The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-03-12
told me 20 keen stlnT he sand.
~ MARY NBFFIc RElNEEsARE


McKnieht glanced at me, gave the
agents hand final shake, aud
climbed on board But knew per-
fectly that he had guessed the reason
for my delay
He was very silent on the way
home. llotchkiss. too. had litue to
say lie was reading over his notes
intentiy stopping now and then TO
make a renciled addition just be-
fore we left the train Richey turned
to me. II suppose it was the key to
the door that She tied TO the gate?'
Probably. ! ala not ask her"
Curious, her locking Aat fellow
in" he reflected
You may depend on It. there was
good reason for it all And ! wish
you wouldn't be so suspicious Of mo-
tiyes, Rich" said warmly
"Only yesterday you were the sus
pcious one" he retorted, and we
lapsed into strained silence
Ii was late when we got to Wash
ington. One Of Mrs. Kloptons slnall
tyrannies was exacting pnuctuality at
meals, and like several other things
respected It. There are always
some concessions that should be made
in return for faithful service.
So as my dinner hour of seven was
long past, Mcknight and went to
little restaurant downtown whore they
have a very decent way of fixing
chicken a Ia King Hotchkiss had de
parted. economically bent for a small
hotel where he lived on the American
plan,
q want to think some things over
he said in response to my initiation
to dinner. and, anyhow, there's no
use dining ont when ! pay the same,
dinner or no dinner whore am stop
ping"
The day had been hot. and the first
floor dining room was sultry in spite
Of the palms and fans which attempted
to simulate the yerdure and bree2es
Of the country
It was crowded, too, with a typical
summer night crowd, and, after sit
ting for few minutes in a swelter-
ing corner. we got up and went to the
smaller dining room upstairs Here it
was not so warm, and we settled our
selves comfortably by a window
Over in a corner half dozen boys
on their way back to school were rag
ging perspiring waiter, proceed
ing so exactly to McKpishts taste
that he insisted on going over to join
them. But their table was full, and
somehow that kind Of ftn had lost its
point for me.
Not far from US a very stout. mid.
dle-aged man, apoplectic with the
heat, was elephantinely jolly for the
benefit OF a bored looking girl across
the table from him, ana at the next
table a newspaper woman ate alone,
the last edition propped against the
water bottle before her. her hat, for
coolness. on the corner Of the table
1t was a motley Bohemian crowd
looked over the room casually,
while Mcknight ordered the meal.
Then my attention was attracted to
the table next to ours. Two people
were sitting there, SO deep in conver-
sation that they did not notice US.
The womans race was hidden under
her hat as she traced the pattern Of
the cloth mechanically with her fork.
But the mans features stood out clear
in the light of the candles on the
table Il was Bronson!
lie shows the strain, doesn't her
Mcknight said, holding up the wine
list as II Re read from it. Who's the
woman?'
Search me" ] replied, in the same
way
When the chicken came still
found myself gazing now and then at
the abstracted couple near me. Eyi-
IDENTIFY the subject Of conversation was
unpleasant. Bronson was eating lii
tie. the woman not at all Finally he
got up. pushed his chair back noisily'
thrust a bill at the waiter and stalked
out.
The woman sat still for a moment;
then with an apparent resolution to
make the best Of it., she began slowly
to eat the meal before her
But the quarrel had taken away her
appetite, for the mixture in our
chaline dlsh Was hardlY readY 10