Arizona republican., 1905-04-30

I followed her off with my eyes. she was so pretty and high-toned now, the first decent white woman I'd talked to in years, and honest-oh, well, hang 1t, mans got no license to be asham- ed of his wife, but I don't know-Kate did look kind of funny in that red Mother Hubbard and the ermine cape and straw hat with moccasins and five strings of glass beads-doggone it, hated myself for being ashamed of her, which I wasn't really, only somehow she looked different than she did be- fore.
 tried to get her away but she stood stock-stiH watching Flora, who had walked off down to the cloak depart ment at the end of the aisle. But, if Kate don't want to move, all hell and an iceberg can't budge her. and I stood myself with her, feeling guilty enough, | though l was just as fond of my wife as ever. All of a sudden Kate made a break for the counter where Flora Donovan was buying a cloak. The clerks all knew Flora by this time and the hoorwalker chap would come on the hop-skip- -and-a-jump and turn the shop upside down for her. So when she came up behind Miss Donovan and pointed to three of four expensive | y of double eagles to pay for 'em, letting the clerk take out what she wanted. she had everybody staring at her Flora included.
 I could see well enough what was in Rates mind. She had seen that I was just little ashamed of her, for some reason, and that Flora didn't think she was in her class. Kate want ed to show that she was the real thing, and a sure lady, and the only way she knew how to prove it was to beat l Flora a buying. Kate didn't exactly want to put it over her, she only want ! ed to make good as the wife of Saul 1 Timney.
 Flora only said: Your wife has very 1 good taste, MT. Timney," and sailed in 1 to the women's underwear corner Kate stuck to her like burr. She was right at home there, and for about ff- 1 teen minutes it seemed like all the cash boys in the world were running in and out packing away the white things. just like Kate was a fairy queen giving orders. She laid down medicine stones" on the counter till the finn flams and thingumbobs almost dropped down off the shelves of themselves. I s'pose a man really has no business to
 
 the two of 'em buy. Kate had actual ly got Flora going, and both of 'em emptied their sacks. Then Flora swept out, Joking a hole through me, but never saying a word. I heard afterward that Miss Donovan was pretty well known to be close listed, and it must | have hurt her some to let go of all that money just on account of an in- dian squaw. But the clerks behind the counter nearly went into fits.
 Kate came up to me and said: ''I can buy more things than she can can't I?" And I said: Sure you can, Kate; you could buy her right out of house and homei"
 She looked a little relieved then, but I saw she was jealous. and the worst of it was, I'd given her license to be- l tried to be as nice as I could, and bought her another necklace, and took her to see the kinetoscope and let her look through the telescope at tbe moon but I saw she was still fretting about Flora. That night I met a fellow from the Yukon, and I left Kate at the hotel and made night Of it. I went to bed with considerable of a head and wher woke up. toward noon. Kate was gone. She didn't show up till the next day after that. l learned afterward what happened.
 Kate started out bright and early to find Flora. She had got into a black dress with spangles, patent leather shoes, and a hat as big as a penguin She carried with her all the cash we had at the hotel running into four figures easy. The shopping district of San Francisco ain't such a big place after all, and Kate and Flora only went to the best and highest priced stores so it wasn't long before they met.
 As far as I could find out, Kate didn't have her hatchet out at all, this trip, but she was just trying to make up to Flora and be nice to her and show she was ready to get acquainted You can guess what happened. Flora tried to pass Kate, but Kate just stood in the aisle like a house. It was no use for Flora to try and snub her, for Kate couldn't understand the kind of polite slaps in the face that women know how to give. The only thing was to get rid of her, so Flora up and went out the front door to her carriage.
 Kate followed her to the sidewalk When Flora got in Kate got in right alongside, grinning all over. showing her sack of gold, and trying her best to be as nice as she could. Flora was clean flabbergastsd. She didn't want to make a holy show of herself on the street by calling the police, and SC she told the driver to go home, as the best way out of it. So they drove tC Van Ness avenue, Flora throwing con- } niption fits, she was so mad, and Kate l, smiling and talking Chinook, with hel } big hat on one ear.
 ' When they got to the house Flora : jumped out and loped up the steps blazing and slammed the door. Kate tried to follow, but her tight dress ant tight shoes were too much for her. ana she fell down. That got Rates maC r up and when Rates good and maC she's a mule. She banged at the door but no one opened. So she sat dowI on the front doorstep to wait til Flora came out. You know what In ' dians are. She was ready to wait al ? night. She was used to nights si,
 months long, few hours in Sal
 Francisco fog didn't worry her a bit Q She took off her shoes and loOsene t her dress and stuck to the mat ] of h