The Caucasian., 1909-12-12

Mary had locked herself in an inner
room, and, although her supposed TN
| Gle SWOre that he would have the law
on them ALL he finally left the house
| defeated.
Tom Haley came that Sunday after
noon, AS usual. and when he found
what had happened he was pale with
anger. He and Mary talked the mat
| ter over with the hopeless calm Of peo-
pie who are accustomed to misfortune
| 1t did not seem impossible that Mary's
uncle might have the law on them, as
he threatened. They could not help
| sharing the fear that all the old neigh
| bors felt for the man. 1t seemed to
| Tom that the only thing they could do
was to be married at once. But Mary
would not listen to this proposition
1t was eighteen years since all this
| had happened, yet it did not take Mary
a moment to remember it all. She had
| been wrong. She ought to have lis
| tened to Toms pleadings, and, once
married, they might both have escaped
the misery that followed. The faded
woman drew her ragged shawl closer
and shivered from something sharper
than the. December wind. She was
| living it all over again. She had not
dared to leave the house on that Sun
| day long ago. not even to take her ac-
customed walk with Tom. Before ne
| left her lover had promised to protect
| her on her way home the next night
if she would wait outside until he had
closed the store. That night she had
waited and let Dora go home alone.
| When Tom appeared they walked to-
gether down to the Cove district. and,
as they had feared, Mary's uncle was
waiting in the doorway of the tene-
ment He scowled as they stopped be-
| fore him.
who is that man." he demanded Of
Mary.
I Il am the man she is going to mar
ry," said Tom. answering for her
Mary chung to her lovers arm. She
felt a thrill of pride in Tom, followed
! by n nameleSs dread of what might
happen to him. Her uncle's quick an
| ger was aroused. He cursed Tom as
a liar and abused Mary in the vilest
way Suddenly he stopped and. slouch-
| ing down the steps, said to Tom: 'If
you are going to marry her I've got
| something to say to you first. Meet
me at Jones' place and we will have
it over"
He brushed them as he passed and
disappeared around the corner of the
court Toms bands were cinched,
and he would have followed at once
had not Mary hung SO heavily upon
him. She was more frightened than
before. it was so strange, so unnatural
Tom was eager TO go to the saloon
around the corner and find out what
her uncle had to say. He had nothing
to fear, he said, and would be right
back When he had gone Mary bolted
the door and sat waiting fearfully in
the dark. Then the minutes dragged
more heavily. because she thought il
was time for Toms return, and she
breathed more freely when she heard
a mans step upon the stairs and u
bold knock upon the door
rs that you, Tom?" she said She
hardly noticed that his voice sound
ed strange when be answered She
drew the bolt but il was her uncle
| who put his foot against the door and
| forced his way into the room. Selling
the almost paralyzed girl by the arm.
he held mp bottle which she could
just see in the dim light;
Its vitriol' he hissed at viii
burn like a fame and eat like "A tiger
Now, come along and don't makr amy
fuss J"
She dared not resist, but went along
with him. wondering. with sickening
dread. what terrible thing he had don,.
to the man she loved When they got
| into the court By the flicker of street
| lamp they saw Tom coming toward
them.
Tell him you are going with me and
won't have anything more to do will
him. or I'll give him the acid" mutter
ed her uncle. Mary, half stnpetied
with fear and wishing to save Tom
from her uncle's fiendish threat. obey
| ed. She coldly passed Tom by and
| told him mot to bother her. then, rs
she had important business with her
uncle.
Mary, Mary, are you mad?' Tom
cried. but she walked on. leaving him
standing as If he had been stung. Her
uncle chose the quietest streets, and
they walked rapidly across the city to-
| ward the north end. She thought
many times of calling for help, but the
bottle of liquid fire was still in his
hand, and she knew only too well that
he would use it. The real terror of
the situation seized her when they
came to an old wooden rookery that
had once been a mansion, but was now
dark and empty. Her uncle opened
the street door and almost dragged
her up the three flights of old fashion
ed stairs ''I'll have you safe enough
in minute" he said as he fumbled
with the key. 1t was too much for
Mary's weakened nerves. She lost all
sense of fear and control and. crying,