Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1916-12-09

81 Won't Let You Col" She Painted.
own room to put on her slippers and
go forth thence to summon aid. Thus
she wholly missed Martel's departure.
John Leonard, at a corner table in
Dorley's. looked at his watch for the
tenth time. Martel was already IL
minutes late for the appointment
Eleven forty-one!" he murmured.
IF this is a sample of Martels eff
cheney | might better have picked out
another assistant. He"
Through the crowd of guests Edwin
Martel thrust his way to Leonard's
table.
I'm sorry to be so late" he apollo
gized, breathing heavily as if from a
hard run. 81 was detained. | went
10 say good-by to the girl I'm en-
gagged to. She didn't want me to 60
And"
You're a lucky mani" commented
Leonard bitterly. The girl I'm en-
gagged to was perfectly willing to have
me go. Indeed. sbT limited that she
doesn't care IL she never sees me
again."
Hard luck" sympathized Martel
But. at that, it's better than having
ones sweetheart threaten to kill her
self because one is going away"
Did your sweetheart do that?"
asked Leonard in wonder. Lord, but
envy you. Mine practically turned
me out of her house and threw my
ring at me. You don't know what
treasure you have. Go back to
her Try to reconcile her to your GO
ing. If you can't, then wait and join
lay won't do any harm, And it may
serve to make her see things differ
emily"
Ten minutes later Martel was climb
ing the stairs he had descended a half
an hour earlier-the stairs leading to
Elsie's apartment
Meantime the girl had gradually re-
covered from her swoon. Sitting up,
dazedly. she looked about her in va
cant-eyed amaze. Then she saw the
suitcase and the scattered clothes on
the floor. And, all at once she re-
membered.
Elsie's dilated eyes strayed from the
suitcase to something lying on a rug
beside it. Something that glinted
queerly in the lamplight. 1t was Ed
win Martel's revolver.
AS though hypnotized by its glitter,
she continued to stare at it. Present
ly her hand went forward, almost
stealthily; and her fingers closed
around the pistol butt. Here, to her
disordered mind, was the full and final
solution of her problem.
Martel had left her. And, in leav-
Ing, he had taken away all that made
her life worth living.s Perhaps when
he should hear she was dead, he might
be sorry. From the grave she could
sting him with a barb of remorse.
This was his own pistol. too-this
pistol whose muzzle felt so gratefully
cool against her fever-hot flesh.
Elsie let herself play morbidly with
the Idea, as child morbidly bites on
sore tooth. She knew little of fire.
arms. But she had heard that il a
trigger were pressed hard enough
She did not know just how hard one
needed to tug, before the pistol would
go OFF. And, experimentalIy. she tight
ened her forefinger around the trigger.
There was fiash-a roar that rever-
berated through the whole loose-doored
apartment-a pungent smoke cloud
filled the little room.
4irs. Wigs, half dressed, heard the
report. Flinging long cloak around
her, she dashed down the hall. Out
side Elsie's door she paused No sound
came from inside. She was about to
turn the knob. when 1t occurred to
her that Martel, who had doubtless
hred the shot, might very possibly put
second bullet into her own head
should she break in upon the scene of
carnage.
SO she fed down the passageway
and down the stairs and out into the
midnight city.
In the studio street, a throng of |
reVelcrs were making night hideous
WIN their racket. Horns, rattles, con-
ietti' ucklers," cowbells, sticker-tape,
ana cozen other temper-wrecking !
ueVlces were in evidence. A mimic |
Dattie mad sprung up in the middle of |
INC walk. Groups of bystanders. on