The Gentleman from Indiana

"I guess he won't mind coming," said the judge.

"Well," returned his daughter, glancing at Helen, who stood apart, reading

the telegram to Fisbee, "I know if he follows Mr. Harkless he'll get here

pretty soon after supper--as soon as the moon comes up, anyway."

The editor of the "Herald" was late to his supper that evening. It was

dusk when he reached the hotel, and, for the first time in history, a

gentleman sat down to meat in that house of entertainment in evening

dress. There was no one in the diningroom when he went in; the other

boarders had finished, and it was Cynthia's "evening out," but the

landlord came and attended to his guests' wants himself, and chatted with

him while he ate.

"There's a picture of Henry Clay," remarked Landis, in obvious relevancy

to his companion's attire, "there's a picture of Henry Clay somewheres

about the house in a swallow-tail coat. Governor Ray spoke here in one in

early times, Bodeffer says, except it was higher built up 'n yourn about

the collar, and had brass buttons, I think. Ole man Wimby was here

to-night," the landlord continued, changing the subject. "He waited around

fer ye a good while. He's be'n mighty wrought up sence the trouble this

morning, an' wanted to see ye bad. I don't know 'f you seen it, but that

feller 't knocked your hat off was mighty near tore to pieces in the crowd

before he got away. 'Seems some the boys re-cog-nized him as one the

Cross-Roads Skillets, and sicked the dogs on him, and he had a pretty mean

time of it. Wimby says the Cross-Roads folks'll be worse 'n ever, and,

says he, 'Tell him to stick close to town,' says he. 'They'll do anything

to git him now,' says he, 'and resk anything.' I told him you wouldn't

take no stock in it, but, see here, don't you put nothin' too mean fer

them folks. I tell you, Mr. Harkless, plenty of us are scared fer ye."

The good fellow was so earnest that when the editor's meal was finished

and he would have departed, Landis detained him almost by force until the

arrival of Mr. Willetts, who, the landlord knew, was his allotted escort'

for the evening. When Lige came (wearing a new tie, a pink one he had

hastened to buy as soon as his engagements had allowed him the

opportunity), Mr. Landis hissed a savage word of reproach for his

tardiness in his ear, and whisperingly bade him not let the other out of

reach that night, to which Willetts replied with a nod implying his

trustworthiness; and the young men set off in the darkness.