The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1912-01-11
nLusTRATIoNsIBY DEARBORN MELvILI
Copyright. 1919. By the New YornHsr7id Company
(copyrfzhr. 1870 by siAGaeAi1An Company
AUTHOR OF;

- 6ee0 OF TIE Jten EAIen F1nC1 hEI
make out a new one In Dede Mason's
name. ''who?" Hogan demanded
"Dede Mason" Daylight replied i'm
! perturbably-"the phone must be in
distinct this morning. Ded-e Mason.
| Got it7'
Half All hour later he was flying out
| 10 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 rooma
I'm there" Re said mo other place
would salt
| AS the door closed, his arms went
out and around her. Then he stood
with his hands on her shoulders and
looking down into her face.
"Deds, II tell you. fat and straight,
that I'm going up to live on that ranch
at Glen Ellen, that | amt taking a
cent with me, that I'm going to
scratch for every bite | eat, and that
l amt going to play airy a card at the
business game again. will you come
| along with me?'
She gave a glad little cry, and he
nestled her In closely. But the next
moment she had thrust herself out
from him to the old position at arms
| length.
How Is this possible7 How can
you leave your business? Has any
| thing happened?"
mo. nothing's happened yet, but it's
going to, blame quick. I've taken
your preaching to heart, and I've
come to the penitent form. I've taken
my last drink. You're marrying a
whisky-soak, but your husband won't
be that. He's going to grow into an
other man SO quick you won't know
him. A couple of months from now,
up there In Glen Ellen, you'll wake up
some morning and find you've got e
| perfect stranger In the house with you:
| and you'll have to get introduced to
him all over again. You'll say, I'm Mrs.
Harnish, who are your And I'll say,
Tn ELAN Harnish's younger brother.
I've just arrived from Alaska to at
tend the funeral What funeral?'
you'll say. And I'll say, Why the fu-
neral Of that good-for-nothing, gam
bling, whiskydrinking Burning Day
light-the man that died of fatty de-
! generation Of the heart from sitting
In night and day at the business game.
Yes, ma'am,' I'll say, he's sure a gone
coon, but I've come to take his place
and make you happy. And now,
ma'am, II you'll allow me. I'll just me-
ander down to the pasture and milk
the cow while you're getting break
fast"
But you haven't answered my ques-
| TONS" she reproached him, as she
emerged, rosy and radiant, from the
| embrace that had accompanied the
elimination of his narrative
Now just what do you want to
know" he asked.
Il want to know how all this is pos
sible? How you are able to leave
your business at a time like this !?
What you meant by saying that some
thing was going to happen quickly"
Let's go and get married" he urged.
all the whimsicality of his utterance
duplicated in his eyes. I've been work
luS AIho AOIty uOEscS SFSE sIuCc ILLS
blamed panic set In. and all the time
some OF those ideas you'd given me
were getting ready to sprout. Well,
they sprouted this morning, that's all.
knew I wanted to ride In the hills
with you just about thirty million
times more than I wanted to go to the
Office. And / knew all the time 1t
was impossible. And why? Because
Of the ONCE. The ONCE wouldn't let
me. And then I made up my mind
that was to the dividing Of the ways.
One way led to the office. The other
way led to Berkeley. And I took the
Berkeley road. I'm never going to
set foot In the Office again. That's all
gone. finished, over and done with.
! and I'm letting it slide clean to smash
and then some. I'm wiping the slate
clean. I'm letting It all go smash
When them thirty million dollars
stood up to my face and said couldn't
go out with you in the hills today, I
knew the time had come for me to put
my foot down. And I'm putting It
down. I've got ou, and my strength
to work for you, and that little ranch
In Sonoma. That's all I want, and
that's all I'm going to save out, along