Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1877-10-04

the dress Jack liked best, and anxiously

the dress Jack liked best, and anxiousl
waited his coming.
'.Seven O'Clock! eight O'Clock! mir
U'clock! The last train had come an
gone, and my duties for the day were owe
/ put out the lights in the ticket-ofiic,
went into the sitting-roOm. and sat an
waited. Ten O'Clock! halfpast ten! N
use in waiting any longer-he would nc
come:
81 went to the door, opened it and lool
ed out. There seemed something weir
about the whole landscape. Even tn
shadows seemed alive. The sky was b.
coming overcast. and the moon peeped on
of an inky-black cloud. The frogs dow
by the river were croaking dismally, til
wind seemed to whisper and moan.
Il shivered with nameless dread an
closed the door. Went to bed and erie
myself to sleep.
Il had slept an hour. perhaps, and the
woke with Il srndden start. feeling grea
difficulty in breathing. A part of the quill
lay across my mount | thought, but OF
reaching MY hand to remove it, found i
was handkerchief saturated witl-What
CHtorofo'm!'
"a thrill of terror passed over me. VIII,
had done this? Was there SOME one in tn
house:
Il half arose and gazed about me. Al
was dark except little ray of light fallin.
through the partially closed door.
IL silently arose, and just then almos
screamed in fear when sudden sount
smote upon my ear. Ii was only the clocl
striking the hour of midnight. placet
my hand upon my heart to sooth its fierce
throbs.
stepping along. carefully avoiding al
obstacles. l reached the door, opened it
and glanced into the sitting-rOom. NJ
one was there. but some one was in thu
ticket-oftice, for saw light and heard :
voice! What did they want? The money
oh. the money left in my charge! Some
body was stealing it. and what should
say to Mr.. Sayre? My God! might bt
accused of taking it myself, and thus lose
honor and position!
".Rather lose life- said to myself
III defend that money unto death = and
looked about for some weapon.
Under the stove was large iron poker
Selling it carefully. started toward the
office-door. The light fell upon the mir.
ror rejecting my figure. and I've offer
thought since. with sick feeling of hor
ror. what a picture of desperation was
clad in my flowing, white night-lress, my
hair all unbound, my face white as marble
and eyes dilated and glittering with q
strange. steely light.
'''God aid me-" l said. with white lips.
and then opening the door of the office
stole softly in. x man with his back to-
ward me was at the other end Of the room.
lie had forced open the drawer, taken out
the money and was looking glOatingly at
the crisp, green bills. when l stole behind
him. had just raised the poker to strike
him when he glanced around.
MY God! it was Clarence Devarges
8 '''IIang it! now suppose I'll have to
kill this pretty'-He seized me by the
throat, and uttering faint cry. l sank
down. Just then Jack-my own dear
Jack-rushed in. I heard oaths, blows,
fierce struggling-then all was dark.
''For the first time in my life tainted.
''When l recovered. Jacks face was
bending tenderly over me, and Jack S
voice uttering loving words: l put my
arm about his neck and cried like weak
baby.
"'Aren't you hurt, Jack?'
"'Not bit. dearest. Devarges is disa-
bled, though. with pistol-wOtlnd in his
leg. 'Tisn't very severe, but it will prevent
his escape:
"'But how cattle you there?'
"'Why, you see, when we parted this
Nell, thought I'd never see you
again but tonight after came home, l
made up my mind to come round and try
and ''make up" 1t was pretty late, be-
tween nine and ten. when came. and who
should see prowling round but Devarges.
Thinks l, ''What does he want? If he's
come a=courting why don't he 60 in instead
Of peeping in at the windOw?"'
81 rather thought he was scamp, be-
cause when was in the city yesterday, the
chief of police told me that they had rea-
son to think that noted gambler and
'black-leg" had come up in these parts.
lie gave description, and it suited Devar-
yes perfectly, all excepting mustache.
And, by-the-way, Nell, that silky mustache
you so admired, was false, and fell off in
Jtir scuffie!'
"'Well, as said, saw Devarges prowl-
ng about, and l thought I'd see what he
vas up to. He looked in the window at
you, and heard him mdtter: ''The deuce
axe it She is at home, after all {! What
he deuce made her say she was going to
her grandmother for? Now l suppose l
will have to wait till my pretty bird is
lsleep."'
$3.50 he sat down under one tree aid l
at down under another. We both saw
'Ou when you opened the door and locke!
,ut. After you had been in bed about an
lour, Devarges forced open the sitting
Dom window and crawled in. While he
vas in the office lighting the lamp, also
.ot in at the window and concealed my
elf in the closet, and-well, you know all
he rest.'
".Jack, said /, tearfully, youth forgive
ne for being wayward and naughty, and
'ou'll believe me when 1 say that l loved
on all the time, won't your
''Weli, ma'am, Jack said he would, and
Te've been happy ever since. And this is
ny story, ma'am-my only romance
When pedestrienne makes her debut |
n the sawdust track in Boston, the papers
al it ''bounding from sedentary Obscurity |
Ito the arena of peripatetic celebrity"
hey have to put mustard pOultice on
he back Of the dictionary every night.