Show dl SMOOTH TON v I 1 ill r miss thwaite was at home the following saturday I 1 found her in the library with lre lea Mise on tier ber knee when I 1 come came down from my room a little before lunch time and sh h looked up and gave me a smile that mode imade me feel sorry tor for any one she be bad censed ceased to smile upon i 1 1 I wanted violated to tell you I 1 said bald with nith a little awkwardness but plenty of truth ive found out that im an awful fool but something ghe she returned encouragingly at least tle the beginning of wisdom 1 I mean about mr bensley tile the mystery I 1 was absurd enough to final fencl in SImple Simp dorla ledorin I 1 want to tell you I 1 i oh I 1 know she said and although she laug laughed glied with an effect of carelessness that look which I 1 lind thought far away returned to her eyes as she spoke there was ans a certain inscrutability about miss apper thwaite sometimes it should bp be added es e if she did to be too easily rend read ive heard sit nil about it mr beasleyy Bea been appointed trustee or something for poor hamilton swifts ton son a pitiful title bitle invalid boy who invents all sorts of characters the old darky darby from over there told our cook ain bout about bill hammersley and simple florla aorta so you see I 1 understand i im glad you do I 1 said A little hardness one might even bave thought it bitterness became apparent in her expression and im glad theres somebody in th that it house at last with a little imagination from everything I 1 have henril heard I 1 returned summoning sufficient holdness boldness tt it would h be e difficult to say which lias bas more imore mr beasley or the child I 1 iler her grince fell train from mine at ibis lof not quickly enough to conceal a a hidden udden half hak startled look of trouble ii 1 I coo think thinh of no other way to express it that leaped into it and slie she row rose for the lunch hell bell was as ian il nging ing rm just finishing the death of jean 1 valjean TaIj effin you know in les miser ables she sold said as we moved to the door im always afraid ill cry over that I 1 try not to because it makes liny amy eyes red and in truth there was a vague tumor rumor of tears about her eyes not as tf if she ehe had shed them but more as if the she were going to though I 1 had not noticed it when I 1 came in that afternoon noon when I 1 reached the despatch onice I 1 was as commissioned to obtain certain political cal information from the honorable david bensley an assignment I 1 aci cepter with enger eagerness notwithstanding the commiseration it brought me from one or two to of my boy fello fellows wt in the reporters room you wont pet get any thang thing out of him I 1 they said and they were true prophets I 1 found him looking over some documents in lite his onice office a reflective unlighted elgar in the corner of ills his month his chair tilted bock back and ills feet on OB a windowsill window sill ile he nodded upon my statement of the affair that brought me arid and without shifting his position pave gave me a look of slow but wholly friendly scrutiny over his shoulder eh and bade me sit down I 1 began at once to put the questions I 1 away told to ask him loter rogat ions be irined to believe satisfactorily answered by slowly and stroking the left side of his chin with two long iong fingers of cf his right hand the valle ivalle ne united smiled in genial contemplation of a tarred roof beyond the window now and then lie he would give me ia a mild end drawling word or two not illuminative it may be remarked ked well about that he be beligan I 1 once nee and nd then came immediately to a full fall stop 4 I 1 said hopefully my pencil poli poised sed about that I 1 gues yes yen mr Beux leyrl I 1 encouraged him blim for he seemed to have dried up well welk sir I 1 guess you better tee see tome some one else about that with the air of a man who would be but too fluent and copious I 1 upon any subject in the world except the ithe one ilor point I 1 I 1 never met a else who looked jo 0 communicative imd fund man ged to say any so little in filet he say ray nt nil 11 nail and I 1 guessed that thin faculty was not without its value alue in lilt ills career disastrous as it bad proved to his private happl hinesl lilt ililda of silence moreover iwas wag not cultivated you pet that tip mp secret of it wa waif if that tie lie was wag born quiet my lly nola hook remained and nd fl null lit at some ome oid odd erosion 0 of I 1 hll big by a laibl ll ibl I 1 laughed outright and he did toot tool ile he joined cachin nations w with 11 th me heartily and with a twinkling hint somehow pave gave me the iden idea that he might he be thinking rather apologetically to blin himself self yes sir that old beasley man Is certainly a mighty funny crit critter terl 1 when I 1 went away a few moments later and left him still intermittently chuckling the impression remained with me that he lind had tome forne such deprecatory and surreptitious thought two or three days after that as I 1 started downtown down dowd town train from mrs apper th waltes densley casley ll came out olit of hl gate bound in the same direction lie he glive gave me a look of gay recognition and offered his hand bond saying well up to in this his neighborhood 1 as if thit that were a matter of considerable astonishment I 1 mentioned chati was a neighbor nd we walked on together I 1 dont hink he be spoke again except for a well sirl or t two to o of genial surprise at something I 1 sold said and now and then you dont tell mel which he S ai if w I 1 10 dowden beasley and I 1 all slid down the Banit banisters on an one of tho the hamilton swift junior days day had a roost most eloquent way of exclaiming in but he listened visibly to my own on talk and laughed at everything tit that I 1 meant for funny I 1 never knew anybody who gave one a greater responsiveness lie he seem seemed ed to be with you every instant and aad how hoa he be made you feel it was the true mystery of beasley Ee asley this silent man mho never talked except as my cousin said to children it happened that I 1 thus thug met him as we were nere both bolt starting down dovin town arid and walked on with him blui several days in succession in a word it became a habit then one afternoon as I 1 turned to leave him at the despatch lie he asked me it if I 1 would drop in nt at ills his house the next day for a cigar before I 1 started I 1 did and lie he asked me it if I 1 would come again the day after that so this became a habit too A fortnight elapsed before I 1 met hamilton swift junior for he be poor little father of dream children could be no spectator of track events upon the lawn but lay in his bed upstairs Llo however wever he be grew better at last and my presentation took place we had just finished our clears cigars la in beasleyy Beas Bea leya airy old fashioned sitting room and were rising to so go when there come came the faint creaking of small wheels from the hall bull beasley turned to me ine with the apologetic and monosyllable chuckle that hat was wa distinctly lite bin alone ive got a little chap here he be said then went to the door bob the old darky appeared in the doorway rushing pushing a little wagon like a re chaar on wheels and in ia it sat hamilton swift junior my first impression of him was that hint he was all eyes I 1 look bt at anything else for it a time and was hardly conscious of the lie rest of that wea zoned peaked little face arid and the under sized v ulily asp of a body with its pathetic adjuncts of metal and leathea lea I 1 think they wre ane brightest ees I 1 ever saw nis as keen ard and intelligent bot as a wicked om old wor worming mins withal a 1 l rut rul and cheery an 01 the eyes ot of a better pup hov ray thus atho the honorable sir mr beasley Be ogley waving d handkerchief thrice around lite hla head and thrice cheering and the child in that crickets cricket voice of 0 his replied dr br r ra vo I 1 this was the form of salutation familiarly mili mill arly tn in use between them beasley followed it by inquiring who with us ug today im mister blister swift chirped the little fellow mister mis ter swift sim if you please cousin david Bensi bonsley ey beasley executed a formal bow there Is a gentleman here like to meet you and he presented me with some ome grave phrases commendatory of my general character addressing the child as mister blister S gift whereupon hereupon mister blister swift gave me ghostly title hand and professed him self glad to meet me and besides rie cie he added to reasley beasley theres bill hammersley Hamin ersley and mr corley A taint faint perplexity manifested it iteld telf upon beasleyy Bea face at this a shadow which cleared at once when nhen I 1 asked it if I 1 might not cot be permitted to meet these persona personages personates perso nates hes remarking that I 1 had heard from dowden of bill hammersley though until now a stranger to the fame of sir mr corley Li abridge beasley performed the ceremony will wilh intentional elegance while the boys hoy great eyes swept gloIn glowingly gly from his cousins face to mine nod and back abir I 1 bowed and shook hands with the air once to my left and once to my right and cried mister blister swift enjoy Simp ledoria above all things I 1 said can he shake hands some dogs con can watch him I 1 mister blister swift lifted it a commanding finger Simp ledoria shake hands 1 I 1 knelt beside the wagon and shook tin nn imaginary big paw at tills this mister blister swift again shook hands with me and allowed me to ver vercele cehe in his luat rous regard a solemn commendation and approval in this wise was my initiation into the beautiful old house and the cordiality of its Inn inmates intes completed and I 1 became a familiar of david beasley and his ward with the privilege to go and come as I 1 pleased there was waa always gay and friendly welcome elcome I 1 always come came for the elgar cigar after lunch nome sometimes times for lunch itself sometimes 1 7 dined there instead ot of down town toun and row now and then when it happened that an errand or assignment took me that way in the lie afternoon I 1 would run in and ilsie isit awhile with hamilton swift junior and its his circle of friends friend there were days clays of course when his attacks were upon him and only beasley and the doctor and old dob bob saw him I 1 do not know what the boys boy mental condition was wag at such times but m when ben he be was better and could bo be wheeled heeled about the house and again receive callers he be displayed an almost dismaying activity of mind it was ans active enough certainly to keep far ahead of my own and he was masterful still beasley find and dowden and I 1 were mere never directly chidden for in subordination though made to wince painfully by the look of troubled our aur prise that met us when we were no not quick enough to catch his meaning the order of the day with ith him nl at wass began with the aioo ray and dr br r ra vo of greeting after which we were to inquire chos with us today whereupon he would make known the character in which he elected to be received for the occasion if lie he announced himself as mister swift everything was to be very grownup grown up and decorous deco roua indeed formalities mali ties and distances were observed ond and mr corley an elderly personage of great dignity and distinction as a mountain climber was much oftener included in the conversation than bill hammersley if however he declared himself to be hamilton swift junior which was his wood mood bill hammersley and simple dorla were in the ascendant and there were nere games and contests dowden beasley and I 1 all still slid town down the he banisters on one of the hamilton swift junior days at which really picturesque spectacle the boy almost cried with ith laughter and old bob and his wife who carrie running from the kitchen did cry TIP fir had a third at appellation for blin himself self just little ham liton but this was only when hen the creaky voice could hardly chirp at nil all and the face was drawn to one side aide with suffering when lie he told us be was just little hamilton we were very quiet once for ten days life his invisibles all went awny away on a visit hamilton swift junior had become interested in bears white while this lasted all of bella beat leys trousers were an dowden wild sold a eight bight for that matter dowdee himself was quite hoarse in court from growling p so much the bears were dismissed abruptly bin bill nam ro in ersley and mr corley Lin lindridge bridge and Simple dorla came trooping hack back unit and with them they brought that wonderful family the TO BE BB CONTINUED |