St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-07-18

Iarther ador1Eg him.
IF he is too weak to resist I ha
better know it now," she told he,
self when sthe temptation to destro
Smiths medicine returned.
| Their stay in the, wilds was slmos
up and Theora, with bit of embroi
derry, sat in the front window of tn
little cabin. now daintily neat. PER-
was ostensibly reading, but he locke,
up from his book every other line t,
admire her and finally broke in d
her happy reverie with: II say, Thee
l am getting ravenous appetite. I
must be nearly noon. What do yo,
say if your famous biscuits form til,
piece de resistance of our lunch? I
return to town means the last o
such dainties, I suppose" regret
fully.
She looked up soberly and replied
with the plant 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
right arm, on which the muscles
knotted a goodly ball, for her APP
proval. Physical culture to pur.
pose," he laughed. "And in that
scorching sun, too. will have earned
them I think" STOPPING to kiss her
as he passed. "The dry wood is all
down at the spring."
She watched him shoulder fall
chion of the woodpile and go whist
ling down the path between elder
bushes and wild grapevhes, then
winding up her silks, she went into
the tiny lean-to kitchen and busted
herself with her cooking. They had
dropped So naturally into rustic
roles.
Before long the ring of the AKA
ceased to echo back from the hills.
"Too warm" she thought, smiling.
Dear boy! He is so good, SO. true,
SO strong!"
His hurried steps on the path drew
her to the door between the two lit
tie rooms just as he entered from
his face set and hard, his
eyes contracted, looking straight
ahead.
Brushing past her as though his
life depended on his speed he crossed
to the corner cupboard and wrench
ing open the doors seized upon bot
lie of Smiths liquor. She watched
him breathlessly, too shocked 10
move, as with that strange, fixed stare.
lie snatched up the stove poker and
the neck from the bottle,
training the fiery, cheap intoxicant
It one draught.
He half turned, hesitated, then
'aught up the other bottle.
Mono" she cried, staggering for
yard. "Not that! For the love of |
iod-and memo more, Myron!"
Without seeming to see her the |
'oker was again lifted and crashed |
through the glass with unerring aim,
hen draining the last drop he let the |
ottle fall and reeled to the bed in |
he next room, profaning the sane
uary of her slumber with his tainted |
reath.
She could not follow him to ques-
ion or reproach. All the long after
DON she sat huddled on the floor Of
he lean-to watching the sun blink on
he broken bottles. covering her ears
0 shut out his labored breathing.
lowly the mist crept up like bridal
ell from the Little Kaw and through
the sun. went down, huge, red
all behind the western hill, and
hen the round, white moon, climb
lg to her reign, peeped stealthily
i, the pale, crushed girl still sat rig
lily silent.
She was thinking. Thinking of her
ncle's warning, her trust, her yet.
nduring love, her bare, desolate fu-
ire apart from him. The broken.
npty bottles were her decree of air
olute separation.
At midnight she tiptoed softly in
nd looked down on him as she had
zen him in her maiden dreams,
lshed, senseless, but as yet the lines
{ character retained their strength.
othing but the yapping Of COYOTES
4 the divide kept her from leaving
i'm and the cabin-sepulchre of her
REF happiness, then. But fearing
, venture into the night she crept
ack to tho lean-to and crouched in
lie glass-ruins Of her life, sparkling
in the moonlight, and
aited for day. When the clock
ruck six a yawning groan drew her
the bedroom door for one last
ok before she left. His eyes were
zen, confused, heavy, but at sight of
r they flashed their old loving well
me. s
''What time is it, Theo?" he asked,
eepily. ugh, that was dose!" II
''Six o'clock of Wednesday morn.
g.". she answered, mechanically. II
"Have you been up all nightP' re- ]
what beast you must
I'VE thought me! But had ne time ,
explain. In reaching for stick Of
ood at the spring a rattlesnake bit
e, see?" exposing round, red mark
/ his ankle. "It's all right now.
lew the poison in Smiths whisky
ould counterfeit the poison "of the
to-"
She stood in The doorway rigid 40 (,
arble, but slowly she compre-
nded. ''And I thought thought !
oh, God, I thank thee!" she cried. I
finging herself into his
ms with burst of tears that for Z
err drowned distrust. q
il . < s.l7. ~ - r. = i =
The Brixht Light Of 1905.
Bobbie Observation-Disclosures, I
We discovered evidence Of the great