Willard

With George Willard, son of Tom Willard, the proprietor of the New Willard House, he had formed some- thing like a friendship.

In the presence of George Willard, Wing Bid- dlebaum, who for twenty years had been the town mystery, lost something of his timidity, and his shadowy personality, submerged in a sea of doubts, came forth to look at the world.

When he talked to George Willard, Wing Bid- dlebaum closed his fists and beat with them upon a table or on the walls of his house.

As for George Willard, he had many times wanted to ask about the hands.

By a fence he had stopped and beating like a giant woodpecker upon the top board had shouted at George Willard, condemning his tendency to be too much influenced by the people about him, "You are destroying yourself," he cried.

Out of the dream Wing Biddlebaum made a pic- ture for George Willard. In the picture men lived again in a kind of pastoral golden age.

Slowly they stole forth and lay upon George Willard's shoulders.

Pausing in his speech, Wing Biddlebaum looked long and earnestly at George Willard. His eyes glowed.

Without looking back, the old man had hurried down the hillside and across a meadow, leaving George Willard perplexed and frightened upon the grassy slope.