Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-06-01
A Warming.

OuOSC lIlSWO1 III <AIdIl IOIlOWCu A1Ci
letter in person, for having at last de
cided to divorce Ed, she acted witt
characteristic decision. Since ELS
worth had more than once advised this
very course, she went to Brownsville
enlisting his willing support. She haC
written Dave Law, telling him thai
she intended to go to La Feria, there
to remain pending the hearing of hel
suit. To be sure, she would have pre-
ferred some place Of refuge other thar
La Feria, but she reasoned that there
she would at least be undisturbed, and
that Ed, even if he wished to effect q
reconciliation, would not dare to follow
her, since he was persona non grata
in federal Mexico.
She had counted upon seeing Dave
during her stay in Brownsville, and her
failure to do SO was grave disap.
pOintment as she knew that he was in
town attending court. Yet she told
herself that it was brave of him to
obey her injunctiOns SO literally and to
leave her unembarrassed by his pres.
ence at this particular time. 1t in
spired her to be equally brave and to
wait patiently for the day when she
could welcome him with clean hands
and a soul unashamed.
In the midst of Alaires uncertainty
of mind it gratified her to realize that
Dave alone would know of her where
abouts. She wondered if he would
come to see her. He was a reckless,
headstrong lover and his desires were
all too likely to overcome his DELHI
crate resolves. She rather hoped that
ture to cross the border SO that she
could see and be near him, if only for
a day or for an hour. The possibility
frightened and yet pleased her. The
conventional woman within her
frowned, but her outlaw heart beat
fast at the thought.
Alaire did not explain her plans even
to Dolores, but when her preparations
were complete she took the Mexican
woman with her, and during Eds alb
sence slipped away from the ranch.
Boarding the train at Jonesville, she
was in Pueblo that night.
It seemed at last that war with
Mexico was imminent. After months
of uncertainty the question had come
to issue, and that lowering cloud which
had hung above the horizon took omi-
nous shape and size. Ellsworth aWoke
ono morning to learn that an ultima
tosi; that the Atlantic fleet had been
ordered south; and that marines were
being rushed aboard transports pend
ing a general army mobilization. It
looked as if the United States had
finally risen in wrath, and as if moth
ing less than miracle could now avert
the lo1g-expected conflict.
Blaze Jones took the San Antonio
paper out upon the pc~"h and COM
posed himself in the hammock to read
the latest war news. Invasion Troops
The Stars and Stripes! Those were
words that stirred Jones deeply and
caused him to neglect his work. Now
that his country had fully awakened
to the necessity of war with Mexico
"a necessity he had long felt-he was
fired with the loftiest patriotism and a
youthful eagerness to enlist. Blaze
realized that he was old and fat and
near-sighted; but what of that? lie
could fight. Fighting, in fact, had
been one of his earliest accomplish
ments, and he prided himself upon
knowing as much about it as any
man could learn. He believed in fight
ing both as a principle and as an ex-
ercise; in fact, he attributed his GOOD
health to his various neighbOrly "un-
pleasantnesses," and he had more than
once argued that no great fighter ever
died of a sluggish liver or of any one
Of the other ills that beset sedentary,
peace-loving people. Nations were
like men-toO much ease made them
f1abby. And Blaze had his own ideas
Of strategy, too So during the perusai
Of his paper he bemoaned the mis-
takes his government was making.
Why waste time with ultimatums? he
argued to himself. He had never done
So Experience had taught him that
the way to win battle was to beat
the other fellow to the draw; hence
this diplomatic procrastination filed
him with Impotence. l. seemed al
most reasonable to one Of Blaze's In
tense patriotism.
He was engaged in laying out a plan
Of campaign for the United States
when he became conscious of voices
behind him, and realized that for SEINE
time Paloma had been entertaining
caller in the front room. Their con-
versation had not disturbed him at
first, but now an occasional word or
sentence forced it's meaning through
his preoccupation, and he found him
self listening.
Paloma's visitor was q woman. and
az Blaze hardened to her voice, he felt