Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-29


on through the winter. fascinated by tel eNuherant
attractiveness, and battered by her Oh and artful
pursuit of him.
She had thought to amuse herse,i in her dreary,
wretched sordid life by his fresh, frank, open ad-
nliration. The womans drunken husband had
cared little at first; but lately, under the Jibes
sneers, and innuendos of his companions, he had
become ferce1y Jealous. Then in maudlin fury he
had forbidden the boy the house, and had sworn
that he would kill him sight.
THE woman swiftly made up her mind to break
the thradom of her matrimonial bond, and in
his company or by his agency to leave the country
She neither desired intended to be tied to boy
a half dozen Years younger than she. She had no
sympathy with his fine chvalric and dlslnterested
point of view. She was made OF commoner clay
than he. Once in civilization it would be easy to
break away from him, she knew. Thereafter she had
no fear but with her beauty her w.t. and her courage
she could make her way in that East which she had
never seen-she had been born in the mountains
but of which he had painted for her even out OF his
inexperience such strange and aluring pictures;
And this the night which they had agreed
to take their departure.
Since her husbands wild outbreak of jealousy, she
had the boy only In that surreptitious in
terview they had concoced their plans. Her husband
spent the greater part of the whenever he had
any money in gambling and drinking at the saloon.
By lucky streak short time before in all night
trial with Fortune he had won something over thou
sand dollars The bulk of in hard cash still reposed
in the chest of drawers That, with what the boy
could contribute would provide her for the expenses
of the journey She had got it out and tied up in
little canvas bag. 1t lay the table the lamp.
Fifteen miles south the Union Pacific railroad ran
across the continent 1t had been their plan to ride
thither and take the first train eastward, losing
themselves in Chicago. and thence by whatsoever
route pleased them making their way to New York.
Whether her husband would pursue her not, she
could not tell He would be without the money,
since she meant take all with her. 1t would prob
ably be sometime before he could get more. He had
few resources; his mines worthless No
trusted him; all men hated him, she knew Such
sympathy as there in the camp would be hers.
He would hardly be able to follow her very soon.
But if he did. that risk she must take
Engrossed in the present, the boy thought moth
ing at all about the future. The woman's predca-
ment buked so large to his immature imagination
that there nothing else on the horizon. There
was no other horizon than she in fact.
A Nd now this storm bade fair to render the whole
IA plan impossible. She feared that the boy
would be frightened by the BLIZZARD and she cursed
Fortune, which had put what she thought to be so
frail instrument of deliverance in her hand. Yet
there more in the boy than she imagined for
when she had about made up her mind finally that
he would not come, the door thrown open and
he staggered into the room. The wild shrieking of
the wind and the thick carpet of snow outside had
made his approach noiseess She was startled,
therefore, by his sudden entrance The room was
instantly filled with wind and through the open
doorway; The lamp f1ickered wildly. The woman
screamed slightly and stepped toward the
covered, ice incrusted figure.
The young forced the door shut, turned and
faced her. He tore off his fur cap and threw it
the floor He stretched out his lev gauntleted hands
toward her. To reach the cabin he had been COM
PEELED to face the blizzard. His face was white and
bleeding. The contrast of the red blood with the
white of the snow cnging thickly to his heavy buff
falo overcoat was startling The woman shrank
back from him
is this my welcome:' he said in voice manly
enough in spite of his Youthful aspect
You're wet and cold,'' said the woman.
But as she spoke she stepped nearer to him. Us
everything ready?" she asked THE horses?"
They're outside. returned the boy But YOU
didn't think of venturing in this blizzard? Why it's
like hell itself or would be if hell was cod!'