The Washington times., 1915-12-28
THIRD INsTALLMENT.

(COntinued from 1esIeiuaJ'
As Nhe got up from the bench the olo
woman leaned heavily on the young arIn
beside her for support She looked eau
tiouslv toward the house and then III inc
opnosite direction. With the same nerN-
ous fearsshe stared into the shruoOeiS
surrounding them. then sank back ohto
the bench. her lips moving as II In silent
I'm afraid-I'm afraid" she repeated
weakly, NW
Tell me-"
cod knows I've kept the secret so iar
She never knew nothing about t-Sour
mother-and nobody! There ISM any
thing you con keep a secret ~ loreSet, :.
But il | could "a protected you from Il, ~
aIyNavs precious. ] would a gwen my
soI,I- nretty near. to do 1t. II all nap
penedeso long ago-twenty years II was
-ftH-tWenty years. ro ooD+lv
'aEfeiH me- Mary, 'StTRed JuIle' 6eH'iJ
Mating her writhing hands.
'.lrWenty years ago Mrs. Travis went
West ON a trip with Mr.. Travis. salu
Mary, speaking rapidly. as II lorCiiIS
each word. II went along-l was the
maid II was a terrible mace. out west
vas i'm those days, And the placS VIC
went 10 was a mining town Where InelS
was-nothing but shacks and saloons an anu
lough-looking men and hai-oeau lo0N-
''''s Ski The end OF the trip Mrs. Travis
WINS pretty near spent. 5ho oushtn
TO have been travelling at suCh tlin".
B,t-she just would insist on coming
along remember Mr.. Travis and me
had 10 pretty near carry her into inc
Dlace- where we were SOlnG 10 stay
while we were there. 1T wasnt req
ular-hotel-the sign said Gem oalooh:
Also Rooms Jake was the name OF
the man who kept 1t, and downstairs
when we went in, was nothing out
barroefn all filled with tobacco smoke
and smell Of n, nHE0r' onJ lheTe rsnIbling Mi and
they stared at us IKE we were
strange animals.
Jake led the way up the stairs and
Mr.. Travis and me put our s+ aTTs rgts
ed her up that riclety staircase INTO
the bedroom on the second floor;
Marv's eyes stared duly, bacN
through the tnistard mist OF 5wsnIy stoGneS years
1.-THE bedroom on the second floor'
repeated June. "and then
"hnd thepwe put her to bed be-
tween, us, Mr.. Travis and me. He had
on business He had gone out west
on some business about gold mine
he was interested in, you know. Ana
the reason Mrs, Travis went alonG
was because she was so sick and
nervous, she said it would "a Nilled
her-to stay behind. And then, that
afternoon, Mr.. Travis and most all
tho men in the town went into the
mountains to see new gold claim.
They We're the roughest looking
lot, an there was one, II big, powerful
fellow, a gambler--'Jim Borden they
called him." 90,
and he was rougher even than the
rest OF 'em; but they all Ininded what
he said. They went off riding on
horses and mules with packs ana
hn and
member I lifted Mrs. Travis out OF
he'd ard into "a rickety, old rocking
chair near the window SOS she could
wave her hand gocd-by and throw
'dThat night her little baby was
born. 1 was all alone there and It
went awful with Fher-I thought she
called Is Jake axe and I told him about the
baby. He said 1T was fine and he'd
send one OF the boys out to the mine
10 Mr. Travis with note and tell
him about the good news. -,
Then, just as he was going down
the stairs again he turned around
and said he'd have to make IL don-
bile note; because Jim Borden's w'fe
had 1ust had a baby an hour before
and Jim would want to know, too
A sharp little breeze that spranE
from nowhere rustled The branches OF
the trees. and moved the low bushes
with a sudden wild touch. The old
nurse jumped 10 neI leStt uFdB BAuE
frantically at June's hand.
The unexpected break in the tension
that had held her, tortured the girl
nerves. 1T was with difhculty Sht
stifled the shrek that rose to her liUS
"It was just the wind" she hear,
herself saying as she pulled Mar
down -on the bench beside her, "jus
the wind, IT startled me. And Jak'
sent the note to father, and Jim .Bor
den. you were saying2"
ives. he sent the note. Oh. N,
night was long! Mrs. Travis was ur
, conscious. And every minute OF th'
time when / wasn't trying to bring
her to, walked the floor with thi!
mite OF a baby Of hers trying to save
them bothh'' -H.Ht
''The, next morning early, Il see'ni
outlaws outside the town heard tina
a big shipment OF gold, was in tn
roadhouse waiting 10 go out. They
knew most OF The inca were Awe'
at the mines. 30 they attacked th'
Rlace lill.Hsver forget the minute