The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1917-06-28

Austins, and ! want to stand from
under"
Now that the speaker had dropped
all pretense, he answered Dawes ques.
tons without evasion and told what
he knew. II was not much. to Dawes
way Of thinking. but II was enough to
give cause for thought, and when the
men finally parted 1t was with the I'm.
d%erstnnding that Strange would
promptly communicate any further In.
teiligence on this subject that came
his way.
On the following day Dawes duties
called him to Brownsville. where court
was In session. He had planned to
leave by the morning train but rs he
continued to mediate over S%trange's
words. he decided that, before going.
he ought TO advise Alaire of the fell
lows suspicious In order that she
might discharge Jose Sanchez and In
other ways protect herself against his
possible spite. Since the matter wa
one that could not well be talked over
by telephone. Dave determined to 20
In person TO Las Palmas that evening.
Truth to shy. he was hungry TO see
Alaire. By this time he had almost
ceased TO combat the feeling she
aroused In him. and II was In obedience
to nn impulse far stronger than friend
~ anxiety that he hired II machine and,
shortly after dark. tool the river road.
The Fates are malicious jades. They
delight in playing ill.natured pranks
upon us. Not content with spinning
and measuring and cutting the threads
OF our lives to suit themselves, they
must also tangle the skein. causing us
to cut cnpers TO satisfy their whims.
At no time since meeting Alaire had
Dave Law been more certain of his
moral strength than on this evening (;
at no time had his grip upon himself
seemed firmer. Nor had Aluire the
least reason 10 doubt her self-control.
Dave, to be sure, had appealed to her
fancy and her interest in fact, he so
dominated her thoughts that the i'm
aginary creature whom she called her
d~rcam-husband had gradually taken on
his physical likeness. But the idea
that she was In any way cnamored
of him had never entered his mind. In
such wise do the Futes umuse them
selves.
Alairc had gon 10 her ~favorite after
dinner refuge. n nook on one of the
side galleries, where there was n wide,
swinging wicker couch and there. In
II restful obscurity fragrant with flow
ers. she had prepared to spend the
evening with her dreams.
She did not heal Dawes automobile
arrive. Her first intimation OF his
presence came with the sound Of his
heel upon the porch. When he up
peared. 1t was almost like the mate.
REALIZATION Of her uppermost thought
quite as II n figure from her fancy had
stepped forth full-clad.
She rose and met him, smiling. How
did you know l wanted to see your
she inquired.
Dave took her hand and looked down
NJ her, framing Il commonplace reply.
But for some reason the words lay un-
spoken upon his tongue. Alaire's in
formal greeting. her parted lips, the
welcoming light In her eyes, had sent
them flying. II seemed To him that the
dim half-light which illumined this
nook emnnated from her face and her
person, that the fragrance which came
TO his nostrils was the perfume of her
breath, and at the prompting Of these
thoughts all his smothered lodgings
rose as II at II signal. As muiinous
prisoners in a Jail delivery overpoweT
their guards, so did Dawes long.re-
pressed emotions gain the upper hand
OF him now, and so swift was their
uprising that he could not summon
more than II feeble, pnnicky resistance,
The nwkwardness Of the pause which
followed Alaire's inquiry strengthened
the rebellious impulses within him, and
quite unconsciousiy his friendly grasp
upon her fingers frightened. For hel
part, as she saw this sudden chung'
sweep W. him, her own face altered
, and she felt something within ncl
breast leap into life. No woman collt
! have failed to read the meaning of hi
sudden agitation, and, strange to say
| IL worked q similar state Of feeling
Is IN Alalre. She strove to control her
I self and 10 draw nway, but instead
! found that her hand had answered
his, and that her eyes weIr iiashini
recognition Of his look. All In an In
r slant she realized how deatllly tira'
I If her own struggle she had become
; and experienced II reckless impulse 4
cast away all restraint and blind,
meet his first advance. She had n
/ time to question her ycarnings; sh
u seemed to understand only that Thu
man offered her rest and security tina
In his arms lay sanctuary.
To both II seemed that they stoo
: there silently, hand in hand, for
= very long time, though In reality ther
u was scarcely Il of hesitatio
on the part of either. A drunken
b%rcathlcss instant Of uncertainty, the
% hluirc was on Dawes breast, and hi
IT strength, hi nrdor, his desire, wa
throbbing through her. Her bare arm
wprp uhnut his neck IA sigh the tokp