Omaha daily bee., 1916-09-11

yit jest who you air, but got a notion
you got right TO know what I'know
about that yellow dog Freneau."
Gloria winced-at the insult to her
dead, but she. made no protest.
Trask held her with lean fingers that
hurt as he dragged her close,
"You said you seen me kill that
man.' What was he to your
Gloria flushed as she sighed: II
loved him. We were engaged 70 be
married" !
Trask chhckled gruesomely. q
thought likely. l guess | done you a
service gittin' rid Of him. He was
engaged to my girl first missy He
promised to marry, her. He told me
he was goin' to marry her and He
allowed he'd come right back. l, But
he never did.
"You see | used to be a bargeman,
butt my wife-Nell's ma--got lung
trouble and doctor said / had ought
to take her to South Carina or some
where's. So | did. ] took to mimi
down there-found some zinc. New
York brokers got infested, sent a
young Teller named Freneau down to
look over the prop'ty. L
"He was there when, Nell fetched
me my dinner pail. He took quite
shine to her-hung round for sew
eral days. Poor girl, plumb crazy
over him. She hadn't saw many fell
lers and he was killer anywhere he
went, guess.
y ketched him with his arm round
Nell and l was goin' to beat him up.
Wisht | had. But he says they were
engaged. So ! wished 'erti well, Nell
bein' happy as all get out. Then he
comes, gets a. telegram to go
back to the city. He never comes
back, never writes. Seemed like Nell
took on more'n she ought to- and by
and by I knew why.
"Her Nav didn't get any better
and she died down there--died before
she knowed. what had happened to
the girl. Havin' my wife die and
afterwards havin' Nell goin' crazy
with shame at not bein' nobody's
wife drove me out Of my senses kind
Of I never been quite right since.
II got ovef bein' mad at Nell, and
we come away from there before the
baby was born. / took up the barge
business again and didn't have much
time for lookin' up Mister Freneau
When found him by accident it was
outside your house in the city. |
jumped for him and he hit me. |
chased his automobile and got run
over by another one. Went to the
hospital. Come out a mite wrongcr
than what | went in, / guess.
"Nell told me she'd found where
he lived and she'd went to see him,
took the baby with hef, begged him
to love her again, or leastWays to
marry her for the baby's sake. But
no, he wouldn't. He jest laughed at
her and told her to 60 on away.
when she told me that, my head
kind Of filled up with'poison. | didn't
want anything but that feller's life.
put out after him and always jest
missed him. That night | followed
him to your house, seen him 60 in
there, and ! waited for him. A DO.
liceman chased me away and he must
have went away without my seem
him, for | crep' back to that big
monument to watch for him. He
didn't come out, but ! waited By and
by | seen somebody comm UP River.
side drive. 1t was him. thouhgt
! must went crazy. guess had
But ] waited for him. He stopped
and lighted a match to light ciga.
rete with, and ! crep' up behint him
and got grand holt on his neck with
these old ten fingers and"
His great crooked fingers made a
feeble repetition of their work, and
Gloria covered her. eyes. Trask
laughed.
~ .s'pose I'd ought to feel sorry
and do, now that I've got to 20
where he's went But 1t felt mighty
good then to know he wasn't goin
to break any more hearts or fool
any more girls.
Il left him lay there in the snow
and got away fast as could. Mex,
day ! expected to see big hoifcr in