The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-03-06
An
Interference
BY JOHN Y. LARNED

Yes; there is"
Ceth and l were great chums. There
was not much more than a year be.
| tw cen us, and l was used to giving her
my confidence about everything. re-
| solved to throw my burden upon her in
| this case.
"YOu know Alice WoodsOn''-
"Oh, a case of lovesickness."
I made no reply to this. was sorry
I had begun a confession.
go on, Billy" Beth added.
II won't. You'll only poke fun at
me-"
mot a bit of it. I'll help you. Don't
you know that l, being a girl, know
just how a girl should be treated to be
wOnY"
You can't tell me how to win Alice.
In the first place, she's in love with
Fred Perkins; in the second, she seems
to have some sort of grudge against
me, and in the third
That's enough. You needn't tell me
any more. Now. listen to me. l knew
all about this before l asked what was
the matter with you. I've been watch
ing you and watching Alice, and I'm
convinced she's playing you."
"WhatY"
playing you-a sort Of cat and mouse
business"
"Oh. bosh! For a week past she has
treated me abominably and all the
while has been looking up with her
eyes at Fred like a.
Like a chick in a thunderstorm.
Will you do what l tell you to do?"
THAT depends upon what you tell
me-"
1.-The next time you meet Alice pre-
tend to be thinking about something
else and don't see her"
THAT will make matters worse"
Every we'll; if you won't take the
medicine l prescribe, go your W
road"
concluded to try Beth's prescrip-
ton. The next time l saw Alice com.
ing l pretended to be absorbed in some
thing else. and just before we were to
come together I turned off in another
direction. That was in the morning.
In the afternoon of the same day we
met again. l couldn't play the same
game twice in the same day. so l
looked at her. She looked at me. too,
or, rather, she stared at me with a cold.
blank. whitening stare that froze the
marrow in my bones. 1 went to Beth
and abused her for getting me into
such a pickle.
you're as weak as watered milk. I'm
sorry l tried to do anything for you.
l couldn't love a man l could bluff
like that"
"What would you want him to dol"
"Crush me like a worm"
How crush your"
"Will you simply do nothing so far
as Alice Is concerned and leave the rest
to me?"
Since 1 felt entirely incapable of
carrying on such a contest myself !
agreed to this Fabian policy. During
the next few days l kept out Of Alice
Woodson's way 50 far as l could.
! When I saw her coming toward me l
changed my course l tried not to look
troubled or angry or anything in par
ticular. l did my best to show no espe-
cial emotion while waiting for Beth to
do something.
One day I met Alice face to face.
She bade me good morning in a rather
huffy tone. I replied to her salutation.
Il q understand now she said.
your recent unfriendliness to me
since I have learned the cause"
what cause?"
"Oh, don't pretend ignorance! l used
to think that you had a mind Of your
own"
And you don't think so now:"
You're the first man l ever knew
who would permit his sister to run
him."
I began to catch on to what was at
the bottom Of this. Beth had evidently
been at work.
What do you mean by my sister
running me?"
I'm not supposed to tell. but l made
no promise. Beth has told me all about
it."
<AUOuI WuoSS
About your new fancy. Mr.. Igno-
rance. or. rather. her fancy. Any one
can see that she is trying to bring
it about herself. and with such q pill
able brother l dare say she WILL"
Rucked up q lot of courage at this.
Beth had evidently produced a revolu.
ton.
do you mea to say that my sister
has been betra wing my con1denteY' ~
Your confidence! Why. she told
me herself that she was bent on max.
Ing a match for you She said she
wanted you to marry a girl that was
her friend
l was pretty stupid. but not so stu
pid IS not to see Beth's device and
what it had accomplished. l cut the
matter short by saying that when l
married l would consult no one but the
girl wanted and began to talk of
something else.
It would have been better for me to
have had the pluck to manage the