The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-10-16

haven't taken your hands on OF Mr..
Raymer's throat by three o'clock this
afternoon. the envelope viii be
opened"
Jasper Grierson's teeth met in the
marrow of the fat cigar Equally with
out heat and without restraint, he
stripped her Of all that was womanly,
pouring out upon her a food of foul
epithets and vile names gaTnished
with bitter, brutal oaths- She shrank
from the crude and savage upbraid-
ings as If the words had been hot irons
to touch the bare flesh. but at the end
of it she was still facing him hardly
Calling me bad names doesn't
change any thing she pointed out, and
her tone reflected something Of his
own elemental contempt for the Gu
phemisms- You have FIVE hours in
which to make Mr.. Raymer under
stand that you have stopped trying to
smash him Wouldn't it be better to
begin on that? You can curse me out
any time, you know
Jasper Grierson's rage 1T. OF the
mud-volcano manifestation OF it,
| passed as suddenly as it had broken
/ out. Swinging heavily in his chair he
| took up the papers again, reread them
thoughtfuIly, and then swung slowly
| to face the situation.
Lets see what you want-show up
your hand"
81 have shown it. Take the prop of
your backing from behind this labor
trouble. and let Mr.. Raymer settle
with his men on a basis Of goodwill
and fair dealing"
as that all?"
No. You must cancel this pine
| land deal. You have broken bread
with Mr. Galbraith as a friend. and
I'm not going to let you be worse than
an Arab"
| Grierson's shaggy brows met in a
reflective frown, and when he spoke
the bestiaI temper was rising again
when this is all over, and you've
gone to live with Raymer. I'll kill him. %
he said, with an outthrust OF the hard
jaw; adding: You know me. Madge."
81 thought l did," was the swift re-
| tort. But it was a mistake. And as
for taking it out on Mr.. Raymer. you'd
better wait until go to live with him,
as you put it. Besides, this isn't Yellow
Dog gulch- They hang people here"
You little she-deYill If you push
me into this thing, you'd better get
Raymer, OF somebody, to take you in
You'll be out in the street,
Il have thought Of that, too she
said, coolly; about quitting you. I'm
sick Of it aIl-the getting and the
spending and the crookedness. I'd
put the money-yours and mine-in a
pile and set fire to it, if some decent
man would give me a calico dress and
a chance to cook for two"
"Raymer. for instance?" the father
cut in, in heavy mockery.
Mr. Raymer has asked me to mar
| ~ him, if you care to know" she
struck back
"Ohol So that's the milk in the
cocoanut, is It? You sold me out to
buy in with himl"
you may put 1t that way, if you
like; don't care" She was drawing
on her driving gloves methodically
and working the fingers into place.
and there were sullen fires in the
brooding eyes
I've been thinking it was the other
one-the book writer" said the father.
! h4NAO0l " al -ll4S ne
damned crook"
The daughter went on smoothing
the wrinkles out of the fingers of her
| gloves. What makes you think SOP
she inquired. with Indifference, real or
skillfuIly assumed.
Hes got too much money to be
straight I've been keeping cases on
him.
Never mind Mr.. Griswold," she in
| terposed- He is my friend, and I
| suppose that is enough to make you
hate him About this other matter
ten minutes before three o'clock this
afternoon 1 shall go back to Mr. Ray
mer. If he tells me that his troubles
are Strengthening themselves out, I'll
get the papers"
You'll bring EN- here to me?"
Some day; after I'm sure that you
have broken on the deal with Mr.. Gal
braith.''
Jasper Grierson let his daughter get
as far as the door before he stopped
her with a. blunt-pointed arrow of con-
tempt.
81 suppose you've fixed it up to
marry that college-sharp dub so that
his mother and sister can rub it into
you right?" he sneered.
you can suppose again. she re-
turned, shortly. IF 1 should marry
him, it would be out of pure spite to
those women. Because, when he
asked me, I told him No. You weren't
counting on that, were your" And
having fired this final shot of contra
diction she departed
After Miss Grierson had driven
home from the bank between ten
and eleven in the morning, an admir-
ing public saw her no more until just
before bank-cIosing hours in the after
noon. AS she passed in the basket
phaeton between half-past two and
three through the oYercrossing suburb
there were signs Of an armistice ap-
parent, even before the battlefield was
reached. Pottery Flat was populated
again, and the groups Of men punched
on the street corners arguing peace
| fully Miss GrferSO0 rll1lPd nm af one