Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-07-12
Cnoynshs ex GbsA scribnsr's Sons

* O2NN020y20X2X2
Copyyight by Ebss. 5cribnar's Sons
FlInging the bride reins over the
head Of the1wiry little cow-pony which
was thus left free to crop the short,
sweet grass Of the creek valley. the
young woman led the man to the house
bench and made him sit down.
'sYou are frightfully anxious to 60
and commit suicide. aren't your she
teased. sitting beside him. EVERY time
como It's always the same thing
When can I Eor You're not well
yet"
ERIN well enough to do what I've
i got to do, Corona; and until It's done.
Besides. there IL Jibbey."
'swhere Is Mr.. JIbbey this morningf'
..He has gone up the creek. nshing.
l made him 60. Il ! didnttake club
( to him now and then he'd hang over
me: all the time. There never was
another man, ike him. Corona. And
at home we used 70 call him the black
sheep and The failure and cross the
street to dodge him when he'd been
drinking too much r.
'He says you've made man of
him; that you saved his life when you
had every reason not to. You never
told me that, John"
mo; I didn't mean to Stell anyone.
But to think Of his coming out here
to nurse me. leaving sYerda on the
night he married herl A brother Of
my own blood wouldn't have done IT.
The young woman was looking up
with shrewd little smile. Maybe
the blood brother would do even that,
If you had just made It possible for
: him to, marry the girl he'd set his
heart ON. John"
"PimeT growled the man. And
then: Hasn't the time come when
you can tell me . little more about
what happened to me after the doctor
put me to sleep that night at the
damf
Eyes. The only reason you haven't
been told was because we didn't want
you to worry; we wanted you to have
chance to get well and strong again"
The mans eyes filed suddenly, and
he took no shame.s He was still shaky
enough in nerve and muscle to e1-
cuse 1t. NOBODY ever mad such
friends, Corona" he said. ''You an
knew I'd have to 90 back to Lawrence
vile and fight It ont. and you didn't
want me to go handicapped and half
dead. But how did they come to let
you take me away I've known Mac
auley ever since was in -knickers. he
ID not the man to take any chances"
The young wonAn's laugh was
ssoundIeSa. .IErs s Eacauley wasn't
asked. He thinks you are dead she
said. ~.
sWhatl'' z a
sits 80. You wers NOT the only one
wounded In the fight at the dam.
There were two others two Of
MGraw's men. Three days later, Just
as colonel-daddy and Billy Starbuck
were getting ready to steal you away,
one OF the others died. In some way
the report got ont that you were the
one who died, and that made every
thing quite easy. The report has never
been contradicted. and when Mr..
Macauley reached Brewster the police
people told him that he was too late"
.4Good heayensi Does everybody In
Brewster think I'm dead q
Nearly everybody. But you needn't
look 20 hornHsd. You're not dead,
\ you know; and there were no obitu-
aries In the newspapers. or anything
like tina" 81.
The man got upon his feet rather
unstsadily.
srhat's the limit" he said dehni-
lively. TIN . man now, Corona; too
much Of Z man. I hope. to hide behind
aaotke. mars S->Se Tn going back
to Brswster, todayi"
The young woman made q quaint
little grimace at him '.How are you
going to get there7" she asked. TITS
twenty miles, and the, walking Is aw-
fully Sbad-in spots."
..But i must 60. Can't you see
what everybody viii say Of me7-that
4 was too cowardly to face the music
when my time camel Nobody will be-
slieye that I wasn't consenting party
to this hide-away r.
"Sit down." she commanded calmly;
and When he obeyed: "From day to
day since began coming out here.
John, I've been trying to rediscover
the man whom I met Just once, one
evening over year ago, at Cousin
Adda's house IN Guthrieyills: I can't
and him he's gone"
'Coronair no said. '-Then y0u rec
.ognixed mer
.Not It frSt. But after while
things began to como back; and Whist
youS told meabout Miss HIGHLANDER,
you know, and the hint you gave me
Of your trouble did the rest"
Is ''Then you khewor you thought
/ was a. criminalr'
She nodded. and her gaze was rest
Ing upon the nearby gravel heaps.
sCousin Adda wrote me. But that
made no difference. I didn't know
whether you had done the things they
said you had, or not. What did
know was that you had broken your
shacklss IN some way and we're try
ine 70 get, free You were, weren't
vuuf .sls y n 81 -