The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1911-07-14
cHAprgR d
"a Torn TeIearam.

once. Ine Sun hhd iltteu the Hlota,
and d fresh summer wind had cleared
away the smoke pail The boulevard
was full Of cars nying countryward
for the Saturday halfhollday. toward
golf and tennis, green fields and bah
bling girls | gritted my teeth and
thought Of Mcknight at Richmond.
And then. for the flFst time. associ.
ated John Gilmore's granddaughter
with the West" that Mcknight had
irritably tiung OF me
I stlll carried my travelling bag, for
McKnight'a vision at the window .of
the empty house had not been without
effect | ala n04 transfer the notes to
my pocket. aud. II had, Il would
not have altered the situation later.
Only the other day Mcknight put
this very thing zap to me.
II warned you" he reminded me-.
II told you there were queer things
coming and 70 be on your guard. You
ought TO have taken your revolver"
TT would have been OF exactly as
much use as bucket OF snow In
Africa" | retorted IF | had never
elosed my eyes. or II / had kept my
finger on the trigger of six-shooter
/ (which II novelesuue for revolverl.
| the result would have been the same.
And the next time you want a little
excitement with every variety OF thrill
thrown In, can put you by way OF H.
You begin by getting the wrong berth
IL a Pullman car. and end"
| "Oh, / know how II ends" he fin
ished shortly. Don't you suppose the
whole things written on my spinal
| narrow
But am wandering again. That Ia
the dltHculty with the unprofesslonal
storyteller; He yaws back and forth
and can't keep In the wind; he drops
his characters overheard when he
hasn't any further use for them and
browns them; no forgets the coffee
pot and the frying pan and all the
other small essentials, and, II he car
rles love affair, he mutters a fer.
vent Allah be praised" when he
| lands them. drenched with adventures,
/ al the matrimonial dock at the end OF
tho final chapter
put IN thoroughly unsatisfactory
| afternoon Time dragged eternally. |
dropped into summer vaudeville, and
bought some ties at a haberdasher's,
/ / was bored but unexpectant; | had
\ 40 premonition OF what was to come.
| Nothing unusual had ever happened
/ 10 me. friends Of mine had some-
times sailed the high seas OF adyen-
ture or skirted the coasts Of chance.
but all OF tho shlpwrecks had occurred
/ after woman passenger had been
taken on, Ergo" had always said
mo womeni" repeated II to my.
self TINT evening almost savagely,
I when | found my thoughts straying
back 20 the picture OF John Gilmore's
| granddaughter even argued as
ate my solitary dinner at downtown
restaurant
/ Haven't you troubles enough"
/ reflected. without looking for more
HASN'T nad News gone lame. With a
matinee race booked for next week?
| Otherwise aren't you eomfortableG
isn't your house In orderS 10 you
! want 10 sell pony In order to have
i the library done over In mission or
the drawing room In gold2 DO you
| want somebody 10 count tho empty
| cigarette boxes lying around every
morning."
Lay Il To the long Idle afternoon. to
the new environment TO anything you
pke but began TO think that per.
haps dld, was contoundedly lone
" For the FIRST time IN my life its
even course began to wayer. The
needle registered warning marks on
he matrimonial seismograph, lines
vague enough. but lines
! Ny alligator bag lay az my Feet.
still locked, While waited for my
coffee leaned back and surveyed the
/ people incuriously There were the
usual eouplea intent on each other;
my new state OF mind made me re,
gard them with tolerance. But at the
next table, where a man and woman
/ diped together. a different atmosphere
/ prevailed. My attention was tlrst
/ caught by the woman's face. She had
been speaking earnestly across the
table. her profle turned to me. had
noticed casually her earnest manner.
her sonber clothes. and the great
mass OF odd, hronSe-eoloFsd hair on
her NECK But suddenly she glanced
toward me aud tho utter hopelessness
s--almost tragedy-of her expression
struck me with shock she half
closed her esos and drew long
breath. then she turned again to the
man across the table
Neither one was eating. He sat low
m his chair. bis chin on his chest.
ugly folds Of thick flesh protruding
over his collar He was probably so.
said srotesque, sullen. and yet not
Siihout a suggestion Of power. But he