The Press., 1904-08-24

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whar you come from.
"Exactly."s
"An you're a-goin' back an leave
her after maxim her love. You. II
maybe is all right In your section. but
we don't call it square hyer-not with
nice gals"
"But the girl doesn't care for me.
She has a passing fancy perhaps. but
that's all"
l.Yit she let you kiss her thar on the
porch tonight. seen her."
Coventry arose angrily. I'm not
accustomed to have my he began.
but Mort interrupted.
81 know you amt. but you're goin'
to be. III trouble you to set quiet
thar while / talk. You come hyer an
meet a gal. She's nice gal. an q
purity gal. She amt never seen man
iken you-or heerd one. The men
she knows amt much on dancin' an
scrapin' an bein' dressed up. They
are lust men-the men around these
hyer parts.
"You know that gal is fallin' In love
with you more an more every day.
an yet you stay hyer. When she
gives you what l amt never even
dared to ask her for; when she cares
so much she amt carin' who sees 1t,
why, you gifts ready to pull your
freight for home an forgit her onun
your mind,
ITS a powerful curious world :
Mort continued, with a grim smile.
"It don't appear to be put together
right somehow. Hyer ! am lovin'
the very groun' she steps on. an she
amt carin' for me any more than for
that same ground. An she loves you.
an YOU
The mans face worked In the moon
light, and Coventry was genuinely
sorry for him.
'It will be all right. old man." he
said, when I'm gone"
you're not goin' away" Mort re-
turned quietly, 'leastways not until
you've married Glory"
"Are you crazyY Coventry cried.
"You made her love you. Well. now
you're goin' to marry her."
''But IL won'tY
"Then I'm goin' to kill you"
He said 1t quite calmly. and before
Coventry realized the words he saw
the moonlight glinting along the barrel
of a revolver. ...-....
''Some men," said Mort, would have
put bullet into you when you fust
come hyer foolin' around. but ! thought
you was in earnest. an Glory was hap
py." s...#...
do you mean to say you're going
to murder me unless ! agree to your
crazy nonsense" .
81 don't know about murder. 1t amt
murder to kill snake. But anyway
I'm a-goin' to kill you unless you do as
I say. You want to think mighty quick.
I'm goin' to count ten, an them
Coventry knew what would happen
then, and he had an instant picture of
all that would follow his refusal and
vivid sense of his folly.
zone three"-the words fell
steadily like strokes of a pendulum
''four-fve"- There was rustic of
parting twigs, and Gloriana sprang out
of the willows by the stream edge.
"DOn't shoot. Mortv' she cried as she
sprang between the men, and then she
said something which stings Coventry
even to this day when he thinks of 1t.
do you suppose I care for him"
she cried, pointing disdainfully at Gov
entry "himY Again came the accent
which hurt "It was you I cared for
all along, only you wouldn't speak, an
n - H.
would. only didn't think it would
come to sllootin'. / want a man. an
I've got him.
Mr.. Coventry didn't stay for the we'd
ding. He went home. as he intended.
the next day. but in telling his adven-
lures In the west he says nothing
about how he was used as a stalking
horse. ,.-.-s..... r.