Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-05-02


meath her pinchbeck simulations like a
tragic mask revealed by the dispace-
ment of tawdry covering.
81 expect you think I'm real foolish"
she said, "but ben waitin' so awful
long, and l got good deal of worry
On my mind till see Mr.. Louden."
81 am sorry" Ariel turned from the
roses and faced her and the heavy per-
fume. II hope he will come soon"
~ hope So" said the other. ITS
something TO do with me that keeps
him away, and the longer he is the
more 1t scares me-" She shvered and
set her teeth together. ITS kind OF
hard waitn'. | cert'nly got my share
of troubles"
Don't you think that Mr.. Louden
will lie able to take care of them for
your"
ooh, hope so, Miss Tabor! If he
can't, nobody can" she was crying
openly now. wiping her eyes with her
musk soaked handkerchief. I'VE had
to send fer him yesterday afternoon
"'To come to Beaver Reach, do you
mean?' asked Ariel, leaning forward.
eyes, ma'nm. 1t all begun out there
leastways it begun before that with
me. It was all my fault. deserve all
that's comm to me. ! guess. | done
wrong! l done wrong. I'd oughtnt
never to of went out there Yesterday"
She checked herself sharply, but
after n moments pause continued, en-
couragcd by the grave kindness of
the delicate face in the shadow of the
went" she repeated. "Oh, | reckon
I'll never never learn enough to keep
out O trouble. even when see it
comm! But that gentleman friend Of
inine-Mr. Nashville Cory's his name
he kind o. coaxed me into it, and he's
md he's good company, and he says.
'Claudine. We'll dance the light fan
tastic,' he says, and | kind O wanted
something cheerful. III ben workin'
steady quite Il 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, ut times incoherent-
~. full Of excuses made to herself
more than TO Ariel, pitifully endeavor-
Ing to convince herself that the re-
rpOnSibilty for the middle 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 oldsT OF course
! knowcd 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; I was on
the stage. | was on the stage quite
awhile in Chicago before I got &C.
quainted with my husband"
you were on the stage?' Ariel ex-
claimed involuntarily.
"Yes. ma'am-livin' pitchers at Gold
berg's rat'skcller. and amunchoor
nights ! nearly always done a sketch
with gentleman friend. That's the
way I met Mr. Fear lie seemed to be
real struck with me right away, and
soon rs I got through my turn he asst
me to order whatever wanted He's
always gen'lcmanlke when he amt
had too much. and even then he vllrry,
hurry seldom acks rough unless he's
Jealous. That was the trouble yes
tcrday. never would Of gone to the
Beach if I'd dreamed what was COM
in', When we got there I saw Mike
that the gentleman that runs the
BeHch-lookin at my company and me
kind Of anxious, and pretty soon lie
got me away from Mr. Cory and told
me what's what. Seems this Cory
only wanted me to go with him tc
make my husband mad, and he'd took
good care that Mr.. Fear heard ia be
there with him. An he'd ben hangin
nround NE every time he struck town
est to make Mr.. Fear mad-the fresh
thing, You see, he wanted to make
pny husband start something again
this Mr.. Cory did, and he was fixed
for it,"
II don't understand" said Ariel.
'It's this way: If Mr.. Fear attacked
klr. Cory, why, Mr.. Cory could shoot
him down and claim self defense. You
pee, it would be easy for Mr.. Cory, be-
cause Mr.. Fear nearly killed him when
they had their first trouble, and that
would give Mr.. Cory q good excuse to
shoot if Mr.. Fear jest only pushed him
That's the way it is with the law. Mr.
Cory could wipe out their old score and
git off scot free"
"Surely not.'
eyes, ma'am, that's the way it would
be. And when Mike told me that Mr
DRY had got me out there jest to pro
okc my husband went straight up t
him and begun to give him piece o.
ny mind. didn't talk loud, because
never was one to make disturbance
Rnd start trouble the way some do
Ind right while was talliin' we boil
zee my husband pass the window. Mr.
DRY give kind Of yelling laugh anC
put his arm round me jest as Mr. Feal
rome In the door. And then ii all hap
pened so quick that you could hardly
ell what was gOin' on. Mr.. Fear, W.
FOUND nfterward had promised Mr.
.ouden that he wouldn't come ou
here but he took too much-you could
see that by the look of him-and fer