New-York tribune., 1908-11-29

come out West to spend the summer and bad fingered
an through the winter fascinated oy her eXube1ant
s+tractveness and fatteTed b. her bold and arttui
Sbe had thought 10 annuse herself in her dreary,
,,,retched sordid life by his fresh frank, open ad-
',iration The woman's drunken husband had
cared little at first; but lately under the Jipesi
sneers and innuendos OF his companions ne htd
become fiercelv Jealous. Then in maudln 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
l. the tfraldom of her matrimonial bond and IN
his company or by his agency to leave me tountIE
She neither desired intended to De tleu 10 oOE
a half-dozen wears Younger than she. She had no
sympathy with his fine chivalrc and dls1nterested
,1oint Of view She was made OF conlmOner clay
Than he Once in civilization 1t would be easy to
break avrav from him, she knew Thereafter she had
no fear but with her beauty her Wit and her courage
she could make her way IN thaI Ea9t "LIiCr t il'
never seen-she had been born IN the mountains
1t of which he had painted for her even out OF MS
inexDerience such strange and allurng pictures.
And This was the night which they had agreed
10 take their departure
Since her husband wild outbreak OF jealousy, she
had seen the boy only In that surreptlt1ous m
terzew they had concocted their plans Her husband
spent the greater part of the night whenever ne mad
anv money, in gambling and drinking at the saloon
Bv a lucky streak short time before IN an all nght
trial with Fortune he had something overa thou
sand dollars. The bulk of it in hard cash still reposed
IN the chest of drawers That, with what the boy
could contribute would provide her for the expenses
@ !
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 to take all with her 1t would prob
ably be sometime before he could get more. He had
few resources; his mines were worthless No one
trusted him; all men hated him, she knew Such
SVrnpathV S there II the camp would be hers.
He would hardly be able to follow her very soon.
But if he did, that risk she must take.
EnqrOssed in the present, the boy thought moth
ing at all about the future. The womans predica-
1nent buked so large his immature imagination
that there was nothing else the horizon. There
was no other horizon than She in fact.
A Nd now this storm bade fair to render the whole
~ plan impossible. She feared that the boy
would be frightened by the blizzard, ard she cursed
Fortune. which had put what She thought to be
trail an instrument of deliveranCe in her hand Yet
there 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 Shriellng #
The wind and the thick carpet of snow outside had
made his approach nJIseess. She was startled,
therefore. by his sudden entrance. The room
instantly filled with wind and through the open
doorway. The lamp fickered wildly. The woman
scre: ned slightly and stepped toward the snow
covered. ice incruSted figure.
The Young forced the door shut turned and
faced her. He tore off his fur cap and threw ii on
The floor He stretched out his ICY gauntleted hands
toward her. To reach the cabin he had cen com
PEELED to face the blizzard. His face was white snI
bleeding. The contrast Of the rel blood with the
white OF the snow clinging thickIy his heavy buff
falo overcoat was startling, The woman shrank
back from him.
Is this my wecome." he said in voice manly
enough in spite OF his youthful aspect
a." You re 50 wet and 50 cold. said the woman.
But she spoke she stepped nearer To him. Is
everything ready" she asked The horses?"
They're outside, returned the boy. But YOU