Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1880-10-29
he is. The bill for him will come in to-

he is. The bill for him will come in to-
morrow Don't look nice, dear?"
He clenched the whip still in his hand,
"Pl pay no bills for any horse, that is going
back where he came from-with the groom
And you, madam, walk up stairs, take off
that gear and put on something decent, and
then come down to me-"
She looked up at him, lips apart from un-
der the curled, navy blue rim of her riding
hat, then capped her tiny hands and burst
into sweet peals of oherub laughter.
oh it! madam, are you madG Do
you think you can behave like this? You
didn't know my first wife; she's dead" He
spoke in an ominous tone that lowered the
color in Effie's rounded cheek her lips
curled back like those of child when first
confronting some strange, unpleasant ami
NAL
Burt Magouge went on: "She was a
spirited, high-tempered thing, but | brought
her down. Would you like to know how |
brought her DOWN.
"Yes, | should" she answered, with that
curious, fearless glance, just touched with
something that might have been more like
scorn. "How do you do itg"
Little Eflie shuddered and looked down.
Her delicate face was working with horror,
with pity for her predecessor, with terror for
the gulf suddenly opened at her feet, swarm
ing with the misbegotten wrongs that fol-
lowed the meetings Of irresponsible power
and weakness. Or was it only terror for
herself, hopeless in the power of her natural
protector lowering over her in his vast su-
periority of physical strength? He wished
she would look up; these baby faces can be
as battling as the timeess brows of Sphynx.
At last these golden lashes lifted the timid
eyes rose up and up, until they met his, they
gave HIM adisagreeable sensations he would
revenge it upon her, some day-though she
was almost too pretty to be crushed
"You did-did your" she had taken in
his remark it seemed. Then she walked up
to him, clenched her fist to the size of
magnolia bud, affixed him with eyes whose
cherub blue was lost in glitter, like bayo-
nets in the sun.
"Wel!-if you ever lay--so much as your
least fingers weight on NEEDN'T you ever
shut your eyes again, for the first time find
you asleep I'll cut your throat from ear to
ear"
She turned at the door, flung back II laugh
"rhis is your second wifew
With this echo" she left him.
A horrible sensation clutched Burt Ma
gouge. He fought it as if it were paralysis.
What was it? And what being this he had
married-this hooking spirit-like thing he
could not territyy He knew all about wo-
men--yes, the brayest of them; Eighty, pro-
voking, but nervous naturally subject to
fears; docile as sheep to one who showed
them little real resolution What manner
of woman is this? lie turned quickly at
sound without There she was, mounting
that snow white steed and there was moth
ing rcassurng in the smile She flashed him
ere she whired off in a light blue cloud of
draperes. Was she some witch sent by
Hecate, queen Of night and Of the dead
Burt Magouge believed just as much in one
religion as he did in another. You see nor
NAL flesh and blood-t could not be that that
had threatened him with Efiie Keenes soft
lips, and transfxcd him with her liquid eyes.
Could it be some unsleeping ghost arisen,
taken possession Of u sweet familiar share {?
Faugh why had he ever read those I'M
couth horrors Of Hoffman and Tieck and
Edgar Poe? But Magouge has al
ways defed the supernatural. Can a
shadow Of it keep him so docile as he is
to his elhn wife? Why the men grow now
and then: He is getting to be the mere echo
of his 'Echo.'p