Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-12-05

such sordid word. 1t sounds cheal
and nasty. think it's much nicer II
quarrel"
"Call It what you please. but W.
won't do II any more, will we" Fl.
cleared his throat nervously, for heI
eyes advertised the immediate begin
ming Of bOstilities. Il beg your par
don," be buried on. Il should have
spoken for myself. What ! mean /.
that refuse to quarrel. You have the
most horrible way. without utterinl
a word. Of making me play the fool
Why. began with the kindliest in
tentions. and here am now
Making nasty REMARKS" she com
pleted for him.
"lt's the way you have Of catching
me up" he complained.
"Wby ! never said word. was
merely sitting here. being sweetIy
iured on by promises OF peace on
earth and all the rest Of 1t, when sud.
denly you begin to call ME names."
Hardly that. am sure"
"Well. you said | was horrible. OF
that l had horrible way about me-
which is the same thing. wish my
bungalow were up. Id move tomor
row."
But her twitching lips belied her
words. and the next moment the man
was more uncomfortable than ever
being made so by her laughter
Il was only teasing you. Homes,
1njun. And II you don't laugh I'll
suspect you Of being in temper with
me. That's right. laugh. But DON'T
she added in alarm. don't. IL it hurts
you. You look as though you had a
toothache. There. there: don't say 1t.
You know you promised not to quar-
rel. while ] have the privilege Of go
ing on being as hateful as ! please.
And to begin with. there's the Flib-
berty Gibbet. l didn't know she was
20 large a cutter. But she's 10 dis
graceful condition"
''Her shippers bad with fever
Sheldon explained. "And he had to
drop bis mate on to take hold Of
things at Ugi-that's where ! lost o.
car. my trader. And you know what
sort OF sailors the niggcrs are"
She nodded her head judicially and
be asked for second helping OF
timed beef. not because he was hun
cry. but because he wanted to watch
her slim. firm fingers. lney We're
brown with tan and looked exceeding
~ boyish. Then. ana without effort,
the concept came to him. Yes. that
was It.. He had stumbled upon the
clew to her tantalizing personality.
The fingers. sunburned and boyish.
told the story He had tried to treat
with her as woman when she was
not a woman. She was Il mere girl.
and boyish girl Mt that, with sun.
burned fingers that delighted in doing
what boys fingers did. with a body
and muscles that liked swimming and
violent endeavor Of all sorts. with a
mind that was daring but that dared
no farther than boys adventures and
that delighted In rifles and revolvers.
Stetson hats and a sexless camara-
derie with men.
Somehow. as he pOndered and watch
ed her. 1t seemed as If he sat in church
at home listening to the choir boys
chanting. She reminded him Of those
boys. or their voices. rather. The same
sexless quality was there. In the body
Of her she was woman. In the mind
Of her she had not grown up. She
had not been exposed to ripening in
fuences of that sort. She had had no
mother. Won. her father. native SER
wants and rough island life had con-
stituted her training. Horses ana
rifles had been her toys. camp and
trail her nursery. From what She had
told him her seminary days had been
an exile. devoted to study and to cease
less longing for the wild riding and
swimming of Hawaii. A boys train
ing and boys point Of view!
Well. there was only one thing for
him to do. He must meet her on her
own basis OF boyhOod and not make
the mistake Of treating her rs n wo-
man. He wondered II no could love
the woman she would he when her
nature awOke. ana he wondered ii he
could love her Just as she was and
himself wake her up. After all. what
ever 1t was. she had come to ill quite a
large place in his life. as he had dis
covered that afternoon while scanning
the sea between the squalls. Then ne
remembered the accounts Of Rernnde
and the cropper that was coming and
scowied.