The Boss of Little Arcady

t, he displayed, as the days went by, a spiritual uplift that fell but little short of arrogance. He did not permit any reason to be revealed for

n of their editor. Their general tone had been negative. Now they spoke in a lightsome tone of self-sufficiency. They were gay, even jaunty. It was in this very epoch that

r eye on

all

e clear and

er prospe

ically to the incubus o

t that Waterloo was a victory as well as a defeat. Two men met it, a

saw no reason to be impressed by a vaunting

but sober. The Banner still challenged the world with i

s feet, freely to be partaken of did he choose, it is true that his face showed lines of restraint, a serene restraint, like unto that which the great old painters limned so beautifully upon the face of the martyr. But the martyrs of old in their ecstasy were not more resolute than Potts. It is probable that he looked forward to a period

of a heated iron, but his virtue burgeoned under stress and flowered to beauty in the sight of men. It was understo

the mere playfulness of an excellent butcher unpractised in sarcasm. His offer to supply, free of cost, a quantity of pi

le of mechanism, so swift, so potent, and wrought with a talent so masterly, that the right of it

Solon Denney was raised to a height so dizzy that even the erstwhile sceptic spirit of Westley Keyts abased itself bef

int enough of his secret to those who knew him well, I w

rushed over to the Argus office, knowing that he

In the broken chair by the littered desk sat Billy Durgin, his eyes ablaze with the lust of the chase. As I pushed into the dingy little room S

l J. Rodney Potts of this town, will arrive here fr

find them eage

true?"

t the lady on the arrival of the

what o

t 'what of it.' I may say that we hope there will be a good deal of it. I gather as much from the correspondence of the last three weeks with the lady referred to in that simple galley proof, which I set up and pull

detective turned

his brow contracting to a scowl that boded no good

dvance of its publication. To-morrow, when every one knows it, Potts might be rash enough to stay and brave it out. Being advised to-day, priva

, passed a hand caressingly over his hip pocket,

I asked, as Billy's footsteps

e she quite knows what she's coming to. She speaks in a strange manner of her hope that she may be able to do good among us, and in her last letter she wants to kno

lk and lowered his

rom her,-it's just possible that Potts had his reasons. I don't

re," he went on more lightly. "P

e heard the clatter of his boots on the stairway. Breathless, he entered and stood before us, his coolne

od! Now tell us all about it-just what you said and just

ered Billy, not yet equal

aths before he was again the cold,

d floor of the Eubanks Block. As good luck would have it, he was alone by hisself, wal

say, 'Not a word above a whisper, or I'll send this bullet through your craven heart!' and he'd fall down on his knees and beg me in vain for mer

guilty start, his face blanched with horror, and he his

it will go hard with you-they're both comin',' I says,-'this one's comin' next week and the other one's comin' the week after, soon as she can git some sewin' done up.' Me?-I was leadin' him on, you understand-for we hadn't knowed t

ys. 'We'll have the whole lot of 'em here inside of six weeks-child

there words bitterly! I will not brook your dastardly insults,' I says, 'and besides,' I

have made a stouter heart quail before it, but I returned his glare fearlessly and backed swif'ly to the door, feel

slender but important vertebrae of fact upon which Billy had organized t

y's work, William Durgin!" a

im know we thought there

l had said 'Which one?' Well, it's Potts's move now. If he doesn't move, we'll just add this to the item: 'Mrs. J. Rodney Potts, wife of Colonel

d-he was yearning for

not a word about the second lady. We won

had borrowed twenty dollars from the same trustful tradesman; that, his cane in one hand and his oilcloth valise in the other, he had walked

is came from "Big Joe" Kestril. The two had met at the depot and drunk fra

me out of town,"

said

Potts to come here

remain and be a credit to the town and a lot more like that, good and strong. Then when I do consent to remain, why, what do they do? Do they grasp my hand and say, 'Ah, good old Potts-stanch Potts, loyal Potts-good for you-you won't desert the town!' Do they talk that way? No, they do not. Instead of talking like a body would think they'd talk af

and they drank of the liquor until the Colonel had time to lament his improvidence in bringing away so little of it. And by the time Big J

ll arrive here next Thursday from Boston, Massachusetts, to make her home among us. She is an estim

ner's first page was its

ER! POTTS TH

Argus in similar type

OUNTY JUDGE. THE TROUBLE WITH T