The L'Anse sentinel., 1919-05-30
Copyright, BoHbs-Merriii Company

quarry between Los Angeles and Tue
son requisitioned for 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 sllk-tapered queue.
"Well, Lingf"
'I go tamale." His voice was soft
as silk. II no stay"
It was a thunderclap. There was
no one to replace Ling, who was
drawing down the salary Of 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~ Rickard woke up.
"She all time makee trouble. She
c!azy. She think woman vellee fine
cook. She show Ling cookee plunes.
Teachee Ling cookee plunesl ! no
stay that woman" Unutterable final
ity in the leathern face. Rickard and
MacLean, Jr., exchanged glances
which deepened from concern into
perplexity. They could not afford to
lose Ling. And offend Mrs. Hardin.
the camp already Hardinesque?
Rickard grew placating. He spent
half hour wheedling. They met at
the starting place. Ling go tamale."
"Oh, Lord" groaned the manager,
capitulating. "All right, Ling"
With the dignity Of an oriental
prince, Ling pattered out Of the tent,
1,ickard 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 minutel She'll be as mad as q
wet henl"
Mrs. Hardin, from her bed by heI
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 hel
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 chafing dish. Ht
had not time for tea, he declared, but
she insisted on making this call of @
social nature. She opened box OF
sugar waters, her zeal that of q child
with a toy kitchen; she was playing
dolls house.
| Richard made several openings fol
his errand, but her wits sped like
n 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 i
all right, that you will not be Of
Tended"
"offendedw Her face showed
alarm.
/ "It's about Ling. He's queer fel
How; they all are, you know HI
was blundering like schoolboy un
der the growing shadow In Gerty'.
blue eyes. "They resent authority
that is, from women. He is q tyrant
Ling is"
"Yesr All, she would not help him
Let him founder!
"He wants to be let alone; HI
doesn't appreciate your kind help
Mrs. Hardin"
"Ohp Her eyes were hot will
tears-angry tears. She could no
speak or would not. She sat in hel
spoiled dolls house. all her pleasure
in her toy dishes, her pretty flnery
ruined. He could not care IL he coult
humiliate her so. 1t was the mos
vivid moment of her life. Not ever
when Richard had left her, with his
kisses still warm on her lips. had she
felt so outraged. He was treating heI
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 lifei
She remembered the woman she had
seen In his ramada; she had heard
that the Mexican was In camp, EN-
ployed by Rickarj. Her thoughts were
like swarmlng hornets.
Hes an ungrnteful beast, Mrs
Hardin. / told him would not lei
you waste your kindness one instant
longer"
oh, she understood A bitter pleas
ure to see him so cont1sed. Rickard
before whose superior apprnisement
she had so often wiltedi She would
not help him out, neverl She. rose
when he paused. He thanked her fol-
meeting him hnlf way, and her smile
was inscrutable.
$50 I'm dischargedr'
"You can't be discharged II you've