The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1913-02-13
THE ROSE
THE RING
By Csssys Rsyv M'csecLso~
HllllElo1soahohhleH
nsssasA ~ y HsaA na.l 3 o.

Ro9A 0no1 ~
Some Of u from my father. Aftsr-
ward brought suit against you and
Colonel Grand for an accounting. He
vas compelled to pay into court all
that vas due me - part owner OF Van
slys's. bad my own money in tAs
show. could not Be robbed q that
His wife tried to make trouble for Ds.
You heard that?"
Il knew she would. soonsr or latse. -
you knew it?''
"She wasn't blind"
But how could she dare to think
that l."
She knew her husbands reputation.
that's all. He was careless about vom-
en-" His face went black - . thun.
der cloud. But he's had his day!"
TON" she cried. clutching the lapels
Of his coat. you shall not leave this
house until you've promised me to do
nothing"
Don't come any Of that, Mary. II
won't do any good. l was just bad
enough to fall. you were too good to
even stumble. Then he landed me In
the pen. Maybe you won't believe 1t.
Mary. but had not touched drop for
nearly threa months. Then I looked up
Barnum to get q Job a. ringmaster.
was going under the name OF Bradford
Joey Noakes came through the west
with . pantomime show about that
time. He told me you we're In Europe.
First thing I'd heard OF you. that was,
Mary. Then he told me you'd got your
money out of Grand. legitimately. he
swore. didn't believe him. I stood II
~ long a. could. and then broke
for New York. Ernie Cronk began
filling me up with stories and had got
me clear on my head, nasging me day
and night. l found Bob Grand and.
like . fool. started in to tell him what
! was going to do to him instead OF
doing It nrst. All of 4 sudden he
pulled . gun. I had NO chance, 20 !
bolted. He fired twice and yelled for
the police. They caught me. and |
had gun In my clothes, too. The
next morning he came to see me In
the station house-to Identify me. he
said. Then he told me he was goins
to send me up for highway robbery
but he was willing. for your sake and
Christine's, to say nothing about the
past. or anything. He did swear me
into the pen, and l kept my mouth
closed. But. Mary, l am not . thiei
at heart-I never was one. What
ever did that was crooked in the old
days was due to whisky. It's . habit
men have. know. blaming everything
on whisky. but-but. oh. say. Nary
you know I wasn't that sort Of Q man
when l married you"
You are not to leave this house
Tom, until you have promised" she
said firmly. AL the time he wa
speaking she had stood like q statue
before him. never taking her eyes from
his distorted face.
"Oh, I'm not, eh? Well see!"
What are you going to do to Colo
mel Grandf'
I'm going to'-he checked himself
I'm going to beat him to = jelly!"
You mean you are going to murder
him1" She shuddered - she said It.
NO." he said with grim humor. I'm
only going to help him to die"
The time had come for the strong
appeal. She laid her hands on his
shoulders.
TON, have you thought Of what It
will mean, not to me. but to Chris.
timer.
"she knows by this time that I'm
an ex-convict. 1t won't hurt her to
know I'm even worse"
she does not believe you were
guilty. She always has said you could
have been q good man II you had let
whisky alone"
He told me-" went on Braddoek.
that he had won your love. He lied.
| could kill him once for that lie. He
told me that you and he were going
to sell Christine to . certain French
uobleman who already had q wife
and family. He lied again. l could
kill Elm once more for that lie. He
told me"
Don't! Don't! For Gods sake
don't tell me any MORE" she groaned.
"He laughed at me because of the
drunken bargain had made with him
had turned out to his credit, after
ALL"
"The sale?"
Yes"
He looked away The expression in
her eyes cut hils like knife.
Il ought to have been shot for that,
Mary" he said.
You owe Lac q little happiness and
peace, Tom, after all these years"
"Oh, I'll go away all right. This
is the last time you'll ever see me-"
"It isn't that that / ask. There was
a time when we were happy, you and
l. do not forget the old days, before
you'll mean. when we were working
together, you and I, to get control of
the circus. Not that liked the life
God knows l did not!-but that we
u,ro .tAylnu for hfu uo@l <As-