Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1911-06-01

wandered on in the night until beaten
the storm, So that the searchers, after
its violence had abated, might find
them frozen to death as many another
poor fellow was found frozen there.
after. For while the woman loathed
and hated her drunken brute of a hus.
band, yet she had no affection for the
foolish young ~tenderfoot who had wan.
derei out west to spend a summer
holiday and had fingered on through
the winter. fascinated by her exuber.
ant attractiveness. and 1attered by
her bold and artful pursuit of him.
She had thought to amuse herself in
her dreary, w~retched, sordld life by
his fresh. frank, open admiration. The
woman's drunken husband had cared
little at first; but lately, under the
jibes. sneers, and innuendos of his
companions. he had become fiercely
jealous. Then in maudlin fury he had
forbidden the boy the house. and had
sworn that he would kill him on
sight.
The woman %thereupon swiftly made
up her mind to break the thraldom of
her matrimonial bond, and in the
young strangers company or by his
agency to leave the country. She
neither desired nor intended to be
tied to the boy a half dozen years
younger than she.
Once In civilization 1t would be
easy to break away from him, she
knew. Thereafter she had no fear
but with her beauty, her wit, and her
courage. with her utter INSCRIPTIONS
ness, she could make her way in the
east which she had never seen. And
this was the night OF which they had
agreed to take their departure.
Since her husbands wild outbreak
of jealousy, she had seen the boy only
once. In that surreptitious interview
they al ~concocted their plans. Her
husband spent the greater part of the
nights, whenever he had any money,
In gambling and drinking at the sa,
loon. BY "A lucky chance a short time
before in an all night trial with For
N'"' hN hhu WI "a 'lllli@ WV
81 900. The bulk of 1t in hard cash
still reposed in the chest OF drawers.
That, with what the boy could con
tribute, would provide for the expenses
of the journey. She had got it out
and tied it up in a little canvas bag.
1t lay on the table e a the lamp.
Fifteen miles south the Union Pa.
cihc railroad ran across the continent.
1t had been her plan to ride thither
and take the first train eastward,
losing themselves in Chicago, and
thence by whatsoever route pleased
them making their way to New York.
Whether her husband would pursue
her or not, she could not tell. He
would be without the money, since
she meant to take all with her. lie
would hardly be able to follow her
very soon. But If he did, that was a
risk she must take.
Engrossed in the present, the boy
thought nothing at all about the flu,
ture. The woman's predicament
bulked so large to his immature imagi-
nation that there was nothing else on
the horizon. There was no other hori-
zOn than she, In fact. And his one
desire was to get her away to free
her.
And now this storm babe fair to
render the whole plan impossible.
Misunderstanding his temper she fear
ed that the boy would be frightened
by the blizzard. Yet there was more
In the boy than she imagined; for
when she had about made mp her mind
finally that he would not come, the
door was thrown open and he stag
gered into the room. The woman
screamed slightly and stepped toward
the s~now.covered, ice-incrusted figure
The young mar forced the door shut
turned and faced her. He tore off his
fur cap and threw 1t on the Goor, lie
hands toward her. To reach the cabir
he had been compelled to face the
blizzard. His face was white We
bleeding. The woman shrank bacl
from him.
rs this my welcome?" he.said in
voice manly enough in spite of hi
youthful aspect.
You're so wet and 10 cold,' sal,
the oma THE horses?"
They're outside" returned Oh
boy. "But you didn't think of ventul
ing in this blizzard? Why. It's lik
hell itself, or would be II hell wa
cold!"
I'D risk anything" said the woma
fierccly. ito get away from him! 70
won't fail me now?"
But. my God, grill" answered tn
boy with that assumption of superic