Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-31

acy. had enabled her to retrieve to a great
! extent their cramped fortunes.
Lady Elizabeth had lived only a short
time to enjoy the new improved condition
OF affairs. She died in the year following
Jfm's departure and vicarous disgrace
During the months previous to her death
she had grown grimmer and held herself
more aloof. A stroke of paralysis one
| morning made her bedridden and speech
| less; a merciful third stroke caused her
death within a month after her first attack.
She never spoke. and seemed to find no
consolation save in Dianas presence The
| trip to America for a much needed change
was principally taken, however. on account
| of Henry. whose NERVOUS condition the
medical attendants declared most serious.
The two years had made scarcely a per-
ceptible change In Diana: in Sir John none
at all. But in Henry an oppressive melan-
| choly was rarely broken by the old flashes.
Toward Diana he had faithfully kept his
| word to Jim: truce was accepted. and he
| never ceased in his pathetic endeavors to
| try to make her happy. II neither could
honestly lay claim to a real JOY of life. still
| they had peace and dignity. AS he stood
near the window. the strong light showed
how much thinner and lined was his face. A
touch Of gray was distinctly visible along
his temples and was beginning perceptibly
to streak his dark hair.
my. but it's corker! Sir John gasped
as he put his head out of the window and
the binding heat beat down on him. There
was smile from Diana at Sir Johns ac-
quired Americanism. More British than the
Union Jack itself. yet he was keen to gain
knowledge of the new country, and long
conversations with the servile black Sam
were enlarging his vocabulary. All three
watched with curiosity the ramshackle hos
telry, which they could plainly descry from
one end of the car.
Diana turned to the men: do let us see
the place. I've always longed to have a
real adventure at way place off the
beaten tourist track. I'm so tired of the
sights that are arranged for one to be
shocked at-at SO much head"
They moved to the door. but the intense
heat Of the day for a moment seemed to
dampen their ardor Then. at Henry's So
licitations. Diana was persuaded to wait I'M
til he found out from an official the pos
sble length of their stop
Within the Long Horn saloon the after
Moons heat was apparently not felt by its
inmates. 1t was roughly hewn. wooden
three-cornered room with an oak beam
stretching across It. Over this were thrown
saddles and blankets. A bar extended
along one side Of the room. On the walls
were grotesque and crude pictures done in
chalk. while other spaces were covered
with cheap. highly colored illustrations cut
from the papers that reached Maverick.
Tables for roulette and faro were placed at
Set intervals. The floor was covered with
mixture of sand and sawdust. while mounds
OF wood-dust were heaped near the bar, to
be used by the men as cuspidors. 1t was
clean in a certain primitive fashion. The
glasses and bar fixtures were not unpleas-
ant. The bartender Nick. ex-prize-
fighter. took a pride in his emporium"
he called the saloon, and lavished loving
though crude care on his possessions.
But the place was stained and soiled by
the marks of the tragic remnants OF hu-
mainly that were housed within Its walls.
Around the gambling tables on this after
noon were groups of tattered specimens OF
the various races. Cowboys at certain Ia
bles gave q wholesome. vlrile note to the
place. but the drift-wood of a broken civ
ilization was at this hour In larger proper