Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1902-10-16
A Woman's 1
Unreason!
BY MARTHA +! r.
m'cuLLoch.wILLIAh4S,
COPYRIGHT. Hot. BY l. s. RscAorasust,
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Outside Of strict business the Bun
mad a choice assortment Of Hss
WAS Mr.. Ralph Montgomery i o y George
Warren rasst, Eya.. Of ever 70 many
;sther equally we'll sounding persons
when occasion offered. In his native
village he had bean known as Jack Bel.
TOO until he left the country, decidedly
Tor tho country's good. ST.: \
1t was his forehead, round ana bulE.
ing, that had gained him his nickname
with the gang.
All told. the gang numbered perhaps
afty--men and women and a few piti.
:ful waits that could not be called chill
airen. though they were small and
young. The most part engaged in light
work = shoplifting. palming tickers.
snatching purses from hmid hands Or
jostling. to their loss. the wearers Of
1ambOyant fobs and scarfpins.
Since the Bun had become a leader
he felt himself estopped from the small
things, though often his fingers itched
as he let slip an especially tempting op-
portunity. The itching was perhaps the
first root of his grievance against Lie.
Until her day he had been quite con-
tent to work under orders. although he
WAS rapacious enough to be full of sour
envy over missing chance at the big
things. Lie had made leadership a
condition precedent to herself. She was
not much to look at, but what with wit
and grit and the lightest fingers in all
the gang she easily came to be a sort
Of queen in it.
For three years she had been the
Buns girl. or course be was master
full with her-often to the point Of bru-
aality. But he gave her no rivals until
Long Lou came into the gang and
openly set snares for him. She was
young. still in her teens. handsome
and strapping. with level head and
free. peppery tongue. The Bun did not
go wholly over to her. but he did spend
ut least half his abundant leisure and
very much more than half his rather
.scanty cash in her company and for
her pleasure.
To speak truth, he was living mainly
upon hope. a big thing-tne biggest in
gang history--was in hand. but as yet
all outlay and no return. A hundred
yards tunnel is not dug in day. even
when there are bank vault and
half million at the farther end of it.
The Bun was waiting upon the tun
nelers After they were through he
would go at the chilled steel. A very
prince of cracksmen, he knew he
would have it open in three hours
Then he would take all the swag-
money, bonds, plate, whatever was
worth moving-home to his fiat, three
miles away. and lie quiet there, while
others of the gang scuttled off to take
the hue and CRY upon false scent.
Meantime there was spare and lenten
living at the fiat. Because it must be
kept from the shadow of suspicion
Lie did nothing in the way Of bust
ness, but stayed at home. busying her.
self to make the place tidy and home
like. She never went out save upon
housewifely errands. Nobody came to
see her. The Bun went away regularly
every morning toward 10 o'clock. Since
he wore excellent clothes. paid his rent
in advance and had way Of scowling
at all he met, the other tenants set it
down that he was either English and
living upon his income or else that he
belonged in Wall street. He was care
full always to be home for dinner.
though he went out again almost inn
anediately afterward.: Inevitably Lie
had much time for brooding. She had
also plenty of food for it,: ;.''.,: .ss'
The Bun came in always smelling of
tuberose which Long Lou had adopted
as her special perfume. Further. he
made but pretense Of eating the poor
meals Lie set before him. Therefore
she was certain he meant to dine later
She would not have grudged him the
daintiest fare while she ate bread and
water, if she had thought he ate it
But where it touches a man. women
are kittle cattle particularly women of
Lies order Carefully. methodically.
she laid her plans. -
Long Lou was q wanton spendthrift
always eager to fling away money with
both hands. Though she did not know
the game that was on nor the Buns
part in it. she had very shrewd suspi-
cion OF it all. -.-.
Lie indeed was the only woman
trusted in that way Torture would
not have made her betray the trust, nor
was there enough money in the world
to have bribed her. In the face of all
that she sat through many nights. with
her hands clinched, staring at the light
and occasionally smiling hard. des-
perate smile and waiting for that other
night when the Bun would bring home
a fortune.
1t came at last. rainy and cold, with
q raw east wind. and smothers Of fog
coming up from the river. Lie. listen
ing with every nerve tense heard loot
falls. deliberate. yet exultant. Before
the door opened she knew what she
would see-the Bun overrunning with