Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 June 1919 — GREEN FANCY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

GREEN FANCY

by GEORGE BARR Mc CUTCHEON

Author “CRAUSTARK," THE HOLLOW OF HER HAND," “THE 4 PRINCE OF CRAUSTARK." ETC

SYNOPSIS. CHAPTER I—Thomas K. Barn**, wealthy New Yorker, on a walking trip through New England, la caught In a atorm miles from hla destination. At a crossroads point he meats a girl In tna game plight. While they discuss tha situation an automobile, sent to meet the girl, arrives and Barnes Is given a lift to Hart’s tavern, while the ftrl la taken on to her destination, which she tells Barnes Is a place called Oreen Fancy. CHAPTER ll—At the tavern Barnes falls In with a stranded troupe of "barnstorming” actors, headed by Lyndon Rushcroft, and becomes Interested In (hem. CHAPTER 111. |Mr. Rushcroft Dissolves, Mr. Jones im. . tervenes, and Two Men Ride Away. ' Mr. Rushcroft explained that he had bad hla supper. In fact, he went on to confess, he had been compelled, like the dog, to “speak” for It What iconld be more disgusting, more degrading, he mourned, than the spectacle j>f a man who had appeared In all of the principal theaters of the land aa Star and leading support to stars, settling for his supper by telling stories kind reciting poetry In the taproom 'pt a tavern? • - 5 “Still,” he consented, when Mr. Barnes Insisted that It would be a kindness to him, “since yon put it that jway, I dare say I could do with a little Knack, as yon so aptly pnt it Jnst a bite or two. What have you ready, Bliss Tilly r Miss Tilly was a buxom female of forty or thereabouts, with spectacles. Bhe was one of a pair of sedentary (waitresses who had been so long In the lemploy of Mr. Janes that he hated the eight of them. Mr. Rushcroft’s conception of a bite <or two may have staggered Barnes but it did not bewilder Miss Tilly. He had four eggs with his ham, and iother things in proportion. He talked k great deal, proving In that way that It was a supper well worth speaking for. Among other things he dilated St great length upon his reasons for not being a member of the Players or the Lambs In New York city. It seems that he had promised his dear, devoted pvlfe that he would never Join a dub bf any description. Dear old girl, he would as soon have cut off his right hand as to break any promise made to her. He brushed something away from his eyes, and his chin, contracting, trembled slightly. “What Is -it, Mr. Bacon? Any word from New York?”

Mr. Bacon hovered near, perhaps hungrily. “Our genial host has Instructed me to say to his latest guest that the rates are two dollars a day, In advance, all dining-room checks payable i>n presentation,” said Mr. Bacon, apologetically. Rushcroft exploded. “O scurvy Insult,” he boomed. “Confound his —” The new guest was amiable. He Interrupted the outraged star. “Tell Mr. Jones that I shall settle promptly,” he said with a smile. “It has just entered his bean that you may be an actor, Mr. Banes,” said Bacon. Miss Tilly, overhearing, drew a step or two nearer. A sudden interest In ( Mr. Barnes developed. ' She had not noticed before that he was an uncommonly good-looking fellow. She always had said that she adored strong, “athaletic” faces. Later on she felt inspired to Jot down, for use no doubt In some future . literary production, a concise, though j general, description of the magnificent j Mr. Barnes. She utilized the back of j the bill of fare and she wrote with j the feverish ardor of one who dreads the loss of a first impression. I herewith append her visual estimate of the hero of this story: “He was a tall, Bhapely specimen pf mankind, "wrote Miss Tilly. “BroadShouldered. Smooth-shaved face. Penjetrating gray eyes. Short, curly hair about the color of mine. Strong hands of good shape. Face tanned considerable. Heavy dark* eyebrows. Good teeth, very white. Square chin. Lovely smile that seemed to light up the room for everybody within hearing. Nose ideal. Mouth same. Voice aristocratic and reverberating with education. Age about thirty or thirty-one. Rich as Croesus. Wellturned legs. Would make a good nobleman.” All this would appear to bejjeasonhbly definite were It not for the note regarding the color of his hair. It leaves to me the simple task of completing the very admirable description iof Mr. Barnes by announcing that Miss Tilly’s hair was an extremely jdark brown. Also It is advisable to append the following, biographical information: Thomas Kingsbury Barnes, engineer, born In Montclair, N. J., September 26, 1885. Cornell and Beaux Arts, Paris. Son of the late Stephen 8. Barnes, engineer and Edith (Valentine) Barnes. Oflice, Metropolitan <

building, New York city. Residence, Amsterdam mansion. Clubs: (Lack of space prevents Hating them here). Recreations, golf, tennis and horseback riding. Fellow of the Royal Geographical sodety. Member of the. Loyal Legion and the Sons of the American Revolution. Added to this, the mere announcement that he was In a position to. Indulge a fancy for long and perhaps aimless walking tours through more or less out-of-the-way sections of his own country, to say nothing of excursions In Europe. He was rich. Perhaps not as riches are measured In these Mldas-llke days, but rich beyond the demands of avarice. Hla legacy had been an ample one. The fact that he worked hard at his profession from one year’s end to the other—-not excluding the six devoted to mentally productive Jannts —is proof sufficient that he was not content to subsist on the fruits of another man’s enterprise. He was a worker.

The first fortnight of a proposed six weeks’ Jaont through upper New England terminated when he laid aside his heavy pack in the- little bedroom at Hart’s Tavern. Cockcrow would find him ready and eager to begin his third week. At«least bo he thought But truth Is, he had come to his Journey’s end; he was not to sling his pack for many a day to come. After setting the mind of the landlord at rest Barnes declined Mr. Rushcroft’B Invitation to “quaff” a cordial with him In the taproom, explaining that he was exceedingly tired and Intended to retire early. Instead of going np to hla room Immediately, however, he decided to have a look at the weather. Hla uneasiness concerning the young woman of the crossroads Increased as he peered at the wall of Slackness /looming up beyond the circle of light. She was somwhere outside that sinister black wall and In the smothering grasp of those Invisible hills, but was she living or dead? Had she reached her Journey’s end safely? He tried to extract comfort from the confidence she had expressed in the ability and Integrity of the old man who drove with far greater recklessness than one would have looked for In a wild and Irresponsible youngster. He recalled with a thrill the Imperious manner In which she gave directions to the man, and his surprising servility. It suddenly occurred to him that she was no ordinary person; he was rather amazed that he had not thought of It before. Moreover, now that he thought of It, there was, even in the agreeable rejoinders she had made to his offerings, the faint suggestion of an accent that should have struck him at the time but did not for the obvious reason that he was then not at all Interested In her. Her English was so perfect that he had failed to detect the almost Imperceptible foreign flavor that now took definite form In his reflections. He tried to place this accent Was it French or Italian or Spanish? Certainly It was not German. He took a few turns up and down the long porch, stopping finally at the upper end. The clear, inspiring clang

of a hammer on an anvil fell suddenly upon his ears. He looked at his watch. The hour was nine, certainly an unusual time for men to be at work In a forge. He remembered two men In the taproom who were bare-armed tend wore the shapeless feather aprons

or toe amitny. He bad been standing there not more than half a minute peering in the direction from whence carte the rhythmic bang of the anvil—at no great distance, be was convinced—when some one spoke suddenly at hla elbow. He whirled and found hlmeelf facing the gaunt landlord. “Good Lord! Yon startled me,” he exclaimed. Hla gaze traveled past the tall figure of Putnam Jones and rested on that of a second man, who leaned, with legs crossed and arms folded, against the porch post directly In front of the entrance to the house, his features almost wholly concealed by the broad-brimmed slouch hat that came far down over his eyes, ne, too, it seemed to Barnes, had sprung from nowhere. “Fierce night,” said Puttoam Jones, removing the corncob pipe from his Ups. Then, us an afterthought, “Where’ll yon walk from today?” “I slept In a farmhouse last night, about fifteen miles south of this place, I should say.” “That’d be a little ways ont of East Oobb,” speculated Mr. Jones. - “Fire or six miles.” “Goln’ over Into Canada?” “No. I shall turn west, I think, and strike for the Lake Champlain country.” “J suppose you've traveled right smart In Europe?” “Quite a bit, Mr. Jones.” “Any partlc’lar part?” “No,” said Barnes, suddenly divining that he was being “pumped.” “One end to the other/you might say.” “What about them countries down around Bulgaria and Roumanla? I’ve been considerable Interested In what’a going to become of them If Germany gets licked. What do they get out of It, either way?” Barnes spent the next ten mlnntes expatiating upon the future of the Balkan states. Jones had little to say. He was Interested, and drank In all the information thnt Barnes had to impart. He puffed at hla pipe, nodded hla head from time to time, and occasionally put a leading question. And quite as abruptly as he Introduced the topic he changed It.

“Not many automobiles up here this time o' the year,” he said. ‘1 was a little surprised when you said a feller had given you a lift Where from?” “The- crossroads a mile down. He came from the direction of Frogg*s Corner and was on his way to meet someone at Spanish Falls. It apyears that there was a misunderstanding. The driver didn’t meet the train, so the person he was going after walked all the way to the forks. We happened upon each other there, Mr. Jones, and we studied the signpost together. She was bound for a place called Green Fancy.” “Did you say she?”

“Yea. I was proposing to help her out of her predicament when the belated motor came racing down the slope.” “What for sort of looking lady was she?”

“She wore a veil,” said Barnes succinctly. "Young?”

"I had that impression. By the way, Mr. Jones, what and where is Green Fancy?” “Well,” began the landlord, lowering his voice, “it’s about two mile and a half from here, up the mountain. It’s ffehouse and people live in It, same as any other house. That’s about all there is to say about it.” “Why is It called Green Fancy?” “Because It’s a green house,” replied Jones succinctly. “Green as a gourd. A man named. Curtis built it a couple o’ years ago and he had a fool Idee about naintin’ It green.

Might ha’ bwo a little craay, rer an I know. Anyhow, aft or he got It finished be settled down to live In it, end from thst dsy to this he’s never been ofTn the piece." •Mnn’t It possible thst he Isn't there St alir "He’s there, all right Every now and then he has visitor*—Juat like thi« woman today—and sometimes they come down here for supper. They don’t hesitate to speak of him, so he mast be there. Miss Tilly has got the Idee thst he Is a recluse, If you know what that Is." Further conversation was Inter* rupted by the Irregular clatter of horses’ hoofs on the macndain. Off to the left a dull red glow of light spread across the roadway and a man’s voice called out, "Whoa, dung ye!” The door of the smithy had been thrown open and someone was leading forth freshly shod horses. A moment later the horses—prancing, high-spirited anlmnls their bridle bits held b.v a strapping blacksmith, came Into view. Barnes looked In the direction of thb steps. The two men had disappeared. Instead of stopping directly In front of the steps the smith led his charges quite n distance bpyond und Into the darkness. Putnam Jones abruptly changed his position. lie Insinuated his long body between Barnes and the doorwny, ut the same time rather lng thut the rain appeared to be over. “Yes. sir," he repented, “she seems to have let up altogether. Ought to have a nice day tomorrow. Mr. Barnes ’—nice, cool day for walkin’." Voices came up from, the darkness. Jones had not been able to cover them with his own. Barnes caught two or three sharp commands, rising shove the pawing of horses’ hoofs, and then a great clatter as the mounted horsemen rode off In the direction of the crossroads. Barnes waited until they were muffled by distance and then turned to Jones with the laconic remark: “They seem to be foreigners, Mr. Jones.” Jones’ manner became natural once more. lie leaned against one of the posts and, striking a match on his leg, relighted his pipe. “Kind o’ curious about ’em?" he drawled. “It never entered my mind until this Instant to be curious," said Barnes. “Well, It entered their minds about an hour ago to be curious about you,” said the other. (TO BE) CONTINUED.)

Some One Spoke Suddenly at His Elbow.