Weekly Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1919-1920, 1919-04-02


things in this abominably written
over-morbid story, adds some poor
pleasure of consolation.
we have never been able to get
the exact details We have only the
strange little morselS of gossip which
, are bound to drift back to Il little
country town To be tossed TO and fro
! dcliciously over family tcacups. And
combining these with the story which
Dick Robinson told Judge Farmer
one night down at the Bankers Club
in New York, we can collect Il pretty
fair amount of evidence upon which
to build the tragedy.
On a certain rainy Octobe. night
in Il far western city, madame Zola"
the rear of the theater through to
the walk to her hanson. The light
/ from over the stage door fell aslant
Il hallway opening into cheap rooming
house across the alley. She was IL
bout to pass this hallway when u
burly figure turned in from the side
walk and passed her. Something in
his walk arrested her. She stopped
there in the foggy drizzlc and step
ped back involuntarly. As she did
so, the burly man raised his head.
The woman's body went cold i'll
over. She gasped Il fearful word.
The man halted and pecrcd at her.
"HERBERTw she whispered.
Coincidence? Perhaps so! But
there are comedies in the lives of all
of US so tremendous as to sulpass
all the fiction storicd on Serred IL
brary shelves and leave them barren
of that very element in which they
seem to abound.
He was big and rough and unshav-
en- and Enthusiastically drunken.
He swaycd unsteady there in the
mist and the light over the stage door
she had just quilted made an auliolc
of ilTidescent color above his batter
cd derby hat.
But he seemed to come to himself
as she spoke his name in that awful
voice resulting from the terrific shock
of her surprise.
"Who's calm ME Herbert? Me?
Huh! Amt heard that name for
years and years, ANTI"
They faced each other there in the
dripping semi-dalk, she rich, cultur-
ed, seemingly patrician to her finger
tips in the harness of her staGo-dress;
he slovernly, brokcn-down, just an
odd fish cast up from the great sea
of derelict city-lifc.
"Youw he cried. "You! You!
You"
She did not know what to say.
Strength and voice apparently had
deserted her.
"What are you dom here" he de-
mandcd ominously. "Ain't you done
me nough damage already without
folowin' me here? Tell me that?
Amt you?" /
az ! haven't followed
you here, you fool" she managed to
gasp at last. "Where have YOU
been? Where did you go to? It's
YOU that needs calling to account.
You deserted me, left me pcnnl-
less. If hadn't been clever might
have starvcd!'
"You say that, after what you
done to me and my money! If you
hadn't been clever YOU might have
starved. Clever! Clever! Yes, you
WAS clever! You was damned
clever! YOU CHEAT, YOU! You
chcatw
"Stop it, you fool! Don't you
know you'll wake the whole city and
start q scandal? Lower your voice
[ tell you.'
lie supported himself with one
land against some old iron pipes pill
ed against the nearby brick wall of
he theater. He was weak and wat.
co, with the tremendous surprise If
hat meeting but with a far different
Kind Of surprise. He was trying to
collect his dazed senses. And some
hing was getting away from him.
lie was losing control of the great
,rute animal within him which drink
md abuse Of the years had nulturcd.
Before him he fancied he was sec;rG
he cause of all his lifc's misery.
Md the devil was over his shoulder,
cushing him on.
Zine lady, amt you? Fine, fine
ady! Them gee-gaws and every
hing-fne, fine lady! What man paid
or 'em, you w" and he said a
,ord that struck the woman as a
low across her mouth.
She backed away and went white ,
0 the lips. ,
"You call me that, you vagrant! d,
GU gutter-snipc!-you, you bum" :
he screamed, forgetting her own adj =,
,onition of a moment before.
eyes, me call you that" he re- q
orted. "Mc call you that! Me call :
GU that! And why shouldn't Il" :
nd his voice was like the roar of G
bull. :,
"No man paid for them" she re- !,
,rted in deadly voice. "1'm paying =
" own way, with my voice, :,
and no thanks to dirty ',
rect loafer fit only for the gutter!" q
"And who sent me to the gutter" ~
. cried wildly, choking on his words. :,
nd again he repeated the imprinted !,
ord. "Who sent me to the gutter? ',