Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1917-03-01
CHAPTER XIII.
A Girl Like Her.

lamp on the table There had been
more than one moment in those forty
eight hours which had elapsed since he
had lifted that black robed. inert fig
ure from the floor in which Steve had
wondered whether Garry Devereau
would even await his return to Thirty
Mile
Save for a short and casual "See you
in the morning" Stephen O'Nlara turn
ed without a word that night to leave
the improvised sleeping quarters in the
storehOuse shack.
He looked at Garry nodding drowsily
on a bunk and then at Fat Joe seated
near him. Their eyes held for mo-
ment before Steve turned again toward
the door. And perhaps his manner
was a little too unconcerned that even
ing, little too carefully careless, for
almost before he had lifted the latch
Fat Joe stepped forward one quick.
protesting step and then stopped On
second thought.
"Y0u amt goin' - be began, and
suffered that spoken protest also to re-
main uncompleted.
ITS not late" Steve's voice was
thoughtful. Its not late, but it's sure
" very quiet" He stood gazing out
into the gloom. "HIaybe I'd best run
down and see what ails our visitor Of
the other night Somehow the more
I've thought about it the more I've
come to fear that be is tcmperamentaI,
Joe. too temperamental for such
wearing proposition as this one is like
" to be- And you haven't slept much
since I've been gone. Oh, that was
easy, just from your eyes. SO you'd
better turn in I'll just stroll down and
let them know that I'm back home"
1t is odd how much of fnality there
can be in the Quietest of statements.
Ewes narrowed, Joe stood in the middle
Of the floor and watched him depart
without further objection. But the
moment the blackness had swallowed
him up he backed to the bunk, fun
bled for a gun which Steve had tossed
upon the blankets and followed out
into the dark,
Stephen O'Mara stood a long time
outside the door of the Workmen's
hunlIhOuse that night, fingers upon the
latch, before he made any move to
enter But neither a wish to caves
drop nor desire to frame experiment
tally the words he meant to speak was
the reason behind that pause. 1t was
in itself q new thing to find the long,
low building lighted at that hour, even
though. as he had himself put it to
Joe an instant before it was hours
from being late. That night the al
most absolute silence beyond the closed
door was an even more unusual state
of affairs The voice Of one man only
was audible, the words he spoke in
distinguishaDle altogether. But sud
den bursts of laughter, punctuatinG the
recital which he could not clearly fOl-
low, were indication enough TO the
man outside of what manner or tale
was holding the ears Of that roomtul
of riyermeI. Stephen OMara, who
had long ceased to wonder at the dis
coyery in them of new and impulSlVe
finenesses which bOrdered close upon
inherent nobility, knew fully as well
how utterably and unspeakably gross
could be the premeditated coarseness
of those same men.
There was no movement to mark his
entrance when he finally pressed the
latch and swung the door open, not
so much as a single glance to Indicate
that his presence was noted. Under
the yellow light Of Pickering oil lamps
the eyes Of all those scores of gaudy
shirted figures lounging against the
walls were fixed eagerly upon the face
of him who held the middle Of their
stage-him who talked from where he
half lay, prOpped on one elbow, in his
bunk at the end of the room. Harrl-
gan, red shirted, red headed, was
lounging at ease, waiting for the last
gurgle of appreciation to subside be-
fore he gave them the close Of the
story, the last titbit, the SAVIOR of
which already had set him noisily to
licking his lips And in the doorway
Steve, rigid Of a sudden, sensed what
that climax was to be.
"Her ramsay inside"-the droning-
ly indistinguishab words were very
plain nOw-"her ramsay inside, con-
soomed with pride and anticipation,
tellin' all who had come to dance that
she had pr-romised to be his FOREVER
more. And her at that same minute
outside with him, and both av thim"-
Harrigan did not hurry it in the tell
ing. And if his portrayal Of Archi-
bald WickerSham was unmistakably
deliberate, neither did he fail for want
of sufficient detail to make the other
picture clear Nilely he gave them the
complete imagery of his vile brain.
4 shout went up. a louder, hOarser
cutlery of applause which rocked the
room. And then that rigid figure in
the doorway had started forward Be
tween those lanes of suddenly silent
men Steve passed in silence, to stand
before him who had achieved his eli
max breath before And at his com
inc Harrigan slid from the bunk, start
ed to reach within the blanket pack at