Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-06-11

once upon his fathers weakness. but it was such painful topic for him she refused to prolong it.
 But after, when he had forgotten it, she went to the corner cupboard and stood long time looking at the amber liquid, tempted to pour it on the sunbaked ground. Then a great wave of shame that she had distrust- ed him even in thought sent her to mutely beg dissolution by still farther adoring him.
 F'If he is too weak to resist I had better know it now," she told her. self when the temptation to destroy Smiths medicine returned.
 Their stay in the wilds was almost up and Theora, with bit of embroi- dery, sat in the front window of the little cabin, now daintily neat. Perry was ostensibly reading, but he looked up from his book every other line to admire her and finally broke in on her happy reverie with: ''I say, Theo, I am getting 8 ravenous appetite. It must be nearly noon. What do you say if your famous biscuits form the piece de resistance of our lunch? A return to town means the last of such dainties, suppose" regret fully.
 She looked up soberly and replied with the plaint of most farmers wives: You will have to cut some wood then. There is none to bake them"
 He stood up and stretched out his srL4 knotted goodly ball, for her ap- prova1. Physical culture to pur- pose," he laughed. "And in that scorching sun, too. I will have earned them I think" stooping to kiss her as he passed. 'eThe dry wood is all down at the spring."
 She watched him shoulder a faI- chion of the woodpile and go whist ling down the path between elder bushes and wild grapevines, then winding up her silks, she went into the tiny 1ean-to kitchen and busted herself with her cooking. They had dropped so naturally into rustic roles.
 Before long the ring of the axe ceased to echo back from the hills. s"Too warm," she thought, smiling. Dear boyi He is so good, so true, so strong!"
 His hurried steps on the path drew her to the door between the two Ht- tie rooms just as he entered from without, his face set and hard, his eyes contracted, looking straight ahead.
 sHs r& I.Se life depended on his speed he crossed to the corner cupboard and wrench ing open the doors seized upon a bot tie of Smiths liquor. She watched him breathlessly, too shocked to move, as with that strange, fixed stare. he snatched up the stove poker and knocked the neck from the botble, draining the fiery, cheap intoxicant at one draught.
 He half turned, hesitated, then caught up the other bottle.
 "No-no," she. cried, staggering for ward. Mot that! For the love of God and memo more, Myronl"
 Without seeming to see her the poker was again lifted and crashed through the glass with unerring aim, then draining the last drop he let the bottle fall and reeled to the bed in the next room, profaning the sanc- tuary of her slumber with his tainted breath.
 She could not follow him to ques- tion or reproach. All the long after noon she sat hudd1ed on the floor of the lean-to watching the sun blink on the broken bottles, covering her ears to shut out his 1abored breathing. Slowly the mist crept up like a bridal veil from the Little Raw and through it the sun went down, huge, red ball behind the western hill, and when the round, white moon, climb ing to her reign, peeped stealthily in, the pale, crushed girl still sat rig idly silent.
 She was thinking. Thinking of her uncle's warning, her trust, her yeti enduring love. her bare, desolate fur ture apart from him. The broken, empty bottles were her decree of ab- so1ute separation.
 At midnight she tiptoed softly in and looked down on him as she. had seen him in her maiden dreams, flushed, senseless, but as yet the lines of character retained their strength. Nothing but the yapping of coyottes on the divide kept her from leaving him and the cabin-sepulchre of her brief happiness, then. But fearing to venture into thessnight she crept back to the 1ean-to and crouched in the glass-ruins of her life, sparkling diabolically in the moonlight, and waited for day. When the clock struck six a yawning groan drew her to the bedroom door for one last look before she left. His eyes were open, confused, heavy, but at sight of her they flashed their old loving well come.
 "What time is it, Theo?" he asked, s1eepily "Ugh, that was a dosel'
 ''Six o'clock of Wednesday morn ing" she answered, mechanically.
 ''Have you been up all night?" re- morsefully. What a beast you must have thought me! But had no time to explain. In reaching for a stick of