The Benson signal., 1917-10-06

4udL IOIl LuS OhIJ ILllAS, she COLI"
tinued after pause.
"Why, that was just some Frontier
day fun, Nan. A mans got to be lit
tie lit of sport once in while, hasn't
he?"
"Not If he likes me-" She spoke with
an ominous distinctness, but under her
breath. He caught her words and
laughed again. "Pshaw, didn't think
you'd get jealous over little thing
like that, Nan. When there's a cele-
bration on in town, everybody's friend
ly with everybody else. If you lay a
little thing like that up against me,
where would the rest Of the men get
off? Your strawberry-faced Medicine
Bend friend is celebrating in town
most of the time"
Her face turned white. "What q
falsehood !" she exclaimed hotly. Look
ing at her, satisfied, he laughed whole
heartedly again. She rose, furious.
"It's falsehood," she repeated, "and
know it."
II suppose" retorted Gale, regarding
her jocosely, "you asked him about it,"
He had never seen her so angry. She
stamped her foot. "How dare you say
such a thing! One of those women
was at the hospital-She is there yet,
and she is going to die there. She told
Uncle Dukes nurse the men they knew,
and whom they didn't know, at that
place. And Henry de Spain, when he
heard this miserable creature had been
taken to the hospital, and Doctor
Torpy said she could never get well,
send the bills to him, because he knew
her father and mother in Medicine
Bend and went to school with her there
when she was decent girl. Go and
hear what she has to say about Henry
de Spain, you contemplate falsifer."
Gale laughed sardonically. "That's
right. like to see a girl stick to her
friends. De Spain ought to take care
of her. Good story"
''And she has other good stories, too
you ought to hear" continued Nan un-
dismayed. "MoSt of them about you
and your fine friends in town. She told
the nurse it's you who ought to be pay
ing her bills till she dies"
Gale made a disclaiming face and a
deprecating gesture. "No, no, Nan
let De Spain take care of his own. Be
a sport yourself, grille, right now" He
stepped nearer her. Nan retreated.
Kiss and make up" he exclaimed with
laugh. But she knew he was angry,
and knew what to guard against. Still
laughing, he sprang toward her and
tried to catch her arm.
"Don't touch me!'' she cried, jump
ing away with her hand in her blouse.
"You little vixen," he exclaimed with
an oath, "what have you got there?"
But he halted at her gesture, and Nan,
painting, stood her ground.
"Keep away!" she cried.
"Where did you get that knife?"
thundered Gale.
"From one who showed me how to
use it ON a coward!"
He affected amusement and tried to
pass the incident off as a joke. But
his discrimination was more dangerous,
she knew, than his brutality, and he
left her the prey to more than one
alarm and the renewed resolve never
to be taken off her guard. That night
he came back. He told her uncle,
glancing admiringly at Nan as he re-
counted the story, how she had stood
her ground against him in the morn
ing.
Nor did Nan like the way her uncle
acted while he listened-and after
ward. He talked a good deal about
Gale and the way she was treating
her cousin. When Nan declared she
never would have anything to do with
him, her uncle told her with diScOncert-
ing bluntness to get all that out of her
head, for she was going to marry him.
When she protested she never would,
Duke told her, with many harsh oaths,
that she should never marry De Spain
even if he had to kill him or get killed
to stop it, and that if she had any
sense she would get ready to marry
her cousin peaceably, adding, that If
she didn't have sense, he would see
himself it was provided for her.
His threats left Nan aghast. For two
days she thought them all over. Then
c -JSSSKSSF5 I