, 1889-01-27

words"
Her sulky air, taken in connection
with her refusal, WIS conclusive evil
dencc of guilt, and Jim strobe from the
caravan with a muttcrcd threat:
'Ill murder you both: you shall pay
for it,"
As he disappeared Meg pressed her
hand to her heart and sank down on the
nearest seat, trembling and faint. 1t
was not the first time she had felt that
deadly faintness, and Jim's words were
not calculated to reassure her.
She was reused by the entrance of a
girl, who came forward and asked, not
unkindly, what allied her.
"It's my heart, Liza; there's something
the matter with it,"
Liza smiled cynically. She, too, had
heard the whispers.
well" she said roughly, 'you have
need TO be frightened. met Jim just
now, and he looked ms black as thunder.
He's tho very devil when he's reused. /
say, Meg, l wouldn't be your
What do you meanY' Meg asked
YEARLY.
"weI, you see, Jim has heard about
yog and VIII. He's mortal jealous.
He'd do anything. He wouldn't stop at
murder. / say, Meg, you won't do that
cigar business to-night2'
The sudden question following the sug-
gestive word needed no enlargement, and
Meg stirred uneasily.
"Why shouldn't II Jim knows it's
false what they're saying. There's been
no sweethcartfng between Will and me.
Ineyer kept company with any one but
Jim"
Liza laughed again.
Just as you please, but / wouldn't
stand In your shoes tonight for any
thing"
When tho hour for the evening per-
formnnce came Meg stood before the
glass putting the finishing touch to the
gay dress In which she usually went
through the cigar and pistol episode.
She had not recovered altogether from
her faintness of the afternoon, and she
opened the little window of the van to
let in some air. The suns n flashed
in, striking upon the shelf that served as
n dressing table.
They lit up the trinkets lying there,
and touched the red stone of tho brooch
Jim had given her, until it looked like a
clot of palpitating blood.
Meg put out her hand mechanically to
take II, but at the sight Of its color she
remembered, with n sickoning shudder,
tho red hands that had reused her ter
ror n few months before, and she drew
back. Then she took up another brooch
from the shelf, fastened it in her gown
and went out to the tent.
The cheer that greeted her appearance
restored her self possession, and she
bowed smilingly to the spectators before
sho took up her stand ut the correct dis
lance from Jim.
h glanced furtively at him, and saw,
relieved, that he was looking at her in
restored good hGmor.
He nodded reassuringly at her, and
signed that he was ready to begin. Meg
turned her profile toward him, and put
the cigar in her mouth, thinking idly
how foolish she had been to mako SO
much of n tri1e.
Jim and she were good friends again,
so she stood bravely, no emotion on her
broad, sensual face, while Jim raised his
pistol to take aim.
In the act his hand trembled, his
whole face changed, and n fierce glare
came into his eyes; he bent forward
gesture II eyes alike horribly suggest
Ing the panther about to spring-and
CRASHED his teeth.
He had caught sight of q yellow glitter
in place of the red sparkle Of the brooch
by which he had always before taken
aim.
The whole mir seemed to have become
yellow, and tho strained silence of the
spectators to be n background on which
n sentence was embossed: "They say he
has given her n gold brooch"
Meanwhile Meg stood rigidly still, won-
dering at the delay, and thinking that
Jim u havo heard from Will how
little reason he had for jealousy.
Jim's eyes were staring at the sentence,
his ears ringing with the words he had
heard hccdlessly that afternoon. They
say no has given her n gold brooch"
Who had given Meg the brooch that had
taken the place of his gift?
For n moment his senses reeled. Then
no Strengthened himself sternly, and
affected to examine again the printing
of his pistol.
He raised 1t ut length, and with steady
hand aimed-was it at the cigar, or at
the brooch Meg wore, at his request, q
little on one side?
Steadily and long he stood, his pistol
poised, his hand ON the trigger, his eyes
on he woman who had given him her
all.
Steadily and long he stood; then sharp
and sudden the shot rang out. And
sharp and sudden rang out its echo-a
woman's wild, shrill scream.
In the silence hat followed, Meg fell
forward.
Almost before the spectators realized
what had happened, the curtain fell and
screened from their curious eyes the
pitiful thing upon the stage-poor, sinful
Meg, lying with the blood flowing from
a wound in her neck just above the
brooch.
Jim had aimed we'll; the shot had sew
cred the jugular vein and entered the
carotid artery.
The manager stopped to raise her, but
Jim pushed him aside and would have
lifted her himself. But when he touched
her he felt his hands warm with the flow
of her lifcblood.
"Oh Godv' he cried, shrinking back, 81
have murdered her"
Meg opened her eyes at the words, ard
n world of tenderness was in them as she
gazed on the man she loved, and who
had done her to death.
a great light flashed in her face and
TRANSPORTED 1t, so that the divine promise
of what she might have been-nay, was
it not the fulhllment of the promise on
which they gazed?-was revealed to the
men around her.
She reached out and touched Jim's rcd
hand, and us the light faded she gasped:
No, Jim, 1t wasn't your fault-I-did
it. Will, do you hear? Imoved-on pur.
,Nncn AID 1;u, lf,n lo,n ,z ~