The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-09-27
by Chas. soribner's Sons
CHAPTER xiI--continued.

nation which had so radically changed
him. believed as little in the psychic as
any hardheaded young business icono-
clast of an agnostlc century could. But
on this particular evening when he
was smoking his nfter-dlnner pipe on
the fagstoned porch with Corona for
his companion, there were phenomena
apparently unexplanable on any pure
ly material hypothesis.
II am sure ] have much less than
half of the curiosity that women are
said to have. but. really, do want to
know what dreadful thing has hap
pened TO you since we met you in the
High Line Offices this Morning
mamma and l." was the way in which
one Of the phenomena was made to oc-
cur; and Smith started so nervously
that he dropped his pipe.
''You can be the most unexpected
person, when you try" he laughed, but
the laugh scarcely rang true. "whnt
makes you think that anything has
happened7"
~ don't think-I know" the small
seeress went on with calm assurance.
"You've been telling us In all sorts Of
dumb ways that you've had an upset
ting shock Of sor,e kind; and don't
believe it's another lawsuit. Am !
right. SO farf"
II believe you are witch, and It's
mighty good thing you didn't live in
the Salem period" he reJoined. '"rhey
would have hanged you to dead
moral certainty"
"Thcn there was something?" she
Queried; adding, jubilantly: II knew
itw
"Go on" said the one to whom It had
happened; Ego on and tell me the rest
Of It,"
"Oh, that isn't fair; even a profess
sional clairvoyant has to be told the
color Of her eyes and hair"
"wha-whatl" the ejaculation was
fairly Jared out Of him and for the
moment he fancied he could feel cool
breeze blowing up the back of his neck.
The clairvoyant who did not claim to
be a professional was laughing softly.
"You told me once that n woman
was adorable In the exact degree In
which she could afford to be visibly
transparent; yes, you said afford and
I've been holding 1t against you, Now
Tn going to pay you back. You are
the transparent one. this time. You
have as good as admitted that the hap
pening' thing isn't man; 'wha-what'
always means that. you know; so II
must be woman. Is II the Miss Rich
lander you were telling me about not
long agof"
There are times when any mere
man may be shocked into telling the
truth, and Smith had come face to face
with one of them. 'It Is," he said.
"She is in Brewster2"
"Yes. She came this evening"
"And you ran away? That was hor-
ribly unkind, don't you thlnk-after
she had come so farT
"Hold on" he broke in. "Don't let's
70 so fast. l didn't ask her to come.
And, besides. she didn't come to see
me-"
"Did she tell you that?"
~ have taken precious good care
that she shouldn't have the chance. i
saw her name-and her fnther's-on
the hotel register; and just about that
time remembered that / could prob
ably get a bite to eat out here"
''You are queerl All men are little
queer, I thlnk-always excepting colo
nel-daddy. Don't you want to see herT'
''Indeed, I don't!"
"Not even for old times sakef"
mo; not even for old tines sake.
I've given you the wrong impression
completely, II you think there is any
obligation on my part. II might have
drifted on to the other things In the
course of time, simply because neither
of us might have known any better
than to let 1t drift. But that's all n
back number, now."
"Just the same, her coming shocked
you"
ut certainly did" he confessed sober
ly; and then: "Have you forgotten
what told you about the circumstances
under which l left homer"
"Oh" she murmured, and as once
before there was a little gasp to go
with the word. Then: "She wouldn't
she wouldn't"
'No," he answered; "she wouldn't; /;
but her father would"
$50 her father wanted her to marry
the other man, did he?"
Smiths laugh was an easing of
strains. "You've pumped me dry" he
returned, the sardonic humor reassert-
ing itself.
A motorcar was coming up the drive
way. II was high time that an inter-
ruption of some sort was breaking in,
and when the colonel appeared and
brought Stillings with him TO the loung-
ing end of the porch. business confer
ence began which gave Miss Corona an
excuse to disappear, and which ac-
counted easily for the remainder of the
evening.