Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-14
HEART OF THE SUNSET gs E.Sl REX * HEAeA gsAs j!

snousn.~ nlazs asserted. end then "1sd
knows what Pniona will Co. w
Really n n that hedrs
''It's vile story, Dave, and never ex-
pected 70 tell anybody; but if's bound to
come out on me now. 80 you better hear
ventlon az Galveston. and one hot day
decided TO talso swim. 20 hired suit
and a room 20 cache my rix-shooter N.
II was foolish proceedinrr for man my
asc. but the beach was black with people
and I wasn't altogether myself You see.
we'd had an onen poker game running IN
my room for three days. and hadn't got
any sleep. was plumb feverlsh and
needed dip Well Tn no water doc.
Dave; ! can't swim no better than tar-
around some IN the surf. and then took a
walk 20 dreen on and see the sshta II
was rirht interesting when cot % could
tell the women from the men~-you zee ia
ieft my glasses IN the bathhouse
Now ia sort Of upheld the general IN
ternperance Of that poker game for three
days and niEhts-but don't ofssr my con-
dition as an excuse for what follows No
gentleman ought TO lay his indeeencies on @
John Barieycorn when they're nothing moro
nor less than the outeroppins Of HIS own
ornertness. Liquor has xot enough 70 an
swer for without being blamed for human
depravtties I dare say I was friendlier
than I had any right 20 be: spoke to
strangers. and some cf the Girls hollsrad
NJ me, but wouldn't have harmed soul
well IN the course of my prornenads
came 70 a couple Of feiiers setting half
buried In the sand. and Just an was pass
Ing one OF them got up--sort OF on ALL
fours and-er-facing away from me-
sapeT That's where the trouble hstched-
reached out and. with nothing but rood
viii IN my heart. I-sort OF pinched this
pArty--eort Of on the hip. or thsreabouts.
didn't mean thing by II. Dave. just
walked on. smiling. TIL something run into
me from behind. When I rot up ana
squared around, there was that man we
Just left cutting didcs out Of black paper.
What dyou mean by pinchlns my
witeT no says. and he was r'arin' mad.
Tour wifer l stammers. and with that
ne ciinbs me Dave. I was weak with
shame and surprise. and all I could do was
hold him on Sure enough. the man rd
pinched was long. giant woman with a
little black mustache. and hare she came
we started in right there never saw
such poisonous person as that woman. She
was coiled. her head was up and her rat
ties agoins. ana so finally ne out.
But I'm sort OF fat. ana they over
ran me, They bayed me sEainst the sea
wall and all had the heart TO do was to
hold 'em on some more. soon as got my
wind shook em Off second time and run
| some more. but they downed be- BY that
time we'd begun TO gather quite crowd.
Dave. was you ever treed by wild hogs7
That's how them two people kept after me.
You'd have thought ia deprived 'om Of
their young. didn't want 20 hurt 'em but
whenever I'D run they'd tansle my legs by
| and by got 30 short OF breath that I
couldn't run. so / fell on top of the man.
| But the woman got me by the legs and
rolled mo under busted out and hoofed
Il again. but they caught me and down
we went me on top Then that mans
helpmate grabbed my legs and rolled ms
over, like she did before. Finally 1 got
| too tired TO do anything but paw like a
puppy. II seams like we must have fought
that way all the morning. Dave. Anyhow,
people gathered from long distances and
cheered the woman. got desperate toward
the last. and I unraveied the right hip OF
my bathing suit grabbing for my gun. j
couldn't SEQ the bathhouse for the sand IN
my eyes, so must have led 'em up across
tho boulevard and into the tent colony,
| for after while we were rolling around
among tent pegs and tangling UP In guy.
ropes and all the time our audience was
growing. Dave. those tent rsbes sounded
like guitar strings" L.
Blaze paused to wipe the sweat from hi
brow. whereupon his listener inquired mi
choking voice: ~ = eqof
How did you come out7" .Aszsh
II reckon I'd have got shet OF 'em some
how. for was resting up on top Of my
man, but that stinslng lizard of woman
kot hcr CLAWS INTO tne neck OF my batnluH
| suit and r'ared back on It. Dave, she
skinned mo out OF that garment the way
you'd skin out an eel. and--there I was
You never heard such n yelling as went up
And didn't hear all OF II. either, for just
laid htck my ears and went through those
| sightseers like Jack rabbit. I never knew
a man could run like did. could hear
| people holler, Here he comes. There he
goes 'Yonder he went but I was never
headed. hurdled the sea wall like an
antelope. and before they got eyes on me
/ was into my bathhouse.
CONTINUED MONDAY