The Clovis news., 1916-08-03


Siletz leaned forward and dropped
her burden In Sandry's lap. showering
him with the blood of the bleeding
hearts She did not look at him. Then
they trotted away around the corner
to the shed and Sandry's lips tight
ened pitifully as he gathered up each
smallest spray OF the woods.treasures
Where she stood back against the
wall, one hand at her pulslng throat.
Miss Ordway saw that tightening OF
the lips, the droop that came into the
mans whole face, and her eyes mar
rowed and hardened like a cats.
That night she came TO him In the
eating room.
Walter" she said, I'm stuck In
the middle of a chapter. VIII you go
over few pages with me and give me
the benefit of mans ideas?"
lie smiled
I'm afraid mine will not be Of much
account, but such as they are you are
welcome to them"
They will answer" said Miss Ord.
way. "a woman cannot write from her.
self for men-she must write from
man to man. III bring my manuscript
out here"
And turning. she went from him to
the sanctuary OF the little south room
When she returned she carried hand.
ful of closely typewriter pages.
They drew up one of the pine
benches. spread out the manuscript be.
tween the catchup bottles and sat down
together.
Instantly with the touch Of the shift.
ing sheets in her fingers Miss Ordway
seemed 10 drift away from the per.
sonal. She became detached, absorbed,
swallowed up in the thrall Of work
and Snndry had feeling Of what such
a WORK must mean to one.
Now see. she said. half excitedly.
here is the point about which | am
tritie In doubt. But | will have TO
sketch the situation for you so you
can get a grip on IT,"
She turned toward him, spreading
out Hat on the paper one exquisite
hand. Among her other hidden vani.
ties. Poppy Ordway cherished an inor
dinate pride in these hands OF hers
and she knew their value and their po
tency to the last atom.
With an unconscious appreciation
Sandry now looked down at II where
1t spread across the page Uncon
sciously, too, his mind caught a shad
owy comparson-the memory of the
olive.colored. slim hands of the girl
Siletz But she was speaking and he
looked again.
Now suppose my hero 10 confront.
ed with a man-his friend, II hap.
pens-who, In the plausible and un.
impeachabe methods of modern bust.
ness, has calmly become possessed OF
my hero's wealth. There Is no pos.
slble way of touching the swindler, for
II has been done in manner that
gives II the seeming OF legality Yet
the victim knows in his heart that the
other Is a thief. Now here Is my
point"
Miss Ordway was talking slowly as
II thinking carefully and no one listen.
ing would have suspected that the
words she uttered were purely me.
chanical. having been written out and
menorized that afternoon. and that
her mind was busy with a different set
of ideas. In fact, this was what she
was thinking tabulating rapidly a Sc,
OF items.
Widening eyes-aroused interest
abnormal, Fingers tapping the table
startled nerves No suspicion, but as
tonishment at so unique coinci
dence"
Aloud she was going on: Suppose
my hero to be modern man of aver.
himself to steal back deliberately an
amount equal to. or compensating for.
the amount stolen from him, and not
consider himself criminal? Could he
go out among men with his head up,
not deemlng himself a thief? And
would the modern man OF average
honor do such thing?"
Miss Ordway was leaning forward,
seemingly absorbed in her problem.
her eyes on Sandry's face, where con
flicting expressions were struggling
for the mastery,
In moment" she was saying to
herself. eager as hound; in a mo-
ment ne will commit himself" for the
bright. blue glance Of the young owner
wavered bit, he opened his lips. shut
his hand upon the olcloth and his jaw
hardened with tautened muscles.
NO! lie wouldn't be thlef-that
would be the right law"
Every nerve in Miss Ordways body
jumped, though there was no outward
sign. as the tension that had been
growing between them snapped with
the voice of Siletz
The girl had stopped on the far side
OF the room unnoticed by either. and
now she stood leaning forward with
her hands upon the table, her braids
hanging beside them. The shadow OF
her parted hair was over her eyes
Miss Ordways fingers crawled into
her palm rigid with a desire to inlict
bodily pain upon this unlimited blum
derer. But Siletz was of the wilder
ness and she did not know she had
committed a faux pas She knew
.ho. ,ha had hannuno ahanrha1 In