The Raymer enterprise., 1919-08-28

Soh Ac4uioitioueu AOS tueiE uuuci La
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 bis head, hairless ex.
cept for the long silk-tapered queue.
swell. Llngl"
II go tamale." His voice was soft
as silk. II no stay"
1t was a thunderclap. There was
no one to replace Ling. who was
drawing down the salary Of q private
secretary. Lose Lingl It would be
more demorallzing to the camp than
to lose an engineer.
Money all lite. Bossee all lite. No
llkee woman. Woman she stay, Ling
CO."
Mrs. Hardint" Richard woke up.
"She all time makee trouble. She
Clay. She think woman vellee fine
cook. She show Ling cookee plunes.
Teachee Ling cookie plunes! / no
stay that woman" Unutterable final
ity in the leathern face. Richard 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 HardInesquei
Richard grew placatlng. He spent
half hour wheedling. 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. 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 a. q
wet hen!"
Mrs. Hardin, from her bed by her
screen window. saw him coming. She
slipped Into a semlnegllgee 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 negllgee. 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
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 a child
with toy kitchen; she was playing
dolls house.
Richard made several openings for
his errand. but her wits sped like
a gopher from his labored digging.
She met bis 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. hope you will take II
all right, that you will not be Of
Tended"
"offendedT Her face showed
alarm.
TITS about Ling. He's a queer fell
low: they all are, you know" He
was laundering like 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 flounderl
"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 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 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 vas In camp, en-
ployed by Richard. Her thoughts were
like swarmlDg hornets.
Ties an ungrnteful beast, Mrs.
Hardin. l told him I would not let
you waste your Kindness one instant
longer"
Oh, she understood! A bitter pleas
ure to see him SO confused Richard.
before whose superior appraisement
she had so often wiltedl 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.
80 I'm dischargedr'
you can't be- discharged II you've