Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-01

bigger than you. Betty. She isn't as
pretty, I'll have to say that. But let's
talk about something else. How am 1 to
catch Agatha? It's imperative. Cad,
it's life or death, Betty"
What do you mean?' she asked, star
tied.
He swallowed painfully two or three
times as he scraped the edge of the rug
with his foot. looking down all the while.
well. you see, it's this way. I've mar
ried into a rather queer family. My-my
wife's most damnably jealous
THAT isn't very queer, is it?'
"She has a queer way CT being jealous,
that's all. Somehow she's got it into her
in North America"
"oh. begin to see. And, of course.
there isn't?'
Certainly not. I love my wife
Good for you. Harry. I didn't think
it Of you she said with a smile which
he did not understand.
"Oh. l say. Betty, you are making fun
Of me-
ION the contrary, I'm just beginning to
treat you seriously"
II suppose I owe some sort OF an ex-
PLANTATION in connection with my remark
about jealousy. It's due my wife,
May ask where she is at present."
'She's on the range in Patagonia. II
couldn't bring her here, you know. Bet
ty. I want you to help me with Agatha.
She's got that ruby and I simply have to
get 1t back again. I'll tell you all about
about my marriage. Perhaps you'll
understand. You see, I meant to be true
to Agatha. But it was so cursed lone
some down there-worse than Siberia or
midocean. We were surveying near the
west coast-rotten country-and / met her
at her fathers place. You see. they raise
cattle and all that sort of thing there
Her old mani should say Mr.. Grimes
is the cattle king of Patagonia. He's
worth couple of millions easy Well.
to make long story short. we all fell in
love with Pansy-the whole engineering
corps-and l won out. Shes the only
child and she's motherless. The old man
idolizes her. She's fairly good looking
and-well, she's being educated by pri-
vate tutors from Buenos Aires. I'm not
a cad to tell you. She's pure gold In
spite of her environments
mo doubt. if she's surrounded by mill
lions.'
Don't be sarcastic. Some day she'll
come in for the old mans money. She'll
be educated by that time and as good as
anybody. Then We'll come back to the
states and she'l-well. you'll see. The
only trouble is that she thinks there's a
woman up here that I loved before I
loved her. One day, shortly after we
were married. she found photograph of
Agatha which I'd always carried around
in my trunk. 1t was the picture in
which she wore the green ruby. Don't
you remember 1t? Well. you can't i'm
a sav-but l won't say it. She has had
no advantages-yst. and she's a bit I'M
trained in the ways of the world OF
course she hated Agatha's face because
it was beautiful. She complained to the
old man. The worst of it all is. that I
had already shown her a picture of the
ruby. taken from that eastern magazine,
and she recognized 1t as the one on
Agatha's neck. Well. you should have
heard the od-my father-in-law! Phew"
What did he say?' asked Betty, pity
ing him.
81 can't repeat it. He went on at a
fearful rate about fellows of my stripe
having wives iii other parts of the world.
and he was in condition to commit MUIR
der before he go: through Ii all ended
with a monstrous demand from my wife
She commanded me to produce the pend
ant. BY George. Betty, 1 was in a
frightful mess!
II could only say 1t was in New Or
leans. The old man looked holes through
me and said he'd give me four months in
which to produce 1t. Anything that
Pansy demanded he'd see that she got it,
If he had to shoot his way to it, You
ought to see him! And, incidentally, she
can shoot like Buffalo Bill herself. She
shot a gaucho through the neck half a
mile away
"a gaucho?
''Yes-a cowherder. Hang it. every