Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-07-24

just lost track.
THE first 1 heard of him in years
was when I got word that he'd gone
broke. l went to look him up. He
was down and out. But he wouldn't
take help. Leastways no more than
would set him up with ready cash
enough to start place for boarders
on the one ranch he hoped wouldn't
be foreclosed on him. bought it
up and made up my mind I'd deed
it back to him. Got that straight?"
Yes" 1 said. Il guess 1 got more
out of that than you told me-"
He went on without seeming to
hear. 1t was as if he were living
it all over again and trying 'to get
rid of what he saw quickly, in pung-
ent phrases and homely words that
reverted to his humble beginnings.
Then along comes my own trou-
BILE. Loretta, she's always been
kinda strange. And she gets queer.
The doctors say asylum. l says, no
Stree. And as l had to travel a lot,
I think now this is where 1 ask
Etienne to do me a service so big
that taking an ornery fruit-ranch
from his old pal will look like moth
ing. So I take her to Etienne and
his wife, and they promise to look
after her like she was their own.
didn't mean to ask more than
had a right to. 1 didn't mean to
put them out. You know that, don't
you, Anne?"
Yes, I know" 1 said.
We'll, Loretta, she got worse and
worse And this little girl Valerie,
coming up to her young ladyhood,
without the things she'd had as a
child-she takes care of her. Loretta
wasn't grateful. She was always
imagining the poor kid was making
sleeps eyes at me-old enough to
be her father. That poor kid, Civ
ing her young life to take care of
my poor crazy wife. Can you see
the injustice of it?''
l shook my head-filling in word
lessly the picture of Val going ruth
lessly after the richest and most
eligible man who had ever come
across her barren girlhood.
Loretta was always making up
fanciful tales of how little Val
taunted her and sneered at her.
Crazy-Loretta was. l could see
that the child just fetched and car
ried out of pity for my poor wife.
| The poor, pretty little thing seemed
like a daughter to me coming and
crying out her troubles on my shoul-
uSI IlIu6 anu lllIlS dBdlH. w ell,
once, when l got back from looking
over the piece of land where we
struck a gusher and made my big
haul, l noticed how pale little Val
is and tuckered out from taking care
of Loretta. So 1 tell her how it
worries me to be putting this blight
| on her youth. And the poor, little
thing breaks down and
He stopped, his face twisting in
agony and his breath coming fast,
as he lived it over as if it had hap
pened this very day.
Must you tell me this?" 1 asked
pityingly.
IF you're going to help fight this
Mason woman" he replied.
There was silence for a moment.
Then he continued-his words STUN
bling out jerkily:
I'm the only man little Val ever
! sees except fruit ranchers and sheep
| herders. She breaks down and tells
me even taking care of my sick wife
makes her happy-because it's-my
wife. What's a man to do? Here |
+ am with poor Loretta tied to me. And
this poor little girl thinking I'm all
she has to love in the world. What's
a man to do?"
What did you do?" 1 gasped,
shaken by the tragedy in his voice
To Be Continued