Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-08
. THE EVENING STORY.
The Female of His Species.
By FREDERICK L. cowLEs.


Don't stop in Denver too long after
you cash your check. Tom. Don't drink
with strangers. and keep away from the
variety theaters," advised as I handed
Tom Graham the company's check for
$1,000 in payment for his prospect, the
Bald Hornet"
Don't you worry about me. Mr.. Brad
ford: I guess can look out for the money
all right" he answered. earnestly. 1T
means a good deal to me. l never had
as much before In my life. l had $500
once he went on, impulsively, ''and
blowed it in-jest naturally blowed
1t in: worked hard for 1t. too"
Then he added irrelevantly. You didn't
get no SLOUGH of a bargain on the Hornet
for thousand, tell YOU"
ut looks like q fair prospect; We are
satisfied. IL you are. What are you going
to do with the price?'
"Do?" he said. a dreamy look coming
into his eyes. DO? Why. I am going to
get twenty acres Of land. under ditch
down on the Picketwire where l come
from. and go to raising alfalfa That
where 1 saved up the 500 | was telling
you about tna t ts yep da Ms eVer see
After all. a farm Is the only place Tor
white man to live
4 guess you are right about that t,
Tom" l said. But If you like farming
SO we'll, why did you quit?"
"oh. 1 wanted change" he STAN
mered, with reddening face you see,
was going to get married ana tnen
1 didn't, and that always breaks TEL
low up. you know. Thought Ia Try
alone. You know how it is:
Not exactly from personal experience;
tell me about it. ;,
''Oh, there amt much to tell, it wasn't
anybody's fault She kinder changed her
mind, and married another fellow more
suited to her than me. 1t was all rlght,
you understand; I amt kicking. 1t was
well enough for US to think lots or each
other when we were growing up together
and / guess 1t was all right for us to
get engaged when we got little older
that's natural. and 1 reckn II the CUR
road hadn't built through here that
spring we would "a sure enough got
married.
pathetically How did the building OF
railroad interfere with your marriage?
Easy enough: it brought in q lot OF
college fellows to lay out the road-dli.
ferent from us, you know; and one OF
them, John Cameron, boarded a spell at
her house He was little bit the niftiest
thing you ever saw. knew 1t was all on
with me- but 1 didn't say anything then
thought I'd wait awhile; I'm little OFT
slow.
it had to come Nellie I says, 1t
strikes me you amt caring as much for
my little game as you used to-getting
a little tired of it. Am l right or am
1 wrong?' I don't understand you, she
said, kinder huffy like; you use SO much
slang it's difficult for one to arrive at
your meaning sometimes You didn't
have SO much trouble before John Cam
eron came here, Nellie l says. But
you know what l mean, all right. Let's
don't pretend anything now; It's too late
for that. Now IL you want me to pull
out and leave him a clear field all you
got to do is to say So Well, she says
'perhaps-oh. Tom, I don't want to hurt
your feelings-don't you see how different
everything is I know, Nellie I says,
everything is different but me-and my
friendship for you. I am going, but
will always be your friend. Don't for
get that
to me than she was after I told her that
Before went she kinder threw out some
thing about a new piano, as the old one
was pretty badly used up. so bowed
four out of my five hundred for new one
as a present to her, and lit out for the
mines. She married Cameron, and guess
lives east somewhere now. Frank Davis
wrote me the other day that the old
Francis place Is for sale, and / guess
this thousand will just about buy it. I
want to fix it up and make it look kinder
honey, for she may come back some day
to take a peek at it, and I guess she
would kinder appreciate its being
kept up.
hands with him. Il feel safer about you
taking care of your money now that
know your plans. Goodbye"
so long" he cried with wave of his
hat as he swung of down the road.
:.,-A nh@,, nv.f1 of "A
that when 1 overlook him trudging up
Berthoud Pass with a miners outfit on
his back. Being mounted. l gave him a
lift. It was evident he was too poor to
buy a pack mule and I was curious to
know how he could have got away with
his money in so short a time.
After supper, as we sat smoking our
pipes in silence, he finally said tenta-
lively:
Little surprised to see me today.
wasn't your
"Some-thought you were ranching 1t
down on the Picketwire."
That's it," he said, blowing a cloud of
smoke. only place for white man to
live. It's bound to come after while.
| was pretty close to 1t the last time
saw you. Don't look much like 1t now.
though, do I?'
mot much What kind Of game was
it? Whisky"
He shook his head.
for he never struck me as that kind of
a boy.
"One-and a kid. Do you mind my
telling you something about her, that
time up on the dump of the Bald Hor-
metz"
Eyes; why?'
"Oh, nothing much, only she was in
Denver, too. Where do you s'pose I saw
her? At the Palace"
1.-The Palace 1 echoed in astonish-
ment, for the Palace was an all-night
variety theater Of the worst type. I
thought she married q civil engineer"
'She did, only he wasn't engineering
much except for drinks down there. He
was the professor and she was doing
two turns
Professor? two turns?' I repeated,
mystitied by his variety-theater slang.
Yes: piano player, you know, and she
done two dancing turns. l knew her the
minute she came on the stage, and l
thought I'd fall off my chair when she
commenced to sing about mothers grave.
and she looked SO much like she meant
it that just felt I would have to have a
little talk with her and get the thing
straight. I didn't know how to get to
where she was, until / saw some of the
other ladies working the boxes. Thinks
I to myself That's my ticket; I'll hire
box and catch her when she comes
around'-and l did,
The lady performers after they do their
turn make round of the boxes in their
show clothes to push wine for the house.
They get per cent The whole gallery