The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-05-26


once moro, "Well,n ahe drnwled,
coughing genteelly ut the Same time
''better late than never. as the saying
Is. wonder who Il Ii glts up al them
comical sayingsy' Apparently ehe had
no genuine desire for light upon this
mystery az she continued Immediately,
II have a gentleman friend that's al.
ways gittin' 'em on. 'well,' he says,
tho best Of friends must part and
Thou strikest me to the heart all
kinds Of cracks like that He's real
comlcal. And yet" she went on 10 an
altered voice, Il don't like him much.
rd bs glad II rd never seen him."
The change Of tone was 70 marked
that Ariel looked at her keenly, TO find
herself surprised into pitylng this
strange client OF Joe's. for tears had
sprung 10 tho woman's eyes and slid
along tho lids. where she tried va!nly
10 restrain them. Her face had altered,
too, like her voice. haggard lines sud
denly appearing about the eyes ana
mouth as n they had lust been pen.
ciled there--the truth issuing from be.
meath her plnchbeck simulations like q
tragic mask revealed by tho dispiace
ment OF a tawdry covering.
II expect you think I'm real foolish"
she said. shut ben waitln' 20 awful
long, aud ! got u good deal Of worry
on my mind I'll see Mr., Louden."
II am sorry" Ariel turned from the
roses and faced her and the heavy per
fume. ~ hope be win come soon."
II hope So" said tho other. TITS
something to do with me that keeps
shlm away. and the longer he Is the
more II scares me-" She shlvered and
set her teeth together, tits kind OF
hard waitin'. cert'nly got my share
OF troubles"
"Don't you think that Mr.. Louden
viii be able to take care Of them for
your"
"oh, L hope so. Miss Taborl II he
can't nobody can" she was crying
openly now. wiplng her eyes with her
muak soaked handkerchief. I'VE had
10 send fer him yesterday afternoon
ITO come to Beaver Beach, do You
meanr' asked Ariel, leaning forward.
Eyes. ma'am. II all begun cut there
leastways II begun before that with
me. II was all my fault deserve alI
that's comm 10 me, guess. dons
wrongl done wrongl I'd oughtn't
never to OF went out there yesterday"
She checked herself sharply, but
after a moments pause continued, en-.
eouraged by the grave kindliness Of
the delicate face IN the shadow Of the
wide white hat. II oughtn't to Of
went" she repeated. "oh, | reckon
I'll never, never learn enough to keep
out O. trouble. even when | see II
eomin'l But that gentleman friend OF
mine-Mr. Nashville Cory's bis name
he kind o. coaxed me into II. and he's
right conicai when he's with ladies'.
and he's good company. and be says,
'Claudins. wen dance the light fan
tastic.' he says. and kind o. wanted
something cheerful. I'd ben workin'
steady quite spell, and II looked like
he wanted TO show me good time. 30
I went, and that's what started t."
Now that abe had begun she babbled
On with her story. at times incoherent.
". full Of excuses made to herself
more than to Ariel pitifully endeayor-
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 II. and, Besides
be says, whats the oddsT or course
l 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. I was on the stage quite
awhile in Chicago before I got ac-
quainted with my husband"
"You were on the stager Ariel ex.
claimed involuntarily.
Eyes. ma'am-livin' pitchers at Gold.
berg's rat'skeller, and amunchoor
nights I nearly always done sketch
with gentleman friend That's the
way I 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 I wanted. He's
always gs1'lemanlike when he amt
had too much, and even then he vurry.
vurry seldom acks rough unless he's
Jealous. That was the trouble yes
terday. never would Of gone to the
Beach II I'd dreamed what was com
In! When we got there saw Mike
that the gentleman that runs the
Beach -lookin' at my company and me
kind OF anxious, and pretty soon he
got me away from Mr. Cory and told
me what's what. Seems this Cory
only wanted me to go with him to
make my husband mad, and he'd took
good care that Mr.. Fear heard I'd be
there with him. An he'd ben hangin'
around me every time he struck town
fest to make Mr.. Fear mad-the fresh
thingl You see, he wanted to make
my husband start something again.
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