just tho the clay you yon know But It will viLl m show what hat bronze bronzo or marble will he like Suppose n we cot et cl It up up-on up on peculation speculation lation as It were How d' d dye dyo o come b by it Il the squire asked gain Again Hartl Hartly lAuGh laughed Ive Ivo a knack at such things ho hI said AI Also o I Ive I've vo a knack of or adaptation Dont Don't tell tell teU It would ruin us sculptor sculptors to give Jho r away wa our secrets hut but wo we can get exact measurements from from the tailors after that it Is only a matter of cy eye and knowing now how I ha hath had th the further advantage nd of ot seeing Ransom pretty often his often his daughter dau brought him hlin to tomy tomy tomy my place she nho Is III simply dippy over o artAnd art And eli ch the tho squire sup slip giving Hartly n a dig ii In the thc rl ribs ribs' l' l Say Hay lad he ho ho went ent on 01 tell me the lbs straight of f a all thia I sorter orter like Jlko our looks It if youre you're straight and square square- I why Id I'd know w But rn Ill 1 o you OU through I A A bargain D Hartly said holding out his hand Thc They walked off orr together to the wonderment won- won derment of ot the crowd a simply wallowed simply in excitement nt f hr throughout tho next month An array army of 01 restorers was Tas maJ mah ing Gilead not only habitable IoV but luxurious another arm army smaller C M but more astonishing through being foreign was In ln OM busy front of the Old First doing dons something o of a high i fence something fence something which nobody was waa permitted to see seo In full Adventurous lads announced from th the fence tence top sundry sundry sun sun- dry and several things things things-It It waa wae a Q house a graye Q a. set of ot stair steps Ps th they y were cre building Tho The one sure Bure thing thing- was that tha t. t the tho town council had authorized the work us to pay it out of or Its own OWl pocket If It need should bould arise 0 f The Tho mystery rested also Inside the high fence It it lt had been drawn there thero fit first thing ff Hartly was WIlS there the tho best part of ot the time except for tor the days when h ho he went ent motoring in the tho big car along wit wita with witha a very pretty girl whom it fetched in th the morning and took away at night He ha had lost Jost the tho pallor of oe Illness grown crown plump plum and tanned ev oven ruddy ruddy his his eyes twinkled twinkled twin twin- kled more than ever the over tho squire said sight sigh of him was as equal to vaudeville Indeed things were going very we well with th the young titan man As midsummer drew on th the pretty pratt girl assured him solemnly If It yo YOU do pull this off ote without a a. hitch why hitch you'll simply own dad for ah all aH the rest re t o ot of time Came at last tho the great man tho the grea great d day Gilead stood royally ready to welcome welcome wel- wel come Its owner omer ale Midvale stood moro more royally royally roy roy- ally ready to honor onor I Its ts foremost son H He was coming In the big car It was halted halte at tho the e very edge of town looking locking ou out from It Ransom saw his townspeople on foot foot on horseback in slon zion to follow fonow him hit home At least h he thought tho so 80 but after tho the hurrahing checked a bit a tan lithe fellow on hor horseback horseback horse horse- eback e- e back led the band with everything following fol fol- to- to lowing loIng around b by tho the Old First Th There rJ came a halt half Ransom was ws halt half lifted half dragged to a n. platform beside a queer rather shapeless something wrapped about with flags laSI As AB he so sot foot on tho the platform minute men fit fired a blank salute drums ruffled trumpets S sang shrill And sweet then a tin tiny girl snatched away the tho flags revealing Ransom Ran Ran- som corn in his habit as he lived od fairly modeled modeled mod rood sled In clay As ho stared his breath coming short the minister paid said loud loudly Sir Ir you may n-my go an as you jou have come but alp m means ns to keep you In enduring Whereupon soft hearted after after the manner of or mill millionaires 5 when they cease from Ransom let falsome tall fal some tears and shook hands hand with o or I kJ kj sed cd everybody who camp came near him Perhaps he lie understood when hi his daugh daugh- came ome dra dragging a a. reluctant Hartly b bj by bythe th the hand hanel Anyway he ho said too low for others other Young m man n. n what will willbo ho bo tho the size of our bill for this Image Imae And nd Hartl Hartly answered with his bravest est bow Tour Your daughter not your our tl ducats ducats' |