Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-06-08

HbWE
.sShe's STICK, dats aul,at I says."
lamp, rearranged the cushions and
tried to make the room look CHEEKY
for his entrance.
'I's 'fraid yo's mighty tired,' she
said.
"Oh, no." answered Douglas absently.
"Mebbe yo'd like Mandy to be sarvin'
your supper in here tonight. It's more
cheerfuler."
He crossed to the window and looked
out upon the circus lot. The flare of
the torches and the red fire came up
to meet his pale, tense face. "How
like the picture of thirteen months
ago!" he thought. and old Toby's words
came back to him-'"The show has got
to go on"
He longed to have done with dreams
and speculation, to feel something tan
gible, warm and real within his grasp.
II can't go on like thisv' he cried. 81
can't!" He turned from the window
and walked hurriedly up and down the
room. Indoors or out, he found no
rest. He threw himself in the arm
chair near the table and sat buried in
thought.
Mandy came softly into the room.
She was followed by Hasty, who car
ried tray laden with things that
ought to have tempted any man. She
motioned for Hasty to put the tray
on the table and then began arranging
the dishes. Hasty stole to the window
and peeped out at the tempting flare
of red fire.
When Douglas discovered the pres
ence of his two "faithfuls" he was
touched with momentary contrition.
Have you had hard day with the
new gravel walk?" he asked Hasty,
remembering that he had been laying
a fresh path to the Sunday school
room.
''Jes' yo' come eat yo' supper" Man
dy called to Douglas. "Don' yo' worry
your head bout dat lazy husban' OBJ
mine. He amt goin' ter work 'nuff
to hurt hisself" For an instant she
had been tempted to let the pastor
know how Hasty had gone to the cir
Gus and seen nothing of Polly, but her
motherly instinct won the day, and
she urged him to eat before disturbing
him with her own anxieties. It was
no use. He only toyed with his food;
he was clearly ill at ease and eager to
be alone. She gave up trying to tempt
his appetite and began to lead up in
roundabout way to the things which
she wished to ask.
aDar's quite some racket out dar in
de lot tonight" she said. Douglas did
not answer. After moment she went
on, "Hasty didn't work on no walk
today" Douglas looked at her quiz
zically, while Hasty. convinced that
for reasons of her own she was going
to get him into trouble, was making
frantic motions. sHe done gone ter de
circus" she blurted out Douglas face
became suddenly grave. Mandy saw
that she had touched an open wound.
Il jes' couldn't stan it, Massa John.
had ter find out bout dat angel chile"
There was a pause. She felt that he
was waiting for her to go on.
"She didn't done ride today"
He looked up with the eyes of a
dumb. prosecuted animal. "And de
gemmen in de show didn't tell nobody
why-jes' speaked bout de udder gal
takin' her place"
"Why didn't she rider" cried Doug
las, in an agony Of suspense.
Oats what l dom know, sah."
Mandy began to cry. 1t was the first
time in his experience that Douglas
had ever known her to give way to
any such weakness.
Hasty came down from the window
and tried to put one arm about Man.
! dy's shoulders.
Leah me alone, yo' nigger!" she ex-
claimed. trying to cover her tears with
a show of anger that she did not feel;
| then she rushed from the room, fol
lowed by Hasty.
The band was playing loudly. The
din of the night performance was
strained to the point of breaking. He
would not let himself go near the win
dow. He stood by the side of the ia
BILE, his fists clinched, and tried to
beat back the impulse that was pulling
him toward the door. Again and again
he set his teeth.
/ 1t was uncertainty that gnawed at
him SO. Was she Ill? Could she need
him? Was she sorry for having left
| him? Would she be glad If he went
for her and brought her back with
him? He recalled the hysterical note
in her behavior the day that she went
away-how she had pleaded, only q
few moments before Jim came, never
to be separated from him. Had she
/ really cared for Jim and for the old
life? Why had she never writteni
Was she ashamed? Was she sorry fol-
what she had done? What could II
mean? He threw his hands above his
head with gesture of despair. A mo-
ment later he passed out into the night
Ito be continued)
Could Not Be Better.