The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1915-03-04

issue your ORDERS" he insisted. i
am waiting TO obey"
She hesitated again, then said.
slowly:
Have your hair cut. It's the n
uncivilized thing about you"
For an instant Samson's face hard
ened.
mo" he said: II don't ARE to do
that"
"Oh. very Welt" she laughed lightly.
In that event, OF course. you shouldn't
do IT. But her smile faded. and after
a moment he explained;
you see. II wouldn't do"
what do you mean?"
Il mean that I've got TO keep some
thing as II was to remind me OF n prior
claim OF my iife."
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.
iz"d she was showing-"you don't
mean that you still adhere TO ideas Of
the vendetta?" Then she broke on
with a laugh. n rather nervous laugh.
"Of course not" she answered her.
self. THAT would be too absurd!"
Would III" asked Samson. simply.
He glanced at his watch. Two min.
utes up" he announced. 1.-THE model
will please resume the pose. by the
way. may | drive with you tomorrow
afternoon? 2"
The next afternoon Samson ran up
the street steps OF the Lescott house
and rang the bell. and n few moments
later Adrienne appeared. The car vas
waiting outside. and. as the girl came
down the stairs In motor coat and
veil. she paused and her nngere on the
banister frightened In surprise as she
looked nj the man who stood below
holding his hat I'm his hand, with his
face upturned. The well.shaped head
was no longer marred by the name
which II had formerly worn. but was
close cropped. and under the trans.
forming influence OF the change the
forehead seemed holder and higher,
and 10 her thinking the strength Of
the ~purposeful features was enhanced,
and yet. had she known Il. the man
felt that no had for the first time sur.
rendered a point which meant an nban.
donment OF something akin TO prin.
ciple.
She said nothing. but az she took
his hand In greeting her ringers
pressed his 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
Il out. his eyes fell on the postmark.
1t was dated from Hlxon, Kentucky,
and. as the man slowly climbed the
stairs. he turLed the envelope over IN
his hand with n strange sense OF mis-
giving and ~premonition.
. The letter was written In the
cramped hand OF Brother Spencer,
Through Its faulty diction ran a plain.
|, ly discernible undernote OF disapproyai
for Samson. though there was no word
Of reproof or criticism. II was plain
that II was sent as n matter OF cour
tesy to one who, having proved an
apostate. scarcely merited such consid.
Grafton. II 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. HOLMAN truce
had ended, and It had been renewed
for an indefinite period.
Some OF your folks thought they
ought to let you know because they
promised TO give you n say" wrote
the informant. But they decided that
Il couldn't hardly make no difference
to you. since you have left the noun
tains. and II you cared anything about
Il. you knew the time. and could OF
been here. Hoping this finds you
WE'LL"
Samson's face ciouded. He threw
the soiled and scrubbed m!ssive 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 of soft raiment. Those we.e 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 clenched and the
sweat standing out on bio forehead.
His advisers had Of late been urging
him to 90 to Paris. He had refused.
and his unconfessed reason had been
that In Paris he could not answer u
sudden call. He would go back to