Seven Miles to Arden

n the making of a distance or the reaching of a destination. Since they had left the cross-roads church behind Patsy had marked the tinker casting furtive glances along the way t

fear a trailing of constables at his heels; and yet-and yet hi

good half-hour before. When the tinker saw it he reached of a sudden for Patsy's hand while he po

k the road along with me I'll show you wh

wung himself after her, an odd wisp of a smile twisting the corners of his mouth, just such a smile

ously, running his fingers exultantly through the green leaves that carpeted the

uscious as if they had been planted in Elysian fields for Arcadian folk to gather. "T

'n that; I know where to find yellow lady's-slip

g out more and more to her liking. "Could

r bashfully. "Woul

was flat on the ground beside him, her

ighboring timothy, that had a whole county full of constables been ab

m had whirled past, attendant on a sorrel mare and runabout. They ate until the road was quite empty once

e's daughter ever tasted anything half as sweet as those berries on her road to Arden; or, for that matter, if she fou

ered cap unexpectedly and

ated Patsy. "Ye'll be telling me

ar-away, bewildered look of fear came back to his eyes.

t! Ye are a rare combination, even for an Irish tinker; but if ye are a fair sampl

meled laugh of youth, while he saucily mimicked her Irish brogue. "Sure, 'tis

f story-books-when poets and saints, kings' sons and-tinkers journeyed afar to prove their manhood in deeds instead of inheritances; when it was no shame to live by one's wits or ask hospitality at any strange door. Ah-those were the days! And yet-and yet-could not those days be given back to the world a

Book-the tales of Christ with his fishermen, wandering about, looking for some good deed to do, some helpfulness to give, some word of good cheer to speak; and we pray, 'Father, make us good-even as Thou wert.' And what does it all mean? We hurry through the streets afeared to stop on the corner and succor a stranger, or ashamed to sp

ked over at her with a puzzled fro

reed, "and I'm wishing Arden was

ed his head and grinned s

pecting village. The well-tarred sidewalks, the freshly painted meeting-house neighboring the engine-house "No. 1," the homes with their well-mowed lawns in f

-or New Canaan. 'Twould be a grand place, though, to shut in all the Wilfred Peterson-Joneses, to keep them off

from one shoulder to the

street with a lusty chorus of growls and snarls and sharp, staccato yaps. There were the children, too, of course; the older ones followed hot-foot after the dogs; th

ith a grim little smile, and glanced across at the tinker. He was blushing fierce

uch a fool I can't feel somethin'. Don't you reckon I know the shame i

for a minute that if ye had been a rich man's son in grand clothes-and manners to match-I'd ever have tramped a millimeter with ye?" She smiled coax

o wrap around their real feelings and human impulses, ever know about their neighbors who come in to drink tea with them? And what do the neighbors in turn know about them? If I had my way, I'd tumble the whole sit-by-the-fire-and-gossip world out of doors and set them tramping the road to somewhere;

tinker, devoutly,

the changed disposition of their circling escort until a cold, inquisitive nose and a warm, friendly tongue brought them to themselves. Greetings were returned in kind; heads were patted

d the dogs and the childther to say a good word for us-faith! the grown-ups might forget how terribly respectable they were and make us welcome for one night." A sudden thought caught her memory. "I was almost forgetting why I had come. Hunt up a shop for me, lad, will ye? Ther

she

encircling mass of shingled heads, bobby curls, pigtails and hair-ribbons. Deaf little ears were being turned to parental calls for supper-a stat

r than ye can tell me-and twice as happy as I can tell ye

tinker, soberly. "'A window for every day in the year' would

's end." She turned to the eager faces about her, waiting for more. "Are ye still there? Faith! what have I been hearing this half-hour but hungry childther being called for tea. 'Twas 'Joseph' from the house across the

ched the others go and then crept closer, held by the spell of the tale. He pull

s his question, "Aye, as true

hat? Would he find-whatever he was wishin' for?" And even as he spoke his eyes

wn-was upon him. "Hearken to me: 'Tis only safe for a little lad to be going when he has three things to fetch with him-the wish to find something worth the bringing home, the knowledge of what makes good company along the way, and

but content; and his e

"Who knows-he may find great

nto her lap, but she scarcely heeded him. Her eyes were looking ou

er up all the childther hereabouts, eager, hungry-hearted childther with mothers too busy or dea

fortunes?" ask

ntirely! There'd be singing hearts that had learned to sing above trouble; there'd be true fellowship-the kind that finds brotherhood in beggars as well as-as prime ministers; there'd be peace of soul-not the kind that n

hoosin' gold for a for

k her head

y n

fists against the gathering dark. "I hate gold, along with the meanness and

along without it," remi

bribing, starving gold-that's the kind I mean, the kind that gets into a man's heart and vein

ht the-I thought the ci

ne I'm thinking of now; an

stupidly. "How d'you

'm as hungry as an alley cat-and as tired as two. Ye'd never dream, to hear me talking, that I'd never had much more than a cro

d she chanced to catch it before it flickered out, it might have puzzled even her O'Connell wits to fathom the meaning of it. For it was

I'll-I'll-" He did not finish; instead he dropped a few coins in her hand, the change from the half-dollar. The

ing the street with two goblets and a pitcher hugged tight in his arms. They never looked up until the things were s

ngingly, as if there was more he wanted to ask; but, overcome with a sudden bashful confusion, he took to

h another grave bow, and, touching his to hers, said, soberly

amused; then she raised her glass slowly in

ter these and return Joseph's pitcher while she went to get "t

s Patsy entered and acknowledged her "Good evening" with that perfect indifference, the provincial cloak in habitual use for concealing the most absolute curiosity. The storekeeper graciously laid the hospitality of his stool and counter and kerosene-lamp at her feet; in othe

o the choosing?" Then she remembered the thing above all others that she needed to know, and swung about on the stool

ch felle

d. "Have yo

mphatic negative. "Nope," volunteered the storekeeper; "too e

ure? Do yo

ef he'd been hangin' round, sartin. Hain't been not

confirmed t

he should have been here last night, to-day at the latest. I

le the quorum cackled in appreciation; "but

ter, her head followed, and she sat th

the storekeeper. "She 'ain

hen she denied the fact-in person. "Where am I?

y, this i

anon! Sounds more like

ews that interested her: Burgeman, senior, was critically ill; he had been ill for some time, but there had been no cause for apprehensio

hey'd only fix her with the evil eye, or wish such a homesickness and lovesickness on her th

l-known theatrical managerial firm in New York, and an old friend and well-wisher of Patsy's. In it she explained, partly, her continued sojourn in America, and frankly confessed to her financial needs. If he had anything anywhere

ring anything too small. Just at present I'm like o

athwart the counter. Patsy looked up to

m. "I want you to come along with me. Will you, lass? I've found a place for you-a nice pl

all his senses-whether she was going to laugh or cry. As it turned out, she did neither; she just sig

ed up impulsive, trusting hands to his shoulders: "Lad-lad-how were ye ever guessing that I'd reached the end o' my wits and was needi

tly for a moment. For a brief space there was a scraping of chai

Green County sheriff say he was aft

t?" suggested on

d what sort o' clothes

chorused

ion of the recently vacated stool-"she was small, warn't she? An' s

odded in sol

he "boys." He couldn't have been a day over seventy, and it was m

him instead. "Si Perkins, that's not for you to say-nor me, neither. That's up to Green County; an' I cal'ate I'll 'phon

heir thumbs again and