Green fancy

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Green Fancy, by George Barr McCutcheon This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Green Fancy Author: George Barr McCutcheon Release Date: June, 2004 [EBook #5871] First Posted: September 15, 2002 Last Updated: May 10, 2019 Language: English *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GREEN FANCY *** Etext produced by Charles Aldarondo, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team HTML file produced by David Widger GREEN FANCY By George Barr Mccutcheon 1917 CONTENTS CHAPTER I — THE FIRST WAYFARER AND THE SECOND WAYFARER MEET AND PART ON THE HIGHWAY CHAPTER II — THE FIRST WAYFARER LAYS HIS PACK ASIDE AND FALLS IN WITH FRIENDS CHAPTER III — MR RUSHCROFT DISSOLVES, MR JONES INTERVENES, AND TWO MEN RIDE AWAY CHAPTER IV — AN EXTRAORDINARY CHAMBERMAID, A MIDNIGHT TRAGEDY, AND A MAN WHO SAID "THANK YOU" CHAPTER V — THE FARM-BOY TELLS A GHASTLY STORY AND AN IRISHMAN ENTERS CHAPTER VI — CHARITY BEGINS FAR FROM HOME, AND A STROLL IN THE WILDWOOD FOLLOWS CHAPTER VII — SPUN-GOLD HAIR, BLUE EYES, AND VARIOUS ENCOUNTERS CHAPTER VIII — A NOTE, SOME FANCIES, AND AN EXPEDITION IN QUEST OF FACTS CHAPTER IX — THE FIRST WAYFARER, THE SECOND WAYFARER, AND THE SPIRIT OF CHIVALRY ASCENDANT CHAPTER X — THE PRISONER OF GEEEN FANCY, AND THE LAMENT OF PETER THE CHAUFFEUR CHAPTER XI — MR SPROUSE ABANDONS LITERATURE AT AN EARLY HOUR IN THE MORNING CHAPTER XII — THE FIRST WAYFARER ACCEPTS AN INVITATION, AND MR DILLINGFORD BELABOURS A PROXY CHAPTER XIII — THE SECOND WAYFARER RECEIVES TWO VISITORS AT MIDNIGHT CHAPTER XIV — A FLIGHT, A STONE-CUTTER'S SHED, AND A VOICE OUTSIDE CHAPTER XV — LARGE BODIES MOVE SLOWLY,—BUT MR SPROUSE WAS SMALLER THAN THE AVERAGE CHAPTER XVI — THE FIRST WAYFARER VISITS A SHRINE, CONFESSES, AND TAKES AN OATH CHAPTER XVII — THE SECOND WAYFARER TRANSFORMED, AND MARRIAGE IS FLOUTED IS CHAPTER XVIII — MR SPROUSE CONTINUES TO BE PERPLEXING, BUT PUTS HIS NOSE TO THE GROUND CHAPTER XIX — A TRIP BY NIGHT, A SUPPER, AND A LATE ARRIVAL CHAPTER XX — THE FIRST WAYFARER HAS ONE TREASURE THRUST UPON HIM—AND FORTHWITH CLAIMS ANOTHER CHAPTER XXI — THE END IN SIGHT CHAPTER I — THE FIRST WAYFARER AND THE SECOND WAYFARER MEET AND PART ON THE HIGHWAY A solitary figure trudged along the narrow road that wound its serpentinous way through the dismal, forbidding depths of the forest: a man who, though weary and footsore, lagged not in his swift, resolute advance Night was coming on, and with it the no uncertain prospects of storm Through the foliage that overhung the wretched road, his ever-lifting and apprehensive eye caught sight of the thunder-black, low-lying clouds that swept over the mountain and bore down upon the green, whistling tops of the trees At a cross-road below he had encountered a small girl driving homeward the cows She was afraid of the big, strange man with the bundle on his back and the stout walking stick in his hand: to her a remarkable creature who wore "knee pants" and stockings like a boy on Sunday, and hob-nail shoes, and a funny coat with "pleats" and a belt, and a green hat with a feather sticking up from the band His agreeable voice and his amiable smile had no charm for her He merely wanted to know how far it was to the nearest village, but she stared in alarm and edged away as if preparing to break into mad flight the instant she was safely past him with a clear way ahead "Don't be afraid," he said gently "And here! Catch it if you can." He tossed a coin across the road It struck at her feet and rolled into the high grass She did not divert her gaze for the fraction of a second "I'm a stranger up here and I want to find some place to sleep for the night Surely you have a tongue, haven't you?" By dint of persuasive smiles and smirks that would have sickened him at any other time he finally induced her to say that if he kept right on until he came to the turnpike he would find a sign-post telling him where to get gasolene "But I don't want gasolene I want bread and butter," he said "Well, you can git bread an' butter there too," she said "Food fer man an' beast, it says." "A hotel?" "Whut?" "A boarding-house?" he substituted "It's a shindy," she said, painfully "Men get drunk there Pap calls it a tavern, but Ma says it's a shindy." "A road-house, eh?" She was puzzled—and silent "Thank you You'll find the quarter in the grass Good-bye." He lifted his queer green hat and strode away, too much of a gentleman to embarrass her by looking back If he had done so he would have seen her grubbing stealthily in the grass, not with her brown little hands, but with the wriggling toes of a bare foot on which the mud, perhaps of yesterday, had caked She was too proud to stoop At last he came to the "pike" and there, sure enough, was the sign-post A huge, crudely painted hand pointed to the left, and on what was intended to be the sleeve of a very stiff and unflinching arm these words were printed in scaly white: "Hart's Tavern Food for Man and Beast Also Gasolene Established 1798 1 mile." "Also Gasolene" was freshly painted and crowded its elders in a most disrespectful manner The chill spring wind of the gale was sweeping in the direction indicated by the giant forefinger There was little consolation in the thought that a mile lay between him and shelter, but it was a relief to know that he would have the wind at his back Darkness was settling over the land The lofty hills seemed to be closing in as if to smother the breath out of this insolent adventurer who walked alone among them He was an outsider He did not belong there He came from the lowlands and he was an object of scorn On the opposite side of the "pike," in the angle formed by a junction with the narrow mountain road, stood a humbler sign-post, lettered so indistinctly that it deserved the compassion of all observers because of its humility Swerving in his hurried passage, the tall stranger drew near this shrinking friend to the uncertain traveller, and was suddenly aware of another presence in the roadway A woman appeared, as if from nowhere, almost at his side He drew back to let her pass She stopped before the little sign-post, and together they made out the faint directions To the right and up the mountain road Frogg's Corner lay four miles and a half away; Pitcairn was six miles back over the road which the man had travelled Two miles and a half down the turnpike was Spanish Falls, a railway station, and four miles above the cross-roads where the man and woman stood peering through the darkness at the laconic sign-post reposed the village of Saint Elizabeth Hart's Tavern was on the road to Saint Elizabeth, and the man, with barely a glance at his fellow-traveller, started briskly off in that direction Lightning was flashing fitfully beyond the barrier heights and faraway thunder came to his ears He knew that these wild mountain storms moved swiftly; his chance of reaching the tavern ahead of the deluge was exceedingly slim His long, powerful legs had carried him twenty or thirty paces before he came to a sudden halt What of this lone woman who traversed the highway? Obviously she too was a stranger on the road, and a glance over his shoulder supported a first impression: she was carrying a stout travelling bag His first glimpse of her had been extremely casual,—indeed he had paid no attention to her at all, so eager was he to read the directions and be on his way She was standing quite still in front of the sign-post, peering up the road toward Frogg's Corner,—confronted by a steep climb that led into black and sinister timberlands above the narrow strip of pasture bordering the pike The fierce wind pinned her skirts to her slender body as she leaned against the gale, gripping her hat tightly with one hand and straining under the weight of the bag in the other The ends of a veil whipped furiously about her head, and, even in the gathering darkness, he could see a strand or two of hair keeping them company He hesitated Evidently her way was up the steep, winding road and into the dark forest, a far from appealing prospect Not a sign of habitation was visible along the black ridge of the wood; no lighted window peeped down from the shadows, no smoke curled up from unseen kitchen stoves Gallantry ordered him to proffer his aid or, at the least, advice to the woman, be she young or old, native or stranger Retracing his steps, he called out to her above the gale: "Can I be of any assistance to you?" She turned quickly He saw that the veil was drawn tightly over her face "No, thank you," she replied Her voice, despite a certain nervous note, was soft and clear and gentle,—the voice and speech of a well-bred person who was young and resolute "Pardon me, but have you much farther to go? The storm will soon be upon us, and—surely you will not consider me presumptuous—I don't like the idea of your being caught out in—" "What is to be done about it?" she inquired, resignedly "I must go on I can't wait here, you know, to be washed back to the place I started from." He smiled She had wit as well as determination There was the suggestion of mirth in her voice—and certainly it was a most pleasing, agreeable voice "If I can be of the least assistance to you, pray don't hesitate to command me I am a sort of tramp, you might say, and I travel as well by night as I do by day,— so don't feel that you are putting me to any inconvenience Are you by any chance bound for Hart's Tavern? If so, I will be glad to lag behind and carry your bag." "You are very good, but I am not bound for Hart's Tavern, wherever that may be Thank you, just the same You appear to be an uncommonly genteel tramp, and it isn't because I am afraid you might make off with my belongings." She added the last by way of apology He smiled—and then frowned as he cast an uneasy look at the black clouds now rolling ominously up over the mountain ridge "By Jove, we're going to catch it good and hard," he exclaimed "Better take my advice These storms are terrible I know, for I've encountered half a dozen of them in the past week They fairly tear one to pieces." "Are you trying to frighten me?" "Yes," he confessed "Better to frighten you in advance than to let it come later on when you haven't any one to turn to in your terror You are a stranger in these parts?" "Yes The railway station is a few miles below here I have walked all the way There was no one to meet me You are a stranger also, so it is useless to inquire if you know whether this road leads to Green Fancy." "Green Fancy? Sounds attractive I'm sorry I can't enlighten you." He drew a small electric torch from his pocket and directed its slender ray upon the signpost So fierce was the gale by this time that he was compelled to brace his strong body against the wind "It is on the road to Frogg's Corner," she explained nervously "A mile and a half, so I am told It isn't on the sign-post It is a house, not a village Thank you for your kindness And I am not at all frightened," she added, raising her voice slightly "But you ARE" he cried "You're scared half out of your wits You can't fool me I'd be scared myself at the thought of venturing into those woods up yonder." "Well, then, I AM frightened," she confessed plaintively "Almost out of my boots." "That settles it," he said flatly "You shall not undertake it." "Oh, but I must I am expected It is import—" "If you are expected, why didn't some one meet you at the station? Seems to me—" "Hark! Do you hear—doesn't that sound like an automobile—Ah!" The hoarse honk of an automobile horn rose above the howling wind, and an instant later two faint lights came rushing toward them around a bend in the mountain road "Better late than never," she cried, her voice vibrant once more He grasped her arm and jerked her out of the path of the on-coming machine, whose driver was sending it along at a mad rate, regardless of ruts and stones and curves The car careened as it swung into the pike, skidded alarmingly, and then the brakes were jammed down Attended by a vast grinding of gears and wheels, the rattling old car came to a stop fifty feet or more beyond them "I'd sooner walk than take my chances in an antediluvian rattle-trap like that," said the tall wayfarer, bending quite close to her ear "It will fall to pieces before you—" But she was running down the road towards the car, calling out sharply to the driver He stooped over and took up the travelling bag she had dropped in her haste and excitement It was heavy, amazingly heavy went on—"marry some one you could never love, not even respect, with the memory of—" "Stop! I shall never marry a man I do not love Oh, please be patient, be good to me Give me a little time Can you not see that you are asking me to alter destiny, to upset the teachings and traditions of ages, and all in one little minute of weakness?" "We cannot alter destiny," he said stubbornly "We may upset tradition, but what does that amount to? We have but one life to live I think our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren will be quite as well pleased with their ancestors as their royal contemporaries will be with theirs a hundred years from now." "I cannot promise now," she said gently, and kissed him The first performance of "The Duke's Revenge" was incredibly bad The little that Barnes saw of it, filled him with dismay Never had he witnessed anything so hopeless as the play, unless it was the actors themselves But more incredible than anything else in connection with the performance was the very palpable enjoyment of the audience He could hardly believe his ears The ranting, the shouting, the howling of the actors sent shivers to the innermost recesses of his being Then suddenly he remembered that he was in the heart of the "barnstormer's" domain The audience revelled in "The Duke's Revenge" because they had never seen anything better! Between the second and third acts Tommy Gray rushed back with the boxoffice statement The gross was $359 The instant that fact became known to Mr Rushcroft he informed Barnes that they had a "knockout," a gold mine, and that never in all his career had he known a season to start off so auspiciously as this one "It's good for forty weeks solid," he exclaimed Both Barnes and the wideeyed Countess became infused with the spirit of jubilation that filled the souls of these time-worn, hand-to-mouth stragglers They rejoiced with them in their sudden elevation to happiness, and overlooked the vain-glorious claims of each individual in the matter of personal achievement Even the bewildered Tilly bleated out her little cry for distinction "Did you hear them laugh at the way I got off my speech?" she cried excitedly "I certainly did," said Mr Bacon amiably "By gad, I laughed at it myself." "Parquet $217.50, dress circle $105, gallery $36.50," announced Tommy Gray, as he donned his wig and false beard for the third act "Sixty-forty gives us $215.40 on the night Thank God, we won't have to worry about the sheriff this week." In Miss Thackeray's dressing-room that level-headed young woman broke down and wept like a child "Oh, Lord," she stuttered, "is it possible that we're going to stay above water at last? I thought we had gone down for the last time, and here we are bobbing up again as full of ginger as if we'd never hit the bottom." The Countess kissed her and told her that she was the rarest girl she had ever known, the pluckiest and the best "If I had your good looks, Miss Cameron," said Mercedes, "added to my natural ability, I'd make Julia Marlowe look like an old-fashioned one-ring circus Send Mr Bacon to me, Mr Barnes I want to congratulate him." "He gave a fine performance," said Barnes promptly "I don't want to congratulate him on his acting," said she, smiling through her tears "He's going to be married to-morrow And I am going to have Miss Cameron for my bridesmaid," she added, throwing an arm about the astonished Countess "Mr Bacon will want Dilly for his best man, but he ought to think more of the general effect than that Dilly only comes to his shoulder." She measured the stalwart figure of Thomas Barnes with an appraising eye "What do you say, Mr Barnes?" "I'll do it with the greatest pleasure," he declared The next afternoon in the town of Bittler the Countess Mara-Dafanda, daughter of royalty, and Thomas Kingsbury Barnes "stood up" with the happy couple during a lull in the hastily called rehearsal on the stage of Fisher's Imperial Theatre, and Lyndon Rushcroft gave the bride away There was $107 in the house that night, but no one was down-hearted "You could worse, dear heart, than to marry one of us care-free Americans," whispered Barnes to the girl who clung to his arm so tightly as they entered the wings in the wake of the bride and groom And she said something in reply that brought a flush of mortification to his cheek "Oh, it would be wonderful to marry a man who will never have to go to war A brave man who will not have to be a soldier." The unintentional reflection on the fighting integrity of his country struck a raw spot in Barnes's pride He knew what all Europe was saying about the pussywillow attitude of the United States, and he squirmed inwardly despite the tribute she tendered him as an individual He was not a "peace at any price" citizen He gave the wedding breakfast at one o'clock that night Three days later he and "Miss Jones" said farewell to the strollers and boarded a day train for New York City They left the company in a condition of prosperity The show was averaging two hundred dollars nightly, and Mr Rushcroft was already booking return engagements for the early fall He was looking forward to a tour of Europe at the close of the war "My boy," he said to Barnes on the platform of the railway station, "I trust you will forgive me for not finding a place in our remarkably well-balanced cast for your friend I have been thinking a great deal about her in the past few days, and it has occurred to me that she might find it greatly to her advantage to accept a brief New York engagement before tackling the real proposition It won't take her long to find out whether she really likes it, and whether she thinks it worth while to go on with it Let me give you one bit of advice, my dear Miss Jones This is very important The name of Jones will not get you anywhere It is a nice old family, fireside name, but it lacks romance Chuck it Start your new life with another name, my dear God bless you! Good luck and—good-bye till we meet on the Rialto." "I wonder how he could possibly have known," she mused aloud, the pink still in her cheeks as the train pulled out "You darling," cried Barnes, "he doesn't know But taking it by and large, it was excellent advice The brief New York engagement meets with my approval, and so does the change of name I am in a position to supply you with both." "Do you regard Barnes as an especially attractive name?" she inquired, dimpling "It has the virtue of beginning with B, entitling it to a place well toward the top of alphabetical lists A very handy name for patronesses at charity bazaars, and so forth People never look below B unless to make sure that their own names haven't been omitted You ought to take that into consideration If you can't be an A, take the next best thing offered Be a B." "You almost persuade me," she smiled His sister met them at the Grand Central Terminal "It's now a quarter to five," said Barnes, after the greeting and presentation "Drop me at the Fifth Avenue Bank, Edith I want to leave something in my safety box downstairs Sha'n't be more than five minutes." He got down from the automobile at 44th Street and shot across the sidewalk into the bank, casting quick, apprehensive glances through the five o'clock crowd on the avenue as he sprinted In his hand he lugged the heavy, weatherbeaten pack His sister and the Countess stared after him in amazement Presently he emerged from the bank, still carrying the bag He was beaming A certain worried, haggard expression had vanished from his face and for the first time in eight hours he treated his travelling wardrobe with scorn and indifference He tossed it carelessly into the seat beside the chauffeur, and, springing nimbly into the car, sank back with a prodigious sigh of relief "Thank God, they're off my mind at last," he cried "That is the first good, long breath I've had in a week No, not now It's a long story and I can't tell it in Fifth Avenue It would be extremely annoying to have both of you die of heart failure with all these people looking on." He felt her hand on his arm, and knew that she was looking at him with wide, incredulous eyes, but he faced straight ahead After a moment or two, she snuggled back in the seat and cried out tremulously: "Oh, how wonderful—how wonderful!" Mrs Courtney, in utter ignorance, inquired politely: "Isn't it? Have you never been in New York before, Miss Cameron? Strangers always find it quite wonderful at the—" "How are all the kiddies, Edith, and old Bill?" broke in her brother hastily He was terribly afraid that the girl beside him was preparing to shed tears of joy and relief He could feel her searching in her jacket pocket for a handkerchief Mrs Courtney was not only curious but apprehensive She hadn't the faintest idea who Miss Cameron was, nor where her brother had picked her up But she saw at a glance that she was lovely, and her soul was filled with strange misgivings She was like all sisters who have pet bachelor brothers She hoped that poor Tom hadn't gone and made a fool of himself The few minutes' conversation she had had with the stranger only served to increase her alarm Miss Cameron's voice and smile—and her eyes!—were positively alluring She had had a night letter from Tom that morning in which he said that he was bringing a young lady friend down from the north,—and would she meet them at the station and put her up for a couple of days? That was all she knew of the dazzling stranger up to the moment she saw her Immediately after that, she knew, by intuition, a great deal more about her than Tom could have told in volumes of correspondence She knew, also, that Tom was lost forever! "Now, tell me," said the Countess, the instant they entered the Courtney apartment She gripped both of his arms with her firm little hands, and looked straight into his eyes, eagerly, hopefully She had forgotten Mrs Courtney's presence, she had not taken the time to remove her hat or jacket "Let's all sit down," said he "My knees are unaccountably weak Come along, Ede Listen to the romance of my life." And when the story was finished, the Countess took his hand in hers and held it to her cool cheek The tears were still drowning her eyes "Oh, you poor dear! Was that why you grew so haggard, and pale, and holloweyed?" "Partly," said he, with great significance "And you had them in your pack all the time? You—!" "I had Sprouse's most solemn word not to touch them for a week He is the only man I feared He is the only one who could have—" "May I use your telephone, Mrs Courtney?" cried she, suddenly She sprang to her feet, quivering with excitement "Pray forgive me for being so illmannered, but I—I must call up one or two people at once They are my friends I have written them, but—but I know they are waiting to see me in the flesh or to hear my voice You will understand, I am sure." Barnes was pacing the floor nervously when his sister returned after conducting her new guest to the room prepared for her The Countess was at the telephone before the door closed behind her hostess "I wish you had been a little more explicit in your telegram, Tom," she said peevishly "If I had known who she is I wouldn't have put her in that room Now, I shall have to move Aunt Kate back into it to-morrow, and give Miss Cameron the big one at the end of the hall." Which goes to prove that Tom's sister was a bit of a snob in her way "Stop walking like that, and come here." She faced him accusingly "Have you told me ALL there is to tell, sir?" "Can't you see for yourself, Ede, that I'm in love with her? Desperately, horribly, madly in love with her Don't giggle like that! I couldn't have told you while she was present, could I?" "That isn't what I want to know Is she in love with YOU? That's what I'm after." "Yes," said he, but frowned anxiously "She is perfectly adorable," said she, and was at once aware of a guilty, nagging impression that she would not have said it to him half an hour earlier for anything in the world The Countess was strangely white and subdued when she rejoined them later on She had removed her hat The other woman saw nothing but the wealth of sun-kissed hair that rippled Barnes went forward to meet her, filled with a sudden apprehension "What is it? You are pale and—what have you heard?" She stopped and looked searchingly into his eyes A warm flush rose to her cheeks; her own eyes grew soft and tender and wistful "They all believe that the war will last two or three years longer," she said huskily "I cannot go back to my own country till it is all over They implore me to remain here with them until—until my fortunes are mended." She turned to Mrs Courtney and went on without the slightest trace of indecision or embarrassment in her manner "You see, Mrs Courtney, I am very, very poor They have taken everything I—I fear I shall have to accept the kind, the generous proffer of a—" her voice shook slightly—"of a home with my friends until the Huns are driven out." Barnes's silence was more eloquent than words Her eyes fell Mrs Courtney's words of sympathy passed unheard; her bitter excoriation of the Teutons and Turks was but dimly registered on the inattentive mind of the victim of their ruthless greed; not until she expressed the hope that Miss Cameron would condescend to accept the hospitality of her home until plans for the future were definitely fixed was there a sign that the object of her concern had given a thought to what she was saying "You are so very kind," stammered the Countess "But I cannot think of imposing upon—" "Leave it to me, Ede," said Barnes gently, and, laying his hand upon his sister's arm, he led her from the room Then he came swiftly back to the outstretched arms of the exile "A very brief New York engagement," he whispered in her ear, he knew not how long afterward Her head was pressed against his shoulder, her eyes were closed, her lips parted in the ecstasy of passion "Yes," she breathed, so faintly that he barely heard the strongest word ever put into the language of man Half-an-hour later he was speeding down the avenue in a taxi His blood was singing, his heart was bursting with joy,—his head was light, for the feel of her was still in his arms, the voice of her in his enraptured ears He was hurrying homeward to the "diggings" he was soon to desert forever Poor, wretched, little old "diggings"! As he passed the Plaza, the St Regis and the Gotham, he favoured the great hostelries with contemplative, calculating eyes; he even looked with speculative envy upon the mansions of the Astors, the Vanderbilts and the Huntingtons She was born and reared in a house of vast dimensions Even the Vanderbilt places were puny in comparison His reflections carried him back to the Plaza There, at least, was something comparable in size At any rate, it would until he could look around for something larger! He laughed at his conceit,—and pinched himself again He was to spend the night at his sister's apartment When he issued forth from his "diggings" at half-past seven, he was attired in evening clothes, and there was not a woman in all New York, young or old, who would have denied him a second glance Later on in the evening three of the Countess's friends arrived at the Courtney home to pay their respects to their fair compatriot, and to discuss the crown jewels They came and brought with them the consoling information that arrangements were practically completed for the delivery of the jewels into the custody of the French Embassy at Washington, through whose intervention they were to be allowed to leave the United States without the formalities usually observed in cases of suspected smuggling Upon the arrival in America of trusted messengers from Paris, headed by no less a personage than the ambassador himself, the imperial treasure was to pass into hands that would carry it safely to France Prince Sebastian, still in Halifax, had been apprised by telegraph of the recovery of the jewels, and was expected to sail for England by the earliest steamer And while the visitors at the Courtney house were lifting their glasses to toast the prince they loved, and, in turn, the beautiful cousin who had braved so much and fared so luckily, and the tall wayfarer who had come into her life, a small man was stooping over a rifled knapsack in a room far down-town, glumly regarding the result of an unusually hazardous undertaking, even for one who could perform, such miracles as he Scratching his chin, he grinned,—for he was the kind who bears disappointment with a grin,—and sat himself down at the big library table in the centre of the room Carefully selecting a pen-point, he wrote: "It will be quite obvious to you that I called unexpectedly to-night The week was up, you see I take the liberty of leaving under the paperweight at my elbow a two dollar bill It ought to be ample payment for the damage done to your faithful traveling companion Have the necessary stitches taken in the gash, and you will find the kit as good as new I was more or less certain not to find what I was after, but as I have done no irreparable injury, I am sure you will forgive my love of adventure and excitement It was really quite difficult to get from the fire escape to your window, but it was a delightful experience Try crawling along that ten inch ledge yourself some day, and see if it isn't productive of a pleasant thrill I shall not forget your promise to return good for evil some day God knows I hope I may never be in a position to test your sincerity We may meet again, and I hope under agreeable circumstances Kindly pay my deepest respects to the Countess Ted, and believe me to be, "Yours VERY respectfully, "Sprouse "P.S.—I saw O'Dowd to-day He left a message for you and the Countess Tell them, said he, that I ask God's blessing for them forever He is off to-morrow for Brazil He was very much relieved when he heard that I did not get the jewels the first time I went after them, and immensely entertained by my jolly description of how I went after them the second By the way, you will be interested to learn that he has cut loose from the crowd he was trailing with Mostly nuts, he says Dynamiting munition plants in Canada was a grand project, says he, and it would have come to something if the damned women had only left the damned men alone The expletives are O'Dowd's." Ten hours before Barnes found this illuminating message on his library table, he stood at the window of a lofty Park Avenue apartment building, his arm about the slender, yielding figure of the only other occupant of the room Pointing out over the black house-tops, he directed her attention to the myriad lights in the upper floors of a great hostelry to the south and west, and said, "THAT is where you are going to live, darling." 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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 "You mean that it is painted green? " "Exactly Green as a gourd A man named Curtis built it a couple o' year ago... You are a stranger also, so it is useless to inquire if you know whether this road leads to Green Fancy. " "Green Fancy? Sounds attractive I'm sorry I can't enlighten you." He drew a small electric torch... *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GREEN FANCY *** Etext produced by Charles Aldarondo, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team HTML file produced by David Widger GREEN FANCY By George Barr Mccutcheon