Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1915-03-19


then shook her head again.
tissue your ORDERS" he insisted. 7
am waiting to obey"
She hesitated again, then said.
slowly.
"Have your hair cut. It's the one
uncivilized thing about you"
For an instant Samson's face hard
ened
NO." he said; 81 don't care 10 do
that"
"Oh, very WELT" she laughed lightly.
In that event, of course, you shouldn't
do it." But her smile faded. and after
moment he explained:
You see, 1t wouldn't do"
what do you meant"
Il mean that I've got to keep some
thing as 1t was to remind me of prior
claim on my life."
For an instant the girls face cloud
ed and grew deeply troubled.
you don't mean," she asked, with
an outburst of interest more vehement
than she had meant to show, or real
lied she was showing-"you don't
mean that you still adhere to ideas of
the vendetta?" Then she broke OF
with laugh, a rather nervous laugh.
of course not" she answered heJ-
self. That would be too absurd
Would it?" asked Samson, simply.
He glanced at his watch. Two min
utes up" he announced. "The model
will please resume the pose. BY the
way, may drive with you tomorrow
afternoon
The next afternoon Samson ran up
the street steps of the Lescott house
and rang the bell, and few moments
later Adrienne appeared. The car was
waiting outside, and, as the girl came
down the stairs in motor coat and
veil, she paused and her fingers on the
banister frightened in surprise as she
looked at the man who stood below
holding his hat in his hand, with his
face upturned. Tho well-shaped head
was no longer married by the name
which 1t had formerly worn, but was
close cropped. and under the trans
forming influence of the change the
forehead seemed holder and higher,
and to her thinking the strength of
the purposeful features was enhanced,
and yet, had she known 1t, the man
felt that he had for the first time sur
rendered a point which meant an aban-
donment of something akin to prin-
ciple.
She said nothing. but as she took
his hand in greeting her fingers
pressed his own in handclasp more
lingering than usual.
Late that evening, when Samson re-
turned to the studio, he found a mis-
sive in his letter box, and, as he took
it out. his eyes fell on the postmsrk.
1t was dated from Hixon, Kentucky,
and, as the man slowly climbed the
| stairs, he turred the envelope over in
his hand with a strange sense of mis-
giving and premonition.
! The letter vas written in the
cramped hand of Brother Spencer.
Through its faulty diction ran a plain
ly discernible undernote of disapproval
for Samson, though there was no word
of reproof or criticism 1t was plain
that 1t was sent as a matter of cour-
tesy to one who. having proved an
apostate, scarcely merited such consid-
GRAFTON. 1t Informed him that old
Spicer South had been mighty pore
ly." but was now better, barring the
breaking of age. Everyone was "tol-
cradle" Then came the announce.
ment which the letter had been writ.
ten to convey.
The term of the South.Hollman truce
had ended. and 1t had been renewed
for an indefinite period.
Some of your folks thought they
ought to let you know because they
promised to give you a say" wrote
the informant But they decided that
it couldn't hardly make no difference
to you. since you have left the noun
tains. and IL you cared anything about
it. you knew the time, and could OF
been here. Hoping this finds you
WELL"
Samsons face cIouded. He threw
the soiled and scrubbed missive down
on the table and sat with unseeing
eyes fixed on the studio wall. So, they
had cast him out of their councils!
They already thought of him as one
who had been.
In that passionate rush of feeling
everything that had happened since
he had left Misery seemed artificial
and dreamlike. He longed for the
realities that were forfeited He want
ed to press himself close to the great
gray shoulders of rock that broke
through the greenery like giants tear
Ing off soft raiment. Those we're his
people back there. He should be run
ming with the wolf pack, not coursing
with beagles.
He had been telling himself that he
was loyal and now he realized that he
was drifting like the lotus eaters.
He rose and paced the floor. with
teeth and hands cIenched and the
sweat standing out on las forehead.