Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-05-25


"Dlop I'll" he curtly commanded. "Dlop
gun!"
cook of the household, rushed into the
room and flung himself OH the mad
wretch. His long fingers encircled her
throat. "Dlop itp' he curtly command
ed .'Dlop gunr' For few moments
the woman struggled, then the re-
volver fell to the floor, and Nora
snatched it up.
Woo turned the gasping, hiccoughlng
creature to the door and flung her out
upon the ground. you dunk. Go
home. Stop home. Me sable you-you
sable me-" he said as he bent above
her.
Ann interposed. Don't hurt her,
Woo"
He stood beside her while she slowly
regained q sitting posture. "She belly
dangelous. Me go tell Munlo. She
fight-me kick"
The poor creature now seemed daZed
and broken and began to weep, and
with her tears became as abjectly pitt
full, as pathetically tawdry, as she had
been hideOuS and menacing Ill her
wrath. Ann shuddered with q bitter
nausea. a disorder that was half phys
ical weakness, half mental repulsion.
There was something CHASTITY beyond
words in this creature sitting in Ut
ter abandonment in her rumpled fin
cry. which the pitiless sun disSected.
STOPPING, she took the miserable one
by the arm. Get up. You must not
sit there"
Slowly the woman rose, all thought
of revenge swallowed up in wave Of
maudlin self pity. you're all agin
NEAL of We: l guess you wouldn't
like it to have your husband stolen by
another woman. You let me alone!"
she said to Woo, with flash of anger.
"You pigtail, what business you got to
lay hands Oh a white Lady,"
The creature began to pour forth
food of vile epithets, directed toward
the patient Woo, who tried again and
again to lift her and was in the midst
of a howl of wrath when Matt came
round the corner Of the house.
"What's all this?" he asked sharply.
The woman suddenly rose to her feet,
well aware that man had arrived,
and began to humble and weep again.
Nora ran to her husband. "Oh, Matt,
drive her away. She tried to kill u.s."
"Who is she? Who are you, and
what are you doing here anyway"
The woman, quite dismayed, began
to retreat. "Its all right. She prom
ised. I'm going now"
Woo explained: "She Munlo's wife,
Belly dlunk-allee same Clay. Take
um gun-go shoot lady," He pointed
at Ann. "Me choke um. She fall on
glound. No get up NOla catchee gum"
Kelly followed the invader. "YOu go
back to where you came from and stay
there or twill be the worse for We, We
murderin' omadhaun."
Ann went to her room and flung
herself down upon her bed In such
abasement as she had never known In
all her life. She could not deceive
herself. She had brought this hOrri-
BILE assault upon herself by something
more than tolerance Of Munro.
The wOman's ignorance and taste
lessness, her common voice, her badly
fitting garments, her incredible base
ness of speech, all came back. Ann
Rupert a rival to that being" or
course she had never for an instant di-
rectly encouraged Munro, and yet he
had appealed to her and she had lis
tened.
"Rob should have warned me-" she
complained, her mind going back TO the
man she could trust. At the moment
she could not see or would not ac-
knowledge that Raymond had ventured
as far as he dared in revealing Num-
ro's private life. She was too angry
with herself and every one around her
20 be just. AS her flaming wrath dleo
she grew cold and bitter. "Ihis IS
what comes of going outside ones own
proper world. l shall leave the peak
at once, and 1 hope shall never see IL
or hear it spoken of again."