The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1919-04-25

Ing.
| Al shadow fell on the pine desk.
Ling, ia blue ticking shirt and white
butcher apron. waited for the boss
to look up. lie stood wiping the per-
SEPARATION from his head. hairless ex-
cepf for the long silS-tapered queue.
sWeil, Llng7'
II 40 tamnle.r Ills voice was soft
AZ silk. II no stay
II was thunderclap, There was
no one 10 replace Ling, who was
drawing down the salary OF private
secretary. Lose Ling7 1t would be
more dcmoralizIng 10 the camp than
to lose an engineer.
Money all lite Bossee all lite. No
likee woman. Woman she stay, Ling
90"
"Mrs. Hardinl' Richard woke up.
"She all time mnkee trouble. She
clazy. She think woman veIlee fine
cook. She show Ling cookee plunes.
Tenchee Ling cookee plunes! l no
stay that woman" Unutterable final
It's IN the leathern face. Rickard 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 Hardlnesque?
Richard grew placnting. lie spent
a half hour wheedllng. They met at
the starting place. Ling 90 tamale."
"oh, Lord" groaned the manager,
captivating. "All right, Ling"
With the dignity Of an oriental
prince, Ling battered out OF the tent,
Richard was pickering his lips at his
secretary. nd rather take castor
oil"
A half hour later, MaeLean saw his
chief leave his tent. He was In fresh
linens.
Il wouldn't swap places with him
this mlnuteI She'll be as mad as a
wet henl"
Mrs. Hardin. from her bed by her
screen window, saw him coming. She
slipped Into semlnegllgee OF alter
nnte 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 fuzzy disorder bore out the
use OF the negllgee. She was sew
Ing In her ramada when Richards
knock sounded on the screen door.
Despite his protests she started was
ter boiling In her chatting dish. He
had not time for ten, he declared, but
she Insisted on making this call Of Il
social nature. She opened box of
sugar waters, her zeal that Of child
with toy kitchen; she was playing
dolrs house.
4 Richard made several openings for
hts errand, but her wits sped like
q gopher from his labored digging.
She met his mood with womanly dig
nityi she tutored her coquetries, with
held her archness.
lie found he would have 10 discard
diplomacy. blurt out his message; use
hludgeons for this scampering agility.
MY mission Is little awkward,
! Mrs. Hardin. | hope you win take II
all right, that you win not be Of
Tended"
"orendedY Her face showed
alarm.
"Its about Ling. He's queer fell
low; they all are, you know" He
was laundering like a schoolboy un-
der the growing shadow In Gerty's
/ blue eyes. "They resent authority
that Is, from women. He Is tyraut,
Ling Is"
/ "Yesf" An. she would not help him.
Let him fiounderi
"He wants 20 be let alone. he
doesn't appreciate your kind help,
Mrs. Hardin"
@ohl' 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 ilnery.
ruined. He could not care II he could
humiliate her so. II 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 u seryant-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 llfe7
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,
aue's Rn uiA,roteful beast. Mrs.
Hardin. | told him would not let
You waste your Kindness one instant
longer"
! oh, she understood bitter pleas.
ure 70 see him 80 confused Richard,
before whose superior appralsement
she had 20 often wilted She would
not help him out, never She rose
when he paused. He thanked her for
meeting him half way. and her smile
was inscrutable.
$50 I'm dischargedT
cyan can't 10 dlgfbarVna IL Vniit I'VE