The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1917-07-19

ing no cpitaph for you. From what
I've dug out Of Rosa, he's acting for
third pnrty-SOmcbOdy with pull and Il
lot OF coin-but who 1t is don't know.
Anyhow, he's cooking trouble for the
Austins, and want to stand from
under"
Now that the speaker had dropped
all pretcnsc, lie answered Dawes ques-
tions without evasion and told what
he knew. 1t was not much, to Dawes
way Of thinking, but 1t was enough to
give cause for thought and when the
men finally parted it was with the un-
derstandlng that Strange would
promptly communicate any further in
telligence 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 as he
continued to mediate over Strnnge'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 was
one that could not well be talked over
| by telephone, Dave determined to go
| In person to Las Palmns that evening.
Truth to say, he was hungry to see
Alalre. By this time he had almost
ceased to combat the feeling she
aroused in him, and 1t was in obedience
to an impulse far stronger than friend
ly anxiety that he hired q machine and.
! >,.t1, OF ft,,n f1,n1 a., -.
The Fates nre malicious jades. They
delight in playing ill-nutured pranks
upon us. Not content with spinning
and measuring and cutting the threads
OF our lives to suit themselves, they
must also tanglc the skein, causing us
| to cut capcrs to satisfy their whms.
at no time since meeting Aluire had
| Dave Law been more certain of his
moral strength than on this evening:
ut no time had his grip upon himself
seemed frmer. Nor had Alaire the
| least reason to 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
dream-husband had gradually taken on
his physical likeness. But the idea
that she was In any way enamored
of him had never entered his mind. In
such wise do the Fates umuse them
| selves.
| Alaire had gone to her favorite after
| dinner refuge, nook on one of the
side galleries, where there was wide
swinging wicker couch; and there, in
restful obscurity fragrant with flow
ers, she Ind prepared to spend the
evening With her dreams.
She did not hear Dawes automobile
arrive. Her first intimation of his
presence came with the sound Of his
heel upon the porch. When he ap-
peared, 1t was almost like the mate
rialization Of her uppermost thought
quite as If figure from her fancy had
stepped forth full-clad.
She rose and met him, smiling. GLOW
did you know wanted to see your"
she inquired.
Dave took her hand and looked down
at her, framing q 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. It seemed to him that the
dim half-light which illumined this
nook emanated 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 longings
rose as If at a signal. AS mutinous
prisoners in Jail delivery overpower
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 feeble, panicky resistance.
The awkwardness Of the pause which
followed Alaires inquiry strengthened
the rebellious impulses within him, and
quite unconsciously his friendly grasp
, upon her fingers frightened. For her
part, as she saw this sudden change
sweep over him, her own face altered
;, and she felt something within her
. breast leap into life. No woman could
have failed to read the meaning Of his
sudden agitation, and, strange to say,
! it worked a similar state Of feeling
i in Alaire. She strove to control her
self and to draw away, but instead
l found that her hand had answered
his, and that her eyes were flashing
. recognition Of his look. All In an In
r stant she realized how deathly tired
t Of her own struggle she had become
{: and experienced reckless impulse to
h cast away all restraint and blindly
!, meet his first advance. She had nc
: time to question her yearnings; she