The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1915-03-12

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
"Then, blame If it didn't slip out
she wasn't married at all! lost that
letter. 1t was kind Of endearing.
Irene put up a howl. It was getting
too personal for her taste. I told her
l would cut it out. Then gave my
swell lady another address and wrote
her for picture. Nothing doing. But
she began to hint around at q meeting.
One day letter came with q hundred
dollar bill in 1t. Loose, too, just like
you or me might send a two cent
stamp. For expenses she wrote, and
was to come at once. Our souls had
returned to recognize and join each
other, she said. Here is the only part
of the letter l could dig up from the
wastebasket."
Here page was pasted upon the
document.
"'You have pointed out to me that
our stars, swinging in mighty circles,
are rushing on to a joint climax. To
gether we may force open the doors
to the past and sway the world as we
SOuSuI W uO Ill w Souc udyS.
And so on and cetera," continued
the narrative. "Well, of course, she
was nutty-that is, about the star bust
ness. But that don't prove anything.
The dippiest star chaser ever worked
was the head of department in one
of the big stores, and the fiercest little
business woman in business hours you
ever knew. That was the letter she
first called me Hermann in and signed
Astraea to. Said there was no use pre-
tending to conceal her identity any
longer from me. Seemed to think
knew all about it. That Jared me
some. And, with the change of writ
ing in the signature, it all looked pref
ty queer You remember the last let
ter with the'copperplate writing name
at the bottom? Well, they all came
that way after this; the body of the
letter very bold and careless; signature
written in an entirely different hand.
"But hundred dollar bills loose in let
tiers mean a big stake. wrote her
would come, and l signed it Her
mann, just to play up to her lead.
Irene got on and threw a fit She said
her woman's intuition told her there
was danger in it. Truth is. she was
but we did not find 1t out until after
the crash. So | was all for prying
Astraea loose from her money If I had
to marry her to do it. She wrote some
slush about the one desperate plunge
together and then the glory that was
to be ours. That looked like marriage
to me.
"You saw the last letter. 1t had me
ratified, but not ratified enough to quit.
There was a map in it of the place for
the meeting. That was plain enough.
But the our and we business in it
bothered me. 1t looked a bit like a
third person. l had not heard any
thing about any third person. What is
more, l did not have any use for a
third person in this business. The
stars forbade it. l wrote and told her
so and said If there was any outsider
rung in the stellar courses would have
sudden change of heart. Then | put
my best robe in a bag and bought a
ticket for Carr's Junction. You can
believe that while was going through
the woods l was keeping bright eye
out for any third party. Well. he was
not there. not when l arrived anyway.
Where he was all the time l do not
know. l never saw him. But l heard
him later. l can hear him yet at night,
God help me!
"She was leaning against little tree
at the edge of the thicket when first
saw her. There was plenty of light
from the moon. and it sifted down
through the trees and fell across her
head and neck. l noticed a queer cir
clet around her neck. The stones were
like soft pink fires. l had not ever
seen any like them before, and stood
there trying to figure whether they
We're rubies and how much they might
be worth. While l was wondering
about 1t she half turned, and l got my
first look at her face.
| she was younger than had reckon
! ed on and not bad to look at, but
queer, queer. Something about her
| struck me all wrong-gave me a sort
of ugly Shiver Another thing struck
me all right though. That was that
she had jewels on pretty much all her
fingers. In one of my letters to her
gave her a hint about that-told her
that gems gave the stars stronger
hold on the wearer, and she had taken
it all in. She certainly was an easy
subject
"A bundle done up in paper was on
the ground near her. l ducked back,
very still, and got into my robe. The
arrangement in her letter was for me
to whistle when l got there. l whis-
tied. She Strengthened up.
Come she said. i am waiting
Her voice was rather deep and soft
But it wasn't a pleasant softness.
| Some way l did not like it any better
than liked her looks. l stepped out
into the open and gave her the grand
| bow.
1.-The master of the stars, at your