Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1915-02-11

son that am is largely the creature
of your own fashioning. OF course
you had very raw material to work
with. and you can't make silk purse
of'-he broke off and smiled-"well.
of me, but in time you may at least
get me mercerized a little"
| For no visible reason she flushed.
and her next question came a trifie
eagerly:
do you mean / have Influenced
your"
Influenced me. Drennie?" he re-
peated. you have done more than
that. You have painted me out and
painted me over"
She shook her head. and in her eyes
danced light of subtle coquetry.
There are things | have tried to
do, and failed" she told him.
His eyes showed surprise.
Perhaps" he apologized, Il am
dense. and you may have to tell me
bluntly what / am to do. But you
know that you have only to tell me :"
For a moment she said nothing,
then shook her head again.
Issue your orders" he insisted. IL
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 to do
that"
"Oh, very well!" she laughed lightly.
I'm 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 mean?"
Il mean that I've got to keep some
thing as it 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 off
with laugh, a rather nervous laugh.
"Of course not" she answered her
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 a few moments
later Adrienne appeared. The car was
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. The well-shaped head
was no longer marred by the name
which it 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 it, the man
felt that he had for the first time sur
rendered 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 postmark
1t was dated from Hixon Kentucky,
and, as the man slowly climbed the
stairs he turLed the envelope over in
his hand with 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 disapproval
| for Samson, though there was no word
of reproof or criticism. 1t was plain
| that 1t was sent as a matter of cour-
rtesy 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 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 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
4 WE'LL"
! Samson's face clouded. He threw
the soiled and scrubbed missive down
on the table and sat with unseeing
eyes fixed on the studio wall. So. they
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