The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-04-21
'.That isn't the Only sniIg, sneI CON
tinued aftor & nar,Sn

stat iSns TIC u1iy tniL g Shel con-
tinued after q pause.
'Why, that was just some Frdntier
day fun, Nan. A mans got to be a lit
tie bit of sport once In while, hasn't
heg"
met if he likes me-" She spoke with
an ominous distiuctness, but undeA her
breath. He caught her words and
laughed again. "Pshaw, I didn't think
you'd get jealous over little thing
like that, Nan. When there's d eele-
bration on in town, everybody's friend
~ with everybody else. If you lhy d
little thing like that up against Ime,
where would the rest of the menIsge
off? Your strawberry-faced Medicine
Bend friend is celebrating in town
most of the time.''
Her face turned white. what a
falsehood!" she exclaimed holly. Look
ing at her, satisfied, he laughed whole
heartedly again. She rose, furious.
ITS falsehood," she repeated sand
know it,"
Il suppose" retorted Gale, regarding
her loosely, "you asked him about it,"
He had never seen her so angry. She
stamped her foot. "How dare you say
such thing! One of those women
was at the hospital--she is there vet,
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,
told the sister to take care Of her and
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 falsifier."
Gale laughed sardonically. "Thats
right. I like to see girl stick to her
frieQds. De Spain ought to take care
Of her. Good story"
"And she has other good stories, too,
you ought to hear" continued Nan an
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 disclaiming face and a
6eprecating gesture. mo, no, Nam
let De Spain take care of his own. Be
Il sport yourself, grille, right now.''. He
stepped nearer her. Nan retreateI.
Kiss and make up he exclaimed with
laugh. But she knew he was angry,
and knew what to guard against. Stiil
laughing, he sprang toward her and
tried to catch her arm.
Don't touch me p she cried, jump
ing away with her hand in her BLOUSE.
"You little vixen" he exclaimed with
an oath, what have you got therea
But he halted at her gesture, and Man
painting stood her ground.
Keep awayp' she cried.
Where did you get that knife?T
Numbered Gale.
From one who showed me.ahpza
use 1t on a coward n SN8
He affected amusement and tried To
pass the incident off as 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 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 neve& 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 il
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