The morning call., 1893-03-12

swung her dainty feet aud chartered to him
while he ate 1t. Talk about being happy,
l never saw man as perfectly happy as
that fellow was those days. He'd never had
a home before in his life, Just knocked
around from one cheap boarding house
TO another, and that girl, II she was young,
was the incest housekeeper you ever saw.
We all had invitations up to supper, one at
a time, and after that we didn't Wonde 7
about the boy being so happy. But IL seems
it couldn't last fore yer, and by and by we
could see that there was a little rift within
the lutte, as 1t we're. 1t began with big
hulk of a fellow who came into the office
one day and asked If George Anderson
worked there Chats slug SIS name), then he
caught sight OF him around at his case and
went over and began to talk to him as II
they were old friends. George wasn't par
tcularly glad to see him. We could see that
with one eve on the copy, he tried to talk
short to him. but the stranger was so oily
and elusive there was no putting MIN of.
You're married since | saw yOu last, so
] hear Sly dog, to get married and not let
any OF your old friends know H." and be
wlnked at George In a way that made US
long to kick him out then and there, and
then he slapped him on the shoulder and
burst out in coarse laugh. You had bet
ter stand treat on that, George, or since you
played ms all so well perhaps | had better
stand treat myself" But George didn't
offer to go. III had got square grip on a
llillt Htdftu Ol MS own. anu ne Ulln / IN
terd to let go for the sake of a drink of bad
whisky with greasy old sOt like his visitor
The man didn't seem to get mad at all, but
just kept smiling IN that Insulting way of
his
Well. the trouble kept growing from that
on. George got thin and pale and looked
worried. He'd brace up at noou, when mis-
wife came with bis dinner, but we could all
see it was an effort. She noticed that some
thing was wrong and tried to get him to see
doctor and all that, but was sure it was
something about that old acquaintance of
his that was at the bottom of il all.
This man-his name turned out 10 be Bill
lings-g0t to showing up at the Office nearly
every day, and every once in a while we'd
hear him strike George for loan of Il dol
lar or two or such a matter, and he would
generally hand it out to him; but we never
noticed him paving any of it back. After a
while he got up as high as S5, and We began
10 wonder where 1t was going To stop, for
we knew that the boy couldn't keep up that
lick long, for ii cost them something to
liye-not that they were extravagant, but
they had things nice and comfortable. We
began 10 tumble to 1t gradual that he was
getting hush money out of George for some
thing or other, but we didn't like 10 say
anything to him about it.
The crisis came though inRlly-he wan ted
SO Que afternoon and George was dead
broke, hadn't a cent. Billings told him he'd
got TO borrow it for him and George got up
a little of his old grit and told him he
wouldn't do it, and Billings went off as
mad as wet hen swearing he'd fix George
Then George broke down and told us the
whole thing. 1t seems he'd been with a
tough gang up in Montana bout three wears
before and got mixed up In some gambling
scraps and killed his man. II wasn't
exactly self-defense, but lie got clear at his
trial, and as such things were pretty
common then II didn't make much of a stir
and people outside didn't hear much of it,
This man Billings knew all about it an d
he'd been threatening to tell Georges wife
and soaring him into all those little leans -
which were nothing more or less than black
mail.
1t was a bad case surely. We didn't
know what to advice. Johnny was for
just naturally choking Billings and hiding
him away In the easement. Johnny is such
an impulsive boy.
George was desperate; II we hadn't talked
to him and camed him down little be-
leve he would have gone out and shot
either Billings or himself. We tried to
make him believe that his wife would for
give him even il she did find it out, but he
wouldn't listen to that for a minute.
"Oh, boys, you don't know her," ne said,
you can't understand. 1t don't seem so
much to you fellows because you have prob
ably been pretty near it yourselves, and
you've been used to living rough all your
lives. You can't understand how woman
don't know any more about the meanness
In the world that a child does. And she
trusts me, she trusts me =" the poor fellow
couldn't say another word.
We did what we could to hearten him up
bit and get him back at his case again.
We knew that it was better for him TO keep
at work If he could. seeing the state his
mind was in. Things had quiSted down
and we were all at work, aud il was almost
quitting time when Billings came in again.
Every man put down his stick. We looked
for fight, for we knew Genrge's blood was
up. Billings had been drinking Just enough
TO make him even more Insulting than he
was naturally, and he Just turned himself
lonse with some of the meanest language |
ever heard-and I've heard considerable in
my time. We just held our breath for what
we were sure would follow, when the side
door opened and who should come in but
Georges wfel
she walked in with that quick, girlish siep
oil hers. swinging her parasol in ono hand,
and smiled around at the boys, Just enoug h
to show the adorable little dimples in her
pink cheeks, and passed on over to Georges
case; then she began to see that something
was up.
Billings took in the situation al a glance,
and look came into his face that was posi-