The Pulaskian., 1919-05-16

ooh 1equlSlLlOned Tor their undertake
ing.
A shadow fell on the pine desk.
Ling, in blue ticking shirt and white
butcher apron, waited for the ''boss''
to look up. He stood wiping the per-
spiration from his head, hairless ex-
cept for the long silk-tapered queue.
'Well, Lingp'
81 go tamale." His voice was soft
as silk. 81 no stay"
1t was a thunderclap. There was
no one to replace Ling, who was
drawing down the salary of a private
secretary. Lose Ling? 1t would be
more demoralizing to the camp than
to lose an engineer.
money all lite. Bossee all lite. No
likee woman. Woman she stay, Ling
CO."
"Mrs. Hardin! !" Richard woke ND.
"She all time makee trouble. She
Clay. She think woman vellee fine
cook. She show Ling cookee plunes.
Teachee Ling cookee plunes! I no
stay that woman" Unutterable final
ity in the leathern face. Richard and
MacLean, Jr., exchanged chances
which deepened from concern into
perplexity. They could not afford to
lose Ling. And offend Mrs. Hardin,
the camp already Hardinesque?
Richard grew placating. He spent
half hour wheedling. They met at
the starting place. Ling go tamale."
"Oh, Lord" groaned the manager,
captivating. Cali right, Ling"
With the dignity of an oriental
prince, Ling battered out of the tent,
Richard was puckering his lips at his
secretary. I'D rather take castor
OIL"
A half hour later, MacLean saw his
chief leave his tent. He was in fresh
linens.
II wouldn't swap places with him
this minute! She'll be as mad as a
wet hen! I"
Mrs. Hardin, from her bed by her
screen window, saw him coming. She
slipped into a seminegligee Of alter
nate rows of lace and swiss construct
ed for such possible emergencies. She
did not make the mistake of smooth
ing her hair; her instinct told her
that the fluffy disorder bore out the
use of the negligee. She was sew
ing in her ramada when Richards
knock sounded on the screen door.
Despite his protests she started wa
ter boiling in her chatting dish. He
ho6 ut frv Int
she insisted on making this call of
social nature. She opened q box of
sugar waters, her zeal that of a child
with toy kitchen; she was playing
dolls house.
Richard made several openings for
his errand, but her wits sped like
gopher from his labored digging.
She met his mood with womanly dig
nifty; she tutored her coquetries, with
held her archness.
He found he would have to discard
diplomacy, blurt out his message; use
bludgeons for this scampering agility.
MY mission is little awkward,
Mrs. Hardin. I hope you will take it
all right, that you will not be Of
Tended"
"offendedw Her face showed
alarm.
'It's about Ling. He's a queer fell
low; they all are, you know" He
was laundering like a schoolboy I'M
der the growing shadow in Gerty's
blue eyes. "They resent authority
that is, from women. He is a tyrant,
Ling is"
"Yes?" All, she would not help him.
Let him founder!
HE wants to be let alone; he
doesn't appreciate your kind help,
Mrs. Hardin"
"Oh!" Her eyes were hot with
tears-angry tears. She could not
speak or would not. She sat in her
spoiled dolls house. all her pleasure
in her toy dishes, her pretty finery,
ruined. He could not care if he could
humiliate her so. 1t was the most
vivid moment of her life. Not even
when Richard had left her, with his
kisses still warm on her lips, had she
felt so outraged. He was treating her
as though she were a servant-dis-
charging her-because she was the
wife of Hardin. Her eyes grew black
with anger; she hated them both; be-
tween them, their jealousy, their ri
valry, what had they made of her life?
She remembered the woman she had
seen in his ramada; she had heard
that the Mexican was in camp, en-
ployed by Richard. Her thoughts were
like swarming hornets.
Hes an ungrateful beast, Mrs.
Hardin. / told him | would not let
YOU waste your kindness one instant
longer"
oh, she understood! A bitter pleas
IRE to see him so confused. Richard.
before whose superior appraisement
she had so often wilted! She would
- ~, hin, mt neverl She rose