The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1917-02-15
the HUSBAND HUNTER
BY ERNEST A. YOUNG.


"What do you know about it, You
never had a heart to smash" tainted
Billy Drew.
Bert Temple, the host and presiding
genius at many a smoke-talk In the
coy bachelor quarters. pricked up his
ears, for his friends we're getting on a
subject which had acquired a new In
terest for him.
He had lately discovered that he had
a heart, and he was inclined to feel
q bit heady over It.
"You r wrong. Billy" Charles as
serted. for 1t was a woman's perfdy
that bleached my hair years ago."
STORY !-old brand Of romance" an
nounced Drew with a wave Of his fat
hands.
Il fail to see any romance about the
process Of getting stung at a time Of
life when a decent young chap Of a
mushy temperament thinks he Is In
love for the only possible time, and
the girl plays up the delusion until
she finds what a boob he is and then
lets him drop.
THAT, In substance" continued the
cynic, was what happened. was the
boob and Miss Doris Ward was the
perfdious maiden, and it happened
eight years ago, when i was twenty.
two. Chortle yer ii II you and It hui.
morous, because I see the joke now as
plainly as you do. l also see how Miss
Doris Ward comes to Dunbury for q
winter Of sport-husband hunting"
They laughed at the story, of course
all except their host. He had been
poking the fire and he dropped the
poker as If 1t had burned his fingers.
The party broke up and no note
was taken of anything unusual In
Temples manner.
Charles, the cynic, Tilted eight
years ago by Doris Wardr mumbled
the host as the door shut out the last
Of his guests.
It was like a clip from a blackjack
TO the sense Of Bert Temple. TWEEN
ty-minutes ago the memory Of Doris
Wards voice was thrilling through his
soul, as he had listened to that voice
the evening before. Sure enough, ut
the ripe age Of thirty-slx he had fallen
heels over head at first sight. Al
though they had been hardly two hours
in each others society he had as good
us told her that she was "the wonder
full woman" and thatfhe vas prepared
to close up a marriage contract for the
earliest date that could be fixed upon
compatible with the conventions.
Now Temple felt sick, dizzy, be-
wildered. II was the boob and Miss
Doris Ward was the perfdious maid
en-" were the words that bored into
Temples consciousness. In other
words, at the callow age Of twenty
two Charles barton had been Tilted by
Miss Ward, and now he, Bertram Tenn
pie, Mt t~hirty-six, had betrayed the
same brand Of callowness as that
youngster, whom Temple had lever
particularly admired.
Now, according to Charles, the cynic,
this young woman, whose unique
charm had appealed to Temples un-
tutored heart, was q husband hunter.
That meant that she was done with the
royal sport Of killing for amusement,
and had taken up the practical
ton Of bagging the game. And 1t
seemed that she had marked him
Bert Temple, age thirty-six-as a like
Iy mark.
There was little time In which to
make up his mind what to do. In an
hour he was to call at the inn to take
Miss Ward motoring.
There wasn't time to think out a
really good plan for showing Doris
Ward that he was aware Of her little
scheme Of marrying the first man in
Dunbury whom she chose to smile up
N. So he got out his car and asked
Mollie Clews to 60 with him.
Temple in his racer, with the chat
tering little maybe Struggled on the
seat beside him, slackened the pace In
front of the inn. He could see Miss
Ward at the foot Of the walk. waiting
for him.
He meant to slow up Just enough
20 she would be sure to see how pretty
and happy Mollie looked, and then.
like a cad, he would speed on and
leave the husband hunter to guess
what had happened. D..
Chugl
The racer stopped short. The en-,
CINE went dead.
At that juncture Charles barton
came up with his car. and in a twink
ling he had Mollie beside him.
"You didn't speak to your--er-
Charles Darton." stammered Temple
as Doris took Mollie's place in the
stalled motor.
was that Charles Darton?" she ex-
claimed. Really, l had the impress
sion he was tall and blond"
HE teld u.s." Bert persisted, that
you Tilted him eight years ago. And
now you would pretend"
1T was my cousin Doris who did