The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-07-04

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proach from you"
81 don't care to discuss 1t at all"
she flared up. 1--WE heard nothing
else all day but this miserable mining
business and your rufiianly method Of
settling dispute. I'd rather not talk
about It,"
"But we must talk about II" he per-
sisted patiently. "You can't get to the
bottom of anything without more or
less talk"
"Talk to Yourself, then," she retort-
ed ungraclously. And with that she
ran out Of the room.
But she had forgotten or underestl-
mated the catllke quickness of her
man. He caught her in the doorway,
and the grip of his fingers on her arm
brought cry of pain.
"Forgive me. l didn't mean to
hurt" he said cOntritely. "Be good
girl, Hazel, and let's get our feet on
earth again. Sit down and put your
arm around my neck and be my pal,
like you used to be. We've got no
business nursing any crime. I've only
stood for a square deal. Come on
bury the hatchet, little person."
LET me CO." she sobbed struggling
to be free. IL h-hate your
"Please, little person. l can't eat
humble pie more than once or twice"
Let me 60" she painted. 81 don't
want you to touch me-"
Listen to me-" he said sternly.
'Tve stood about all of your nonsense
I'm able to stand. I've had to fight a
pack of business wolves to keep them
from picking my carcass, apd, what's
more important to me, to keep them
from handing raw deal to five men
who wallOwed through snow and frost
and all kinds of hardship to make
these sharks fortune. I've got down
to their level and fought them with
their own weapons-and the thing is
settled. l said last night I'd be
through here inside week. I'm
through nOw-through here. | have
business in the Klappan; to complete
this thing I've set my hand to. Then
I'm going to the ranch and try to get
the bad taste out of my mouth. I'm |
going tomorrow. I've no desire or in
tention to coerce you. You're my wife, |
and your place is with me, if you care
anything about me. And want you. |
You know that, don't you? wouldn'.
be begging you like this if | didn't. |
l haven't changed, nor had my eyes
dazzled by any false gods. But it's
up to you. l don't bluff. I'm going,
and If / have TO go without you I |
won't come back. Think 1t over, and |
just ask yourself honestly if it's worth |
while"
He drew her up close to him and |
kissed her on one anger-flushed cheek,
and then, as he had done the night be-
fore, walked straight away to the bed
room and closed the door behind him.
Hazel slept little that night. A hor-
rid weight seemed to rest suffOcating-
ly upon her. More than once she had |
an impulse to creep in there where
Bill lay and forget it all in the sweep |
Of that strong arm. But she choked
back the impulse angrily. She would
not forgive him. He had made her
suffer. For his igh-handedness she
would make him suffer In kind. At
least, she would not crawl to him beg
ging forgiveness.
When sunrise laid yellow beam,
all full OF dancing notes, across her
bed, she heard Bill stir, heard him
moving about the apartment with rest
less steps. After time she also
heard the unmlstakable sound of
trunk lid thrown back, and the move
ments of him as he gathered his
clothes-so she surmised But she did
not rise till the maid raped on her
door with the eight o'clock salutation:
Breakfast, ma'am."
They made a pretense of eating.
Hazel sought chair in the living
room. A book lay open in her lap,
But the print ran into blurred lines.
She could not follow the sense of the
words. An incessant turmoil of
thought harassed her. Bill passed
through the room once or twice. De-
terminedly she ignored him. The final
snap of the lock on his trunk came
to her at last, the humping sounds Of
its passage to the hall. Then a burly
eXpressman shouldered it into his
wagon and drove ownv
A few minutes after that Bill came
in and took seat facing her.
What are you going to do, Hazel"
he asked soberly.
Nothing" she curtly replied.
Are you going to sit down and fold
your hands and let our air castles come
tumbling about our ears, without max
ing the least effort to prevent?" he
continued gently. Seems to me that's
not like you at all. 1 never thought
you We're gutter"
"Im not quitter," she flung back
resentfully. 81 refuse to be brow.
beaten, that's all. There appears to
be only one choice-to follow you like
a lamb. And I'm not lamblike. I'd
say that you are the qultter. You
have stirred up all this trouble here
between us. Now you're running away
from it. That's how 1t looks to me.
Go on! / can get along"
II dare say you can," he comment
ed wearily. Most of us can muddle
along somehow, no matter what hap
pens. But it seems pity, little per-
son. We had all the chance in the
world. You've developed an abnormal
streak lately. If you'd just break