The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1914-06-05

| P'NlNlH5 Jules horrible to hear aS She
s"ayed back and forth, keeping time
WIN her body to the cadence OF heI
cry.
Gloria tried to gather herself to
getner to meet this new attack but
without much success. She felt SC
weak from the shock that she was ONLY
able TO rise from her chair with diff
Guilty.
You're out of your head. You're
mad. Keep still, tell you" The
men still standing frresolute. she
turned upon them, Why are you
standing there? Leave this room"
Little Ella was enjoying herself
hugely. Gloria's every pleading tone
was music in her ears. Her eyes
burned with excitement Yet the cruel
cat delayed to crush the mouse, Its
qulYerlng was too soulsatisfying
Realizing that if she admitted Gloria
was the daughter of David Kerr the
men would forego their pursuit of
| Wright, Little Ella knew her best
course was to deny the relationship.
Don't you go. Turkey" she yelled
"IIl tell you the truth" She turned
to Gloria. Il wisht the boss had a
daughter, did PITS lie. Turkey.
She's not Dave Kerrs girl. He'd laugh
to see a daughter O his in such a
hell-hole, I'd watch her to see that
she paid the price" she glanced at
Gloria malevolently, "if-if he had a
daughter, An yer pertectin' the man
you love-" she Knocked. Wen see
how the boss daughter loves"
Her laughter was terrible. The men
could not think her the same woman
they knew. Gloria started in alarm.
She felt the woman was mad. and did
not know what she might do.
What are you going to do?" she
asked.
Now Ella was sneering at her. She
knew how to choose knife-blades for
words. In everything she said was
the cunning and the cruelty of lost
woman, Gloria was suffering, she
could see, but there was still another
chord which would vibrate to misery
Since time began jealousy has been
flaming sword in the hands of an
INSCRIPTIONS antagonist who knows
how to use it. To make Gloria think
that she was defending a man untrue
to her, was something. TO make her
believe that she had been defeated by
the greater charm of Little Ella her
self, was far more.
DO you think Id "a let yon hid
that man if he'd loved you? Never
You don know why he come here, but
| do. He come to see me. He loves
me-"
She beat her breasts as she spoke
to emphasize her words and her eyes
sparkled with the challenge she had
just hurled at the daughter of the
boss. Gradually, bit by bit, the veneer
of civilization had been Clipped away
Gloria no longer saw the gulf that sep
arated them She knew only that by
cozening words this other woman was
trying to make her think she had been
robbed of her own. Her weakness
left her. Now when she summoned all
her strength, she joyed to find it did
not fail AS Little Ella proclaimed
that the man they were hiding had
come to see her Gloria sprang to the
side of the bed, and cried with all the
Indignation of an overweight soul:
You le!p
That's what you say, but down in
your heart you know it's the truth.
1t amt the first time he's been here.
Oh, he's told me about you, the boss
daughter; but it's me he loves"
The men were forgotten in this duel
so elemental that it could have had
the stone age for its setting. On one
side, hate as bitter as the grave; on
the other, love and faith stronger than
death itself.
Every word you utter is lie" Clio
ria blazed. "If you loved him you
wouldn't have called these cntthroats,"
why don you tell 'em yer the boss
daughter now?" tainted the other,
Look here, Ella" Ryan broke in,
we're tired O. standin' here like fools.
Quit yer gassin' an make good.
You'll git yours all right. She's
not David Kerr's daughter. Don you
let her bluff you, / know where she
hid i'm. I'll tell you where he is
Gloria turned upon the men.
1--WE told you the truth, and I've
warned you. Don't you come a step
closer" Then she threatened the
woman, "If you dare to speak a."
Little Ella was not to be intimidated
When she dragged him in" she be-
gan "she locked the door, an then
She"
Gloria was standing at no great dis
lance from the bed when Little Ella
began her betrayal of Wrights hiding
place AS she realized that IN an
instant the secret would be out, her