He had been de-
prived of his freedom because of money; he said to
himself that his return to it should be heralded by the
music of it scattered abroad for the good of another.
Now and then as he walked Stebbins removed his
new straw hat, wiped his forehead with a stiff new
handkerchief, looked with some concern at the grime
left upon it, then felt anxiously of his short crop
of grizzled hair. He would be glad when it grew
only a little, for it was at present a telltale to obser-
vant eyes. Also now and then he took from another
pocket a small mirror which he had just purchased,
and scrutinized his face. Every time he did so he
rubbed his cheeks violently, then viewed with satis-
faction the hard glow which replaced the yellow
prison pallor. Every now and then, too, he remem-
bered to throw his shoulders back, hold his chin
high, and swing out his right leg more freely. At
such times he almost swaggered, he became fairly
insolent with his new sense of freedom. He felt
himself the equal if not the peer of all creation.
Whenever a carriage or a motor-car passed him on the
country road he assumed, with the skill of an actor,
the air of a business man hastening to an important
engagement. However, always his mind was work-
ing over a hard problem. He knew that his store of
money was scanty, that it would not last long even
with the strictest economy; he had no friends; a
prison record is sure to leak out when a man seeks
a job.
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