Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-01-28

8oo aC-0AJ 6hO0t0 AC ot0IAOlt So A.
the truth 1t was torture for hs.
She walked toward the stockro0s
trembling. IF you'll excuse me. M,
Hassingbury, I've got some pictures III
print" She started to enter. Il
Hold IN a minute, miss, l want Il
talk to vel" said Jonas, beckonin.
with a bony finger. u
I'm sorry, but I'm awfully busv. i
Flodie stammered. II
WALL" he remarked, 80 be l. Th.
is important, though. I guess you can
spare me five minutes or SO. | didnsl
come up all the way from Branfora
Connecticut, and miss prayer meet,,|
night at that just for the fun of
See here: Is Hall married, or nm,|
That's what / want to know"
Still Flodie's color mounted. aNo
he's not. Why?" +
See here, miss!" Jonas beckona
again. set We down; you needn't h.
afraid, I amt goin' to hurt We. I'm
religious man and a church member
We can trust me. Mebbe you thint
I'm stickin' my nose into what's nom
of my business, but, land! I'm hi,
cousin, and l guess l got a good riph
to know his plans on the subject N
matrimony." He gazed at her cruely |
And l expect you know why. Nov
don't ye?" 4
NO." said Flodie family, ~leanln,
on the desk for support. Il
Il e We know more'n you're willr
to let on" he continued. II want
born yesterday, miss, o yet the day
before, and l know somethin' abot
women, If be a bachelor. Up IN
Branford they call me weather.wiss
Wall, the signs on a woman's face h
just as easy, sometimes. Now sea
here" he hitched his chair near,
to Flodie. "You don't want Hall BonL
STEELE to git married no more'n | Oh
Amt that 500"
Flodie stared at him fascinated. A.
a bird by a snake. Try as she could |
1t was impossible to deny his accusa.
ton.
Hold on a minute, now!" He SHOOK
his finger ~impressively. "Id give a
good deal If l wasssatisied he wouldn't
be married before midnight"
Flodie could stand It, no longer. n
was useless to attempt to hide her
feelings from this man. Her heart
was bursting. ooh, so would l, il /
had the money!" she cried, woebe
gone.
Jonas leaned back, with a smile Of
victory on his face. wall, l guess
l got to the woman of it at last" be
gloated. "All women is just alike
when you come right down to it. 'One
mar among a thousand have l found;
but a woman among all those have
not found'-that is, different. But
that's neither here nor there. sus
pected you was sweet on Hall; your
face give you dead away. Wall, then |
MISS" he brought it out deliberately
seems to me our interests ought to
be Identical"
What d'you mean?" Something in
Flodie's subconsciousness was awak |
ened.
"You, bein' a woman, don't want him
to marry anybody else. Wall, neithelI
do l." He watched her closely, heart
lessly.
9" see," said Flodie frigidly, "be
cause you'd lose a fortune"
"Oh, it amt the money, miss, don't
Won micintorprot i, Doot;voe 7 dorp
want a cent of it for myself. It's what
I can do with it. See here; if Hall
gets that money, he's bound to throw
1t away on all sorts of f%oolishness. It
he marries tonight, some sheep-head
ed, extravagant woman will have the
spendin' of it." He watched the shaft
strike Flodie, and went on. "Whare
as, If I inherit it-why, l got my plans
all laid out Already" He leaned for
ward earnestly. why, do you know,
miss, they's heather in the tropics
what don't know what clothes be, let
alone the Bible. They tell me they
amt a toothbrush nor a pair O. corsets
in all Polynesia. And all of them mis-
oA0RAO aA66OA0 CIV W NC odluhCu
lasting. Then they's hospitals | In
tend to endow, and tracts ought to be
printed" But Flodie's eyes were cast
down. He saw that he had lost bis
audience, and came back to his best
argument. Think o. Halls wife
THROWN that cash round on parties
and low-necked dresses-to say nothin
o. balls and concerts and theaters!'
WELL" Flodie said, with a pathetic
look in her face, Il don't see what we
car do about it. He's made up bis
mind to marry tonight, and he's al
ready proposed to three women"
Jonas whistled long and low
Looks like we got to get to work in
a hurry, don't it? See here, miss" be
spoke slowly and emphatically. "YOa
can do it. Why, women is born for
tricks like this. What's that Jeremiah
$500 -h@II $1,000 q