Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-06-18

soon enough. There's q burden on my
| conscience, Phil it's been lying there
| like a plummctof lead all these years.
Listen 10 me and don't interrupt me
if yOu can help H.. Give me some OF
/ that stuff from the hnltlc, and when |
grow wcokNr give me more
Phil lifted LOc's bead and put the
| glass 10 his lips; tiIuu he sat down
unon the edge Of the cot. leaving his
arm between Iocsueck and the pillow.
Joe could feel Pills pulse now, and
the loyal heart of his friend beating
| close 10 hls own.
III, twenty-five years. Phil" said
Joe, since Hat night we drove down
To lhc shore here and had that talk to-
gethcr. You remember 1t, Phili"
Yes. joe
"Ah! you've remembered il too
well. Phil. I've tried hard enough,
God knows. 10 make you forget. The
sun was sinking over yOndcr in the
far west, and sky and SEA were all
utlamc. Some tleccy clouds dropped
low over tie old shed where We had
ordered some clans. | remember
when | saw Polly that night. The
dress she wore was like a stab 10 me;
il was of some soft, floating material
that reminded me OF the woolly clouds
over the old shed. You didn't eat the
clans, Phil. You dallied with the
shells and turned them over with the
queer old fork they had given you.
And all at once you put them aside
and lighted Il cigar, and turned your
face TO the sea, and began To talk Of a
woman you secretly loved. Now give
me some wine, Phil"
Phil put the glass to Joe's lips.
Don't talk any more, joe" he said.
Let me 90 for Polly"
Not yet" said Joe. ''You were a
handsome fellow, Phil, twenty-five
years ago. As you went on TO talk Of
the woman you secretly loved, some
sort Of a light shone upon your face
from the splendor in the west that
made ii like that Of an archangel.
Ii seemed To me that no woman could
withstand you. My heart grew like a
lump Of ice. My first thought was 10
walk out In the water and strangle
myself my neXt was worthy of Judas
lScariot. II was a resolve 10 betray
you. / must have been tempted by
the devil, for, as God is my Judge in
this awful moment of my life, l never
dreamed before that night that you
aud | were in love with the one wo-
man. | got up On my feet and shout
ed: She Is mine! glazing upon you
with a doggea, resolute stare. Have
you, then, asked her TO marry your
you said, and your face still looked
like AN archangel's. while mine must
have been inilMned with the passions
that beSet a man beyond his strength.
As | repeated, She is my promised
wife, the words seemed To leap from u
throat of fire. 1t was the hrst down.
right, hi.eous, malicious lie | even ut.
tered, for / had not yet asked her-I
had not yet asked her. But when |
did ask her, uSon that very night, the
next lie Slipped easily from my per.
jured throat, though it was a worse
one by far. For | told Polly, PHIL
told her before ! asked her to marry
me-that you confessed To me your
love for her friend, the poor little girl
that afterward became our bridomaid.
Whether 1t was my guilty conscience,
that makes hell enough for any man,
| fancied | saw something in polly's
eyes that told me, had it not been for
my trCacAery, your chance would
have been better than mine. NoH
take your arm away from nay neck.
Phil, aud curse mo If you will-my
story Is done
The pulse of Jo9's le7rt lcaped and
tugs.d IS ii il would Durst uu artery,
bit pills voice had Tic old tender
ring,
"lou might have spared yourself
all this, no said. ii thuk oily Aus
proved WHO il was t.Iglsac IoyCu.'
Al! alter lhat night, Phil, yes
Polly Is MT the Kind OF woman 10
make the misery Of men Egt chaIt
Cd you Of urcAuncc
BE IL 50, Joe; | forgive sou and |
love you all The same. NuS throw
of the burden, and live Zoe Poilys
sake and NINE
Too late, too latr," faltcrud the fail.
Ing lips.
llsy refused 10 touch tho glass.
The body Tell lacE utmost hI,icss in
Pli, arias Ihuu Joe aroused him
self once ulprc. and called Tor Polly ia
ah8rg,i, strained voice tlal ucaclcdligr
duapHc llu rag a. 'ie styL size iuG
10 lis sgar. uf,t WIS only IN time 10
catch Il l.w mIi-'uaol. dl iDlntud s.u.
tCucg.. VIII lG. o,.Jti,lg dying
man il'l.d ~. HANDS OF lis wife aMd
Ia, Irt.mL JompI hem together,
cia.pod Ius uGu about them. and 80
the three r.nuIuyd uIl the suai Of
Jos Barrett lied
And IL there could BE- ,uch Il thing
as witchrTIt, SAID l.i., Mortimer To
some friends, the other day, Joe Ear.
rett's widow would have bcon burned
at the stake long ago. She was pretty
well on in years when Joe died. and
III leave il to anybody If she don't look
like a blonde mummy now. Phil
Somers has that air of distinction
about him that he might marry al.
most anybody. Joe Barrett's widow
IS old and ugly, and sick and poor, but
should not be at all surprised if Phil
Somers would marry her yet. =
Frank Mccarthy in The True Flag.