Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-03-15


er know de Doc by dis time. Do guy
dat starts anything wid him gets his
OATS all. Remember de night he threw
Cleggy down de stairs in do Roost7
An then he was only having fun. I
seen Pale Face. Say, Helena"-ths
Tlopper's words came stumbling out
now, agitated, perturbed, not altogsth-
er coherent-''wot's Dc answer dunno.
r dunno wot's dc matter here. Say
he pointed suddenly 30 the Patriarch,
whose face was turned toward them
ss he stroked thoushtfully at his silver
leard-"he's got me fer fair. Dere
amt no fake here. Dis way tor live u
de real ting. He Amt like you an me;
he's more'n dat Look at him now.
housed t'ink he could see ~ an was
llstenin' ter wot we said. dunno
Swot's de end. dunno wot's de matter
wild me. / was scared more'n ever out
tlere dis afternoon on de- grass, an I
thought mabbe God 'ud strike me dead.
But faint only dat I'm scared ter buck
de game any more; faint only dat I
don't wanter any more, an It don't
make no difference about de dough. I
wanter live straight, same as him,
same as de guys around here. same
same as Mamie. Say, Helena-say, do
youse believe in love, tn-in Do roal
t'ing?"
Helena's apathy was gone now. A
flush dyed her cheeks. She was not
startled at what the Flopper had said.
She had seen It coming subconsciously,
vaguely, mistily, for days now.
"You were going to say something
about Pale Face" she prompted the
Chopper, something about Pale Face
and Doc"
EYES," assented the F1opper, and
again the tip Of his tongue sought mis-
lips nervously. Oats why I don't
want youse to go out wild Thornton
ternisht. Pale Face has got It de same
as me, an he told de Doc this after
noon out In de path there after de- Doc
left here. Dero was q showdown-see7
De Doc 'ud kill youse an Thornton
ternight IL hs caught youse tergether.
He's like = Wild man. When Pale Face
tells him he was goin' ter quit de Doc
makes q grab fer him BY Do t'roat like
tiger, only Pale Face gets away, an
den de Doc goes of widout a word,
laughin' like he'd escaped out Of q
dippy house. An Pale Face was shak-
In like he had At when he gets here.
Say, Helena, don't youse 60 ternight."
Helena made no answer. Thoughts,
. world of them, crowded upon her, as
they had ever since Madison had left
her room few hours ago. The future
was as some dread, bewildering maze
through which she had tried to Stun
BILE and grope her way-and had lost
herself ever deeper. How full Of utter,
miserable, bitter irony It was that this
thing, unscrupulous and shameful,
that they had created in their guilt,
should have brought the beauty and
the glory and the yearning Of 4 new
life to her-and yet should chain her
remorselessly to the old!
True, she had broken with Madison
--irrevocably, she supposed. It could
not be other than that, for the ugly
bond between them was severed, but
the game still went on. In repentance
on her Bonded knees, sobbing az a
tired and worn out child, she could ask
for forgiveness, but the double life.
the duplicity, by reason Of the very
nature In which they had fashioned
this Ubiquitous monster, still went on
and, like some hideous octopus, reach
cd out It's waving tentacles to eacircle
her. The Patriarch there, the world
wide publicity. those poor creatures
upon whose misery and whose suffer-
ing they had preyed and fed and gorg-
ed themselves; the life itself that she
had taken up, in it's care Of this great
souled, great hearted man SO dear to
her now-all these still held her fast!
The end? She could not see the end.
What would Madison do? And there
was Thornton. Thornton! She caught
her breath ! little. Yes; she had prom.
Used Thornton she would see him to-
night.
The Ficpper stirred uneasiiy
. Vet'll I tall him. he asksd. Hes
s ts = NJ n ~ H