Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-04-29
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1'I TIE !
@yBARp1ER|6
BY
REX BEACH
R,os,r.iaoe.Bxt.ARpeRa BROTHERS

ePeR bROIHEKS 0A
with the image Of the little school
ma'am In my mind, and that destroyed
what bad habits I'd formed.
1T was along in the early spring that
she began to see I had notions about
her. but my ID backwardness
wouldn't let me speak, and, in add
ton, was getting closer to ore every
shot at the mine and was holding off
until I could lay both myself and my
gold mine at her feet and ask her to
take the two Of us. so If one didn't pan
out the other might. But it seemed
like I'D never get into pay. The closer
I got the harder worked, and, Of
course, the less saw Of her, likewise
the oftener Bennett came. reckon no
man ever worked like I did-two shifts
a day, eighteen hours, with six to
sleep. The skin came off of my hands,
and staggered when came out into
the daylight. At last struck it, and
still I waited awhile longer till could
be sure. Then went down to my lit
tie shack and put on my other clothes.
! remember I'd gone so thin that they
hung loose, and my palms were so raw
l had hard work handling the buttons
and got my shirt all bloody, for I'd
been in the drift forty hours without
sleep and breathing powder smoke till
my knees buckled and wabbled under
me. To this day the smell Of stale
powder smoke makes a woman of me,
but that morning sang, for was go.
Ing for my bride, and the world was
brighter than 1t has ever been for
eighteen years. The little schoolhouse
was closed, at. which remembered
that the term was over. I'd been liy.
Ing underground for weeks and lost
track Of the days, so that had to
count them up on my fingers. It took
me long time. for was pretty tired
In my head, but when I'd figured it out
went on to where she was boarding.
'Thc womaE of the place came to
the door, Scotchwoman. She had a
mole on her chin, I remember, a brown
ish black mole with three hairs in it.
She wore an apron, too, that was kind
Of checkered, and three buttons were
open at the neck of her dress. recall
lot more Of little things about her.
though the rest Of what happened is
rather dreamy.
II asked for Merridy, and she told
me she'd gone away-gone with Ben
nett the night before, while 1 was
coughing blood from the powder
smoke; that they were married in the
front room and that the bride looked
beautiful. She had cried a bit on leay-
ing Chandon and-and-that was about
all. I counted the buttons on the
Scotchwoman's waist eight or ten
times. and by and by she asked if /
was sick. But wasn't. She was a
kind hearted woman, and I'd been to
her house good deal, so she asked me
to come in and rest. l wasn't tired, so
went away and climbed back up to
the little shack and the mine that l
hated now.
Il turned into kind Of hermit after
that, and wasn't good to associate
with. Men got so they Stunned me-
and knew they told strange Stories
because heard them whisper when l
went to the stores for grub once a
month.
From time to time heard Of her.
but the news, instead Of gladdening
me. as it would have gladdened some
men, wrung out what bits Of suffering
were left in me, and fairly ached for
her. Nobody comes to see clearer than
a woman deceived, SO it didn't take
her long to find out the kind Of man
Bennett was. He wasn't like her at
all, and the reason he had courted her
SO holly was just that he had had
everything that rightly belongs to
man like him and had sickened Of it,
SO he wanted her because she was
clean and pure and different, and, real.
iztng that he couldn't get her any other
way, he had married her. But she was
treasure no bad man could appreci-
ate, and so he tired quickly, even be-
fore the little one came.
when heard that she had borne
him daughter wrote her letter,
which took me a month to compose
and which I tore up. One day a story
came to me that made me saddle my
horse to ride down and kill him-and.
mind you, was man who made pets
of little wild, trusting things. But /
knew she would surely send for me
when her pain became too great, so L
my gear and hung It MP
and waited and waited and waited.
Three long, endless years waited, al
most within sound Of her voice, with
out word from her. without glimpse
of her. and every hour Of that time
went by as slowly as If 1 had held
my breath. Then she called to me, and
I went.
Il tell you. I was thankful that day
for the fortune that had madeleine
take good care Of N.Y. leEB.2r H. I
Ike Death on wiH}A I.lsA ->n,sl' y
through the streets u every enu1c ;,
they lived, and past hpl nn,v meulo WI =,
nett's big saloon, wheishnnt The onl
sound Of devils revelSSs
voiced woman singing snce. matter I,
like Of which he hsdtfou lie.
Merridy. l never sktd about me are S
In those days. and no card playing, be
me take back roads tou can't see then
hlS shOuse from the fSlI 5,11rral1i ll1lrra