Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1912-10-31

and body Of years before. He didn't
like that arm and body himself. A
young whippersnappe had been able
to take liberties with It. 1t had gone
back on him. FIe sat up suddenly.
No, he had gone back on it! He had
gone back on himself He had gone
back on Dede. She was right, thou
sand times right, and she had sense
enough to know 1t, sense enough to-
refuse to marry money-slave with
whisky-rotted carcass
He got out of bed and looked at
himself in the long mirror on the
wardrobe door. He wasn't pretty. The
old-time lean cheeks were gone. These
were heavy seeming to hang down by
their own weight. He looked for the
lines of cruelty Dede had spoken of,
and he found them, and he found the
harshness in the eyes as we'll, the
eyes that were muddy now after all
the cocktails of the night before, and
of the months and years before. He
looked at the clearly defined pouches
that showed under his eyes, and they
shocked him. He rolled up the sleeve
Of his pajamas. No wonder the ham
mer-thrower had put his hand down.
Those weren't muscles. A rising tide
of fat had submerged them. He
stripped off the pajama coat. Again
he was shocked, this time by the bulk
Of his body, 1t wasn't pretty. The
lean stomach had become a paunch.
The rigid muscles of chest and shout
ders and abdomen had broken down
into rolls of flesh. And this was age.
Then there drifted across the field Of
vision of his minds eye the old man
he had encountered at Glen Ellen
coming up the hillside through the
fires Of sunset white-headed and
white-bearded, eighty-four, in his hand
the pail of foaming milk and in his
face all the warm glow and content
Of the passing summer day. That had
been age. Eyes stree, eighty-four, and
spryer than most he could hearethe
old man say
| Next he remembered Ferguson, the
little man who had scuttled into the
road like rabbit, the one-tlme man
aging editor Of a great newspaper,
who was content to live in the chapar-
raj along with his spring Of mountain
water and his hand-reared and mani
cured fruit trees. Ferguson had solved
problem. A weakling and an alco-
holic, he had run away from the doc
tors and the chieken-coop of city,
and soaked up health like a thirsty
sponge. He sat down suddenly on the
bed, startled by the greatness of the
idea that had come to him. He did
not sit long. His mind, working in its
customary way, like steel trap, can
vassed the idea in all Its bearings. 1t
was big-bigger than anything he had
faced before. And he faced 1t square
ly, picked 1t up in his two hands and
turned 1t over and around and looked
at it. The simplicity Of 1t delighted
him. He chuckled over 1t, reached his
decision, and began to dress, Midway
in the dressing he stopped in order to
use the telephone.
Dede was the first he called up.
Don't come to the office this morn
ing" he said. I'm coming out to see
you for moment"
He called up others. He ordered
his motor,car. To Jones he gave IN,
distractions for the forwarding of Bob
and Wolf to Glen Ellen. Hogan he
surprised by asking him to look VI
the deed of the Glen Ellen ranch and
make out new one IN Dede Mason's
name. "Who?" Hogan demanded
'sDede Mason" Daylight replied i'm
perturbably-"the phone must be in
distinct this morning, D-e-d-e Mason
Got it?"
Half an hour later he was flying ou
to Berkeley. And for the first time
the big red car halted directly before
the house. Dede offered to receive
him in the parlor, but he shook his
head and nodded toward her rooms.
an there" he said. mo other place
would suit"
AS the door closed, his arms wen
out and around her. Then he stood
with his hands on her shoulders ant
looking down into her face.
"Dede, II tell you, fiat and straight
that I'm going up to live on that ranel
at Glen Ellen, that | amt taking I
cent with me, that I'm going Il
scratch for every bite eat, and tina
| amt going to play airy card at thu
business game again, will you com,
along with me?"
She gave glad little cry, and h,
nestled her in closely. But the mex
moment she had thrust herself on
from him to the old position at arm
length.
"How is this possible? How ear
you leave your business? Has any
thing happenedY"
mo, nothing's happened yet, but t.
going to, blame quick. I've takel
your preaching to heart, and Nv
come to the penitent form. I've takel
my last drink. You're marrying
whisky-soak, but your husband won
be that. He's going to grow into ar
other man so quick you won't knoV
him. A couple of months from now
up there in Glen Ellen, you'll wake u
some morning and find you've got
perfect stranger In the house with yoi
and you'll have to get introduced I
him all over again. You'll say, I'm Mr.
Harnish, who are your And I'll sa,
Tn ELAN Harnishs younger brothel
I've Just arrived from Alaska to a
tend the funeral What funeral
you'll say 'And I'll say, Why the fl
neral of that gcodfor-nothing, gan
bling, whisky-drinking Burning Da.
lightthe man that died Of fatty d,
generation Of the heart from sittin
innight and day at the business game
Yes, ma'am;' I'll say, hes sure a gon
! coon. but I've come to take his plac
and make you happy, And nov
ma'am, II you'll allow me- I'll just M