The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1915-02-11

to her inward humOr-unleos, thai Is,
1t might be taken to indicate the di.
rect contrary of its semblance;
though even this was no reliable rule.
Reminding himself Of this, he there
fore invented morbid interest in an
other magazine-round the edge of
which he kept wary eye upon the
young woman.
For all her evaporation, Judith con-
tanned herself longer than might have
been expected. Her continued show
of placidity, indeed, lulled Barcus into
a dangerous feeling of security. Per-
suaded that she meant to behave, he
gradually ceased to watch her as mar
rowly as at first, and lost himself in a
morose reverie whose subject was the
seemingly permanent mourning into
which he had plunged his face and
hands for the purposes of his mas
Misunderstanding them a shade of
ebony upon which soap and water and
scrubbing had no effect whatever. AMI
he had invented a most excruciating
method of revenging himself upon the
druggist who had taken advantage OF
his confidence and sold him the in
eradiable dye-when he was reused by
the sudden flight of magazine across
the car, missing his head by a bare
two inches, and the bang of chair
overturned by Judith as she jumped
up and flung herself furiously toward
the door.
Just what had happened on the OBJ
servation platform Barcus didn't know,
but he could readily believe that the
lovers had just INDUCED in some espe-
cially provoking and long-drawn-out
caress.
He overhauled Judith none too soon.
In another moment she would have
had her sister by the throat-if her
purpose had not been to throw Rose
bodily overheard as Barcus suspected.
Happily, he was as quick on his feet
as Judith on hers; and almost before
he had grasped the situation, he had
grasped her-had seized her arms and
drawn them forcibly behind her back.
at the same time swinging her round
and endeavoring to propel her back
through the doorway.
It was man-size job. For the ensu-
ing five minutes he had his hands full
of violently resentful and superbly
able-bodied young woman. Only with
the greatest difficulty did he succeed
in wrestling her up the aisle and to
the door of her compartment, where
an even more furious resistance for
some additional minutes prefaced the
ultimate closing of the door upon the
maddened Judith. Even then he might
not draw free breath: there was no
way of locking that door from the out
side; and he dared not leave go the
handle, lest the girl again fly out and
renew the battle.
Waving aside Alan's proffer of as
sistance, he acidly advised that gen.
tleman to return to his post of duty
and not let his infatuation blind him
to what might at any moment loom
up on the track behind them, Barcus
stoutly held the door against the girls
attempt to pull it open and through
another period when she occupied her.
self with kicking it's panels as if hope
full of breaking way out. A long
pause followed. He heard no sounds
from within. And wearying, he won
dered what the devil she was up to.
Then her voice penetrated the barrier,
Its accents calm and not unamiable:
"Mr. Barcus!"
"Hello!" he replied, startled. what
Is it, Miss JUDITH"
'Please let me out"
"Not much"
"Oh-please!"
Struck by the fact that she hadn't
lost her temper on hearing his refusal,
he hesitated. 1t was very true that he
couldn't stay there forever, holding ON
to that knob,
"Will you be good If let you out?"
Perfectly"
"No more shenanigan?"
II promise"
"Word of honor?"
IF my word Of honor means any.
thing to you-you have It,"
well !" he said obviously.
In the same humor he turned and re-.