Show I iiI A II BY VIRGINIA SULLIVAN SULLIVA Tho The man mon lying In the shadow of oC the water tank stirred uneasily and sat up blinking furtively at the surrounding glare an and l at the gleaming tracks lying like huge serpents stretched In tho the sun At tho movement the shabby sra gray gray- green coat cont tell fell open at the neck baring for tor a moment the soiled striped shirt and hairy breast beneath He Ic clutched at the lie collar convulsively and shuddering shudder shudder- ing InS drew closer Into the shadow of at the tank The Tho sun was beating down on tho the solitary station house and on the seare seared brown fields stretching Interminably on either side of or tho the railroad Suddenly from the open windows of at a L house beyond herond lie lie- be he- yond rond the tracks tracks' came tho the soun sound of oC a n womans woman's voice singing It was o a J sweet voice and the son song song somehow somehow the I song sonS sounded familiar O ce from the heavenly gates ajar A gleaming A gleaming Love Mew Hew forth to the earth afar dreaming A A di I I Gradually tho the tense tenso position relaxed the strained hunted look hook failed faded from his face the eyes closed closed and and then then then- It was waR springtime The air was heavy with the time odor of oC wistaria The bees droned lazily among amonS' the vines and the late sunshine through the lattice screen covered the porch with broken bars hals of gold goltl A sweet-faced sweet woman sat In the doorway stroking the tousled yellow curls of or the sobbing littIe lIt lIt- tIe man In her lap and over all was the crooning lilting lullaby lullaby- Love Lovo fie flew forth to the earth afar aCar A dreaminG A dreaming He lIe stretched out his arms arms and and wol woke c I The singing has hns ceased and from the distance came the rattle and antl roar of or a a. passing freight Furtively ely he lie put up upa a grimy hand and wiped away the i tears of or his dream smiling bitterly at atthe atthe atthe the momentary weakness The sweet faced woman woman- woman thank God I was was dead and tho yellow haired boy boy boy- i 1 Involuntarily he passed l han l over the growth on his hea head The Tho yellow haired bo boy It was the old story story drink drink and the card carll table and then one night a blind thrust at a n mocking face through the thc red mist of ot hate before his eyes time the the prison walls and walls and this Ah well It would be over o soon Night and a pass- pass Ing freight would rould carr carry hire him beyond their reach and then perhaps In the new lands he could begin again ns-aln and try to live live- up to tho prom promise Iso of manhood once held h by the yellow haired bo boy Suddenly he ho started from his reverIe reverie rev rev- erie an and crouched crouche lower los the tho old hunted look on his face Footsteps and antl tho sound of ot voices In loud discussion rose from beyond the chaparral that screened the time road an and 1 presently two to men In the the coated blue l c gar garb of ot the law passed the time tank and utterly oblivious of orl the crouching figure figuro fig fig- uro ure entered tho the station house The fu fugitive tu- tu S lay still closer to the shelter with muscles tense and straining bloodshot eyes There was Vas a n distant rumble n a puff pure of smoke smoke smoke-n. a train ha had rounded round d tho the curve cur and was bearing down on the station with a J. J warning blast and and and- what was this A child child child-a a little fellow with Ith sunny S hair had hair had clambered over o the rails and now now unseen by time the men In the I doorway stood In ln the cell center tor of or tine the track gazing In eyed blue won wonder at nt atthe atthe the approaching monster The man b by the time tank sat ant up with working face and nails digging at the tho e hard baked l ground j i nO Boy he ho whispered softly softly noy Boy Ah th God Would no ono one como come Must just j he go s-o forth must forth must all these hours of oC I suffering be he for naught Those walls walls- j those walls walls' Must he then go so back back back- From the house beyond tho the track I tho the sweet oct voice rose roso a again In song and i tho the melody beat Itself against his Imis brain Punting he clenched his his' till tho the blood bloo started from the har hardened palms Once from the tho heavenly enly gates ajar I A A gleaming No Xo no a few fow hours more moro and then thon I freedom freedom- Love flow forth to the earth afar I A dreaming No Xo- Xo I I A I With nth the wall vail and the of ot a a. I j wild willi thing ho he reached tho the trucks tracks Th ThE I I child chillI was swept from tho the rails ralls there thera thoro was a shock shock-a a cry and cry and oblivion f The little roup group drew drow bade back from tram tho the I huddled form on tho the ground Tho The blood bloodshot bloodshot shot eyes were smiling and tho the blue blue- I coaled official bent down to catch the tho words Tho The parched black bluck lips moved nn arid and with a n last lust tired sigh came tho the Bobbing sobbing sob Bob bing bing- refrain I I |