Page:Stringer - Lonely O'Malley.djvu/279

 reference was ever made to the incident. Some latent strain of sympathy in Lonely forever restrained him from bringing it up. Once, and once only, the eyes of the man and the boy came together. In that glance two timeless traditions, two ancient civilizations, focussed and met. It was the barbarian Hellenic Code looking into the eyes of the Hebraic; and reluctantly it must be confessed that it was the gaze of the mature man that fell before the gaze of the diminutive young pagan.

Even two days later, when the Reverend Ezra Sampson came face to face with Master Lonely O'Malley, as the latter, having drawn in a pungent mouthful of mullein-leaf smoke, sauntered unexpectedly around the corner, luxuriously and slowly emitting the same, the apostle and the upholder of the Hebraistic Code turned forbearingly away, and busied himself with a minute and quite fanciful inspection of the half-wilted peach-trees that hung over Judge Eby's high picket-fence.