The Mena weekly star., 1913-05-15

NoJS D iolOi Ho WAS SolHS IO Tecdll tnlS assurance.
 Sometimes I wonder :" pen sively.
 Wonder about what?"
 What manner of man you are"
 q should have been a great deal better man had l met you ten years ago."
 What? When I was eleven?" with levity intended to steer him away from this channel.
 You know what I mean" he an. swered. moody and dejected.
 She opened her purse and dropped the pendant into it, but did not speak.
 Ten years ago." abstractedly. What lot of things may happen in ten years! Deaths, births, marriages, /" he went on; "the snuffing out of king doms and republics; wars, panlcs, famine; honor to some and dishonor to others. It kind of makes a fellow grind his teeth, little girl; it kind of makes him shut his fists and long to run amuck."
 Why should a strong, intelligent man, such as you are, think like that |? You are resourceful and unafraid. Why should you talk like that? You are young, too. Why?"
 He stopped and looked full into her eyes. Do you really wish to know ?"
 Had I better?" with a wisdom be- yond her years.
 NO, you had better not. I'm not a good man, Fortune, as criterions go. I've slipped here and there; I've gam bled and drunk and squandered my time. Why, in my youth I was as model boy as ever was Percival Where the divarication took place can't say. There's always two forks in the road, Fortune, and many of us take the wrong one. It's easier going. Fine excuse; eh? Some persons would call me scoundrel, a black-leg; in some ways, yes. But in the days to come l want you always to remember the two untarnished spots upon my shield of honor: 1 have never cheat ed man at cards nor run away with his wife. The devil must give me these merits, however painful it may be to him. Ten years ago, only decade; good Lord! it's like a hun dred years ago, sometimes"
 Fortune breathed with difficulty. Never before had he taken her into his confidence to such extent. She essayed to speak; the old terror seemed fairly to smother her. It was not what he had told her, but what she wished to but dared not ask She was like Bluebeard's wife, only she had not the moral courage to open the door of the grisly closet. Her mother, her uncle; what of them, ah, what of them? The crooked street vanished; the roar dwindled away; she was alone, all, all alone.
 q suppose ought not to have told you," he said troubled at the misery he saw gathered in her eyes and vaguely conscious of what had written it there. Your mother and uncle have been very kind to me. They know less of me than you do. hay been to them kind of errand-boy; a happy-go-lucky fellow, who cheered them when they had the doldrums" With forced cheerfulness he again took her hand and snuggled it under his arm, giving it friendly reassur- ing pat 'I'll not speak to you of love, child, but a hair of your head is more precious to me than all Midas gold. Whenever I've thought of you, I've tried to be good. Honestly"
 And can't you go back to the be- ginning and start anew?" tremulously.
 Gan any one go back? The moving finger writes. An hour Is a terrible thing when you look to see what can happen in it. But, come; sermonsl I'd far rather see you smile. Won't you?"
 She tried to, but to him it was sad der than her tears would have been.
 For an hour they walked through the dim and musty streets. He exert ed himself to amuse her and fairly succeeded. But never did the unac- countable fear, that presage of misfor- tune, sleep in her heart. And at last, when he took her to her carriage and bade her good-by till dinner, half formed idea began to grow in her brain; to save Mir Jones without be- traying Ryanne.
 The latter's carriage was at the oth- CT end of the bazaars; so he strode sullenly through the press, rudely el- lowing those who got in his way. An occasional curse was flung after him; but his height, his breadth of shoul- der, his lowering face, precluded any thing more active. The Moslems had a deal of faith in the efficacy of curses; so the jostled ones rested up on the promise of these, satisfied that directly, or in the near future, Allah would blast the unbelieving dog in his tracks.
 What cleverness the mother and scallawag of an uncle had shown to have kept the child in ignorance all these years! That she saw darkly, as through a fog, he was perfectly sure. Sooner or later the storm would burst upon her innocent head, and then God alone knew what would become of her. Oh, damn the selfish, sordid world! At that instant a great long, ing rolled over him to cut loose from all these evil webs, to begin anew