The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-07-12

70 restrain them. Her face had altered.
too. Ike her voice. haggard lines sud
denly appearing about the eyes and
mouth as IL they had just been pen
ciled there-the truth issuing from be-
Aeath her plnchbeck slmulatiOns like a
tragic mask revealed by the displace-
ment OF a tawdry covering.
"I expect you think I'm real foolish. =
she said. "but ben waitin' so-awful
long. and | got good deal OF worry
on my mind till see Mr.. Louden"
II am sorry" Ariel turned from the
roses and faced her and the heavy per
fume. II hope he will come soon"
II hope So" said the other ITS
something to do with me that keeps
him away, and the longer he is the
more II scares me-" She shivered and
set her teeth together 'It's kind OF
hard waftin'. Tcert'nly got my share
OF troubles
Don't you think that Mr.. Louden
will be able to take care Of them for
your"
"Oh. hope so. Miss Tabor. If he
can't nobody can" She was crying
openly now. wiping her eyes with her
musk soaked handkerchief. 1--WE had
TO send fer him yesterday afternoon
ITO come to Beaver Beach, do you
mean?' asked Ariel, leaning forward.
Eyes, ma'am. 1t all begun out there
leastways it begun before that with
me. 1t was all my fault. deserve all
that's comm to me- | guess. done
wrong! l done wrongi I'd oughtn't
never to of went out there yesterday"
She checked herself sharply, but
after moments pause continued, en-
outraged by the grave kindness of
the delicate face In the shadow of the
wide white bat. II oughtn't to of
went" she repeated. 'Oh, | reckon
TIL never never learn enough to keep
out O. trouble. even when | see it
comm! But that gentleman friend of
mine-Mr Nashville Cory's his name
he kind o. coaxed me into it. and he's |
right comical when he's with ladies, |
and he's good company, and he says. |
Claudine, we'll dance the light fan |
tastfc, he says. and | kind o. wanted |
SOLhCbhlAB CACClIu u DC Ii WOTh1u
steady quite spell, and it looked like
he wanted to show me a good time, so
went, and that's what started it."
Now that she had begun she babbled
on with her story, at times lneoherent-
". full of excuses made to herself
more than to Ariel, .pitifully endeavor-
ing to convince herself that the re-
sponsibility for the muddle she had
made was not hers. Mr. Cory told
me my husband was drinkin and
wouldn't know about it. and. Besides
he says what's the oddsY OF course
knowed there was trouble between
him and Mr.. Fear-that's my husband
"a good while ago. when Mr. Fear up
and laid him out That was before me
and Mr.. Fear got married; / hadn't
even ben to Canaan then; | was on
the stage. | was on the stage quite !
awhile in Chicago before | got ac-
quainted with my husband"
"You were on the stage?' Ariel ex-
claimed involuntarily.
Eyes, ma'am-Iivin' pitchers at Gold
berg's rat'skeller, and amunchoor :
nights / nearly always done a sketch
with a gentleman friend. That's the
way ! met Mr.. Fear He seemed to be
real struck with me right away, and
soon as got through my turn he asst
me to order whatever l wanted. He's
always gen'lemanlike when he amt
had too much, and even then he vurry. i.
FURRY seldom acks rough unless he's
Jealous. That was the trouble yes
'erday. l never would of gone to the =
Beach II I'd dreamed what was com
n! When we got there / saw Mike =
hat the gentleman that runs the .
at my company and me =
lind of anxious, and pretty soon he :,
'ot me away from Mr.. Cory and told =.
ne what's what. Seems this Cory "
My wanted me to go with him to
make my husband mad. and he'd took y
God care that Mr.. Fear heard I'd be - -
here with him. An he'd ben ~hangin' =
round me every time he struck town ~
est to make Mr.. Fear mad-the fresh
hing! You see, he wanted to make &C
~ husband start something again. In,
his Mr. Cory did, and he was fixed
DR. it." pr
81 don't understand" said Ariel. en-
"It's this way: II Mr.. Fear attacked th'
r. Cory, why, Mr.. Cory could shoot 20
m down and claim self defense You .
We, II would be easy for Mr.. Cory, be ro
Iuse Mr.. Fear nearly killed him when vi
ley had their first trouble, and that ''a
ould give Mr.. Cory a good excuse to =
loot If Mr.. Fear. Jest only pushed him. ~ :.
rats the way II is with The law. Mr.. :.
Try could wipe out their old score and +"
| of scot free' ha
Surely notw ;.
Yes, ma'am, that's the way II would she
And when Mike told me that Mr. vol
Try had got me out there jest to pro tro
Ike my husband went straight up to "
N and begun to give him a piece of per