Evening star., 1900-10-06

Hunchs face was buried in the towel
Bruce watched him.
What you going to say to her, Hunch?"
Il dunno"
Say. you amt going to say nothing about
me, are yOu?''
Hunch glanced at him contemptuously
and began to hone his razor. Bruce stood
around for awhile, then moved slowly to-
ward the door.
"Wherere you going?'
Il dunno. Thought 1 might go up town
Guess there amt much of anything going
on"
You come back"
Bruce laughed nervously.
Amt mad, are you, Hunch?"
No. amt mad. Better write that letter,
l guess
wasn't 1. l kind of forgot it" He sat at
the table and took up the pen clumsily. Il
don't know just what to say Hunch."
That's your business
Don't be mean, Hunch."
You shut up and write that letter.
don't care what you say"
When he had written 1t. and before seal
around at Hunch. But Hunch had turned
his back and was honing without a word,
SO Bruce sealed it.
Its wrote Hunch l told her"
Give it to me. I'll mail 1t in a minute.
You be here now when 1 get back"
CHAPTER x.
Hunch went down to Manistee Sunday
morning On the combination freight and
| passenger train. Bruce had come to the
station with him. and stood looking after
| the train for a long time after it had pulled
away. Hunch saw him through the rear
| window.
1t was a crisp January morning The
snow had come and the train ratified
| through fiat white country cut into strins
| as far as one could see by the straie hit up
and down lines of the black pine stumps
Az Manistogee lunch went up to the white
brick hotel on the main street and ate his
| dinner alone. He walked up and down for
| an hour after dinner, trying to think clear
| ly about Mamie and Bruce Now that he
was on the ground he was not sure why
| he had come. But it, drew near o'clock.
! and he walked out to Bruce's cottage
At first there was no answer to his knock.
| The curtains were down, and the snow had
not been cleared away from the steps. He
| knocked again and ratified the knob. He
heard some one moving. A little later an
inside door opened, and then, after some
fumbling with the lock, Mamie opened the
door. She was pale and thin. A shawl was
| drawn over her head and shoulders
| "Oh," she said; then smiled. How do you
| do, Mister Badeau?'
| Hunch stepped in and closed the door,
sick7"
mo. just a little under the weather. Come
| in and sit down."
The front room was cold.
'Yes, I made little fire in the kitchen
| this morning. 1 can sit out there. you know.
| don't need any in here. Guess we'd better
| go out there, anyhow, where it's warmer"
| You go ahead" said Hunch. Where's
! your wood? I'll make fire here
| "Oh, no; you mustn't"
Now you just leave me be, Miss Consi-
| dine. You set down In the kitchen and
lemme fix you up. Where's the wood?'
Its out in the box" said Mamie, opening
| the kitchen door
| Hunch saw why she was sparing Of wood.
There was only few armfuls But he built
| q roaring fire In the front room, and then
| took the ak out into the back yard and
| split up heap of boards and timber waste
| that lay under the snow Mamie watched
| him through the window. After q few
| strokes he grew warm from the exercise,
and. taking off his coat he handed 1t
| through the door to Mamie, and said:
warm weather, amt IT. Mamie was
| smiling when she reappeared at the win
| dow. Hunch filled the wood box and laid a
| large pile on the floor at each end Then he
| put on his coat.
WELL" he said, that's more like. Pull
up chair. Mis- Considine:"
all that work. I'm going to make you
| some coffee. anyway"
| Now. don't you do nothing Of the sort.
| That ain't work. That's just fun. Un-
| consciously he expanded his chest as he
/ spoke. In spite of his bent shoulders 1t was
| Mamie did not know that there was ad-
| miration in her eyes as she watched him.
| Now, you've got to let me- Mr.. Badeau.
| don't have company very often. You just
SIT still and let me work while. I'm not
doing my share"
So Hunch sat by the stove and watched
her as she stepped about the kitchen. Her
manner had byaghtened, and there was q