Mrs. Grundy. (Tracy City, Tenn.) 1903-1930, 1913-01-16
FOR ETHEL's LOVE
Lover Dreams He Killed Rival and
Surrenders to Marshal
BY LOUISE PARKS BELL.

L
ously. his mind going over and over
the irritating events of the evening.
1t was sultry night in mid-August'
and when he had lounged down to the
saloon on the corner he had been In
| TO pleasant frame of mind. II had
been long day. and the whole heat
of the town had seemed concentrated
In the tiny dry goods store. All the
most tiresome and exacting customers
In the county had come in, 1t seemed
to Bailey: a never ending stream OF
fretful women, worn out by the beat
ing rays of the sun.
Supper had not been an enjoyable
meal; Mrs. Wilson's baby had cried
all the time, the flies had buzZed more
persistently than ever, and never had
food looked more uninviting. A dense
| pail OF suffocating heat hung over the
town as Bailey drifted to the bar.
He was not drinking man ordinar-
fly, but Ethel was out of town, and
he felt restless craving for compan-
| ionship. or course he drank too
much; at the time it seemed to be
the only way of cooling of. IL failed
of its effect, however, and before he
| knew II he and Calvert were engaged
| in bitter quarrel The original cause
was trifling. but it was soon lost sight
Of, and the long-smoldering enmity be-
| tween the two suitors for the same
girl broke forth unrestrained. Cal
vert's final taunt was fresh in his
ears as he paced the floor. that subtle
assurance of success and peer at his
/ pretensions
Bailey clenched his fists again.
Impotent hatred ragged within him. and
his thoughts were black.
Presently he Gained down little,
and the close atmosphere began to op-
press him. He undressed languidly.
finging his clothes here and there,
and breathing heavily He went out
in the hall when he had donned his
pajamas and brought in pitcher OF
water, which he put down on the table
beside his bed. He poured some out
In a glass and took sip. grimacing
at its tepid taste. Setting it down. he
Law down on the bed and tried TO
sleep.
The heat-laden air pressed down on
him. he turred restlessly from one
side to the other, vainly seeking COM
fort. After an interminable time he
fell asleep, an uneasy. broken SUM
Der that was worse than wakefulness.
At last he gave up the attempt to
rest. and got up to see If it was cooler
by the window. He stood there for a
few seconds, breathing the same suf,
locating air. Not leaf stirred any
where, the very moon doomed red and
mot low in the sky.
Footsteps sounded down the de-
serted street. Bailey leaned out to
see who the nocturnal wanderer could
be. With a start he recognized Cal
vert, Calvert swinging along jauntily
and whistling the wedding march con
fdently.
That was the final straw. All the
pent-up passions of the evening rush
ed to the surface, and almost invol
unfairly Bailey opened his door and
stealthily crept down the stairs. The
front door stood ajar, only the screen
was hooked Hurriedly he unfastened
that. and FASTENED up the street after
the unconscious Calvert.
AS he went his mind was busy
Calvert lived on the other side of the
river, and would have to cross the
= rickety old bridge that spanned II
If he went fast he could overtake hin
: there, and it would look like an acct
> dent.
Bailey quickenec his pace until ht
was almost running His victim never
turned his head but went on whistlinf
to his doom.
At the bridge Bailey was but steT
or two behind In the middle of thu
bridge he made UP that distance, anc
dealt Calvert a crashing blow behinc
the ear He dropped like a log
Bailey looked all around cautiously
The moon had gone behind a cloud
and the placid little village lay on the
river bank undisturbed. Not sounC
broke the silence. not murmur at
tested that his crime had been wit
messed
He had to force himself to touch
that limp figure lying there SO still
but the fear that the moon nigh
come out made him hurry. He gather
! ed it up gingerly. and with might!
effort flung 1t over the railing.
With splash the body disappear
\ ed, and as it sank the moon came GU
three times brighter than before
Bailey leaned on the rail and watched
the ripples, sick at heart.
He knew Calvert could not swim
and even If he recovered from hi
swoon at once he could not make hi
way to the shore Yet somehow tina
knowledge did not cheer Bailey HI
shuddered as he stared at the ripples
slowly dying away.
His thoughts dfifted into a new
channel How weuld Ethel take tn,
news. he wondered A sudden pam
snote his heart. He had pretended
to love her-and yet, If she had care,
for Calvert he had destroyed her fu
ture happiness And IL Calvert
3 words had not been true he had ruin
/ ed his own chances. He could not q
y | to her with his hands stained crimson