The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1913-07-09

some fireworks worth seeing, and
who announced her intention in the
meanwhile OF celebrating Independence
day by attending a meeting Of new
women in the loft Of a neighboring
barn. where certain modern Patrick
Henrys In p%etticoats were to be gath
cred together to assure each other that,
failing to secure liberty, they were
ready to welcome death,
Poor Jack! He was blind. indeed.
lie did not see that this "~senseless-
ness" as he was mentally calling 1t,
was nine-tenths Of it put on to tease
him. Driven to desperation, he even
offered himself as her escort to this
meeting. She was quite able to take
care Of herself. She would 70 alone.
And she went. And she found It all
intensely stupid, almost as stupid az
Jack had been in taking her at her
word when she declined his escort. She
found that instead Of listening to the
ringing cries Of liberty or death she
was hearing only the squeaking Of the
fddles over at the club, where, the
fireworks over, dancing had begun.
She caught herself wondering which Of
the girls Jack was dancing with. Was
1t that dreadful Katharine Blake, who
had tried so hard to get up a Irritation
with him last year? Or pretty Florrie
Blackwell. for she vas pretty in an
inanimate, wax doll fashion? Or that
fascinating little Mabel Mortimer, who
seemed to captivate every man she
met?
Then she was called upon to read the
paper that she had prepared that aft
when she would SO much rather
have gone sailing with Jack. 1t was a
commonplace little paper, but because
she was in bitter mood she read It with
a bitterness that won her audience.
That was the right spirit, said the next
speaker. Men should be made to con-
slider we'll the voice Of their complaint.
They should be no more able to close
their ears to 1t than to the nightly re-
ve%rberat1ons Of the thunder that now
seemed to shake the very earth. The
storm which had threatened all day
had broken now
Little Of this was heard. The terrible
voice Of the storm without drowned
the voice Of the mere woman within.
II it had been heard It Is doubtful
whether It would have been needed.
for these new women were after all
very like the old women-they were
terribly frightened. Finally there came
a fash that seemed to burn into their
very souls and shrivel them to cinders,
followed by a clap that made them
think that the globe itself was split
ting; a smell of smoke, Of burning
wood, Of sulphur. In another minute
they knew that the barn was on fire.
A wild rush for the ladders and
crooked stairs followed. Fortunately
new womanhood did not de-
sert her at a pinch. She kept enough
her wits about her to know that she
must not join in the stampede. She
must keep perfectly still until Jack
came for her. She knew It would be
Jack that would come for her. She
had not long to wait, though afterward
she would have told you it was an
eternity, before she heard Jacks voice
shouting. Dorothy! Dorothy! Where
are you? Don't be frightened. It's
Jack. I'm coming to you."
AS she answered his call she remem-
bered that he had never before called
her Dorothy" never before had taken
It for granted that she thought of him
as "Jack," and she knew that SO long
they both should live 1t would al
ways be dorothy" and "Jack" be-
tween them in future.
Later on, when she stood with him
watching the village fire company put
ting out the flames. she realized that
Independence day was over. But she
did not regret 1t. She had been too
close to death to clamor for liberty
Chicago News.