Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1919-08-09

necessary to put on this hat, Of course,
but I did it simply to make the char
acter complete. I might just as well
make beds and clean washstands in a
picture hat as in low-necked gown, so
here I am"
She was a tall, pleasant-faced girl
Of twenty-three or four, not unlike her
father in many respects.
II am very sorry" he said lamely.
II have heard something of your mis-
fortunes from your father and--the
others. lists really hard luck"
81 call it rather good luck to have
got away with the only dress in the lot
that cost more than tuppence," she
said, smiling again. 'Lord knows what
would have happened to me if they
had dropped down on us at the end of
the first act. was the beggar's daugh-
ter, you see-absOlutely in rags. Glad
to have met you. I think you'll find
everything nearly all right. Good night,
sir"
She closed the door behind her,
leaving him standing in the middle of
the room, perplexed but amused
'sBy George" ne said to himself, still
staring at the closed door, ''they're
wonders, all of them. I wish 1 could
do something to help them out Of
He sat down abruptly on the edge of
the bed and pulled his wallet from his
pocket. He set about counting the
bills, a calculating frown in his eyes.
Then he stared at the ceiling, sum-
ming up. "Pll do it," he said, after a
moment of mental figuring. He told
off a half dozen bills and slipped them
into his pocket. The wallet sought its
usual resting place for the night: On
der a pillow.
He was healthy and he was tired.
Two minutes after his head touched
the pillow he was sound asleep.
he was aroused shortly after mid
night by shouts, apparently just out
side his window. A man was calling
in loud voice from the road below ;
an instant later he heard o tremendous
pounding on the tavern door.
Springing out Of. bed, ne rushed to
the window. There were horses in
front Of the house several of them
and men on foot moving like shadows
among them.
Turning from the window, he un-
locked and opened the door into the
hall. Some one was Gathering down
the narrow staircase. The bolts on
the front door shot back with resound-
ing force, and there came the hOarse
tumble Of excited voices as men crowd
ed through the entrance. Putnam
Jones' voice rose above the Glamour.
'Keep quiet! Do you want to wake
everybody on the placer" he was say
ing angrily. whats up? This is a
fine time o. night to be- Good Lord
WHAT'S the matter with him?"
Telephone for a doctor, Put-damn'
quickl This ones still alive. The
other one is dead as a door nail up at
Jim Conley's house. Git ole Doc
James down from Saint Liz. Bring
him in here, boys. Where's your light?
Easy nowI Bas-eer"
Barnes waited to hear no more. His
blood seemed to be running ice cold
as he retreated into the room and be-
gan scrambling for his clothes. The
thing he feared had come to pass. Dis
aster had overtaken her in that wild,
senseless dash up the mountain road.
He was cursing half aloud as he
dressed, cursing the fool who drove
that machine and who now was per.
haps dying down there in the taproOm.
''The other one is dead as a door nail, +"
kept running through his head-"the
other one"
A dozen men were in the taproom,
gathered around two tables that had
been drawn together. The men about