The Washington herald., 1920-09-10
=: - =: By O. HENRY

the girl he does 'em for. That
was a man in hundred. He
stopped eating just to please me.
Id be hard hearted and migrate
full IL | didn't feel kindly toward
him. Could you do what he did,
- know says I. seeing the
point. I'm condemned. can't
help it. The brand of the con
sumner is upon my brow. Mrs.
Eve settled that business for me
when she made the dicker with
the snake. l fell from the fire
into the frying pan. ] guess I'm
the Champion Feaster OF the Uni
verse spoke humble. and
Name Modified herself a little.
Ed Collar and are good
friends she said. the same as
me and you. I gave him the same
answer l did you-no marrying
for me. l liked to be with Ed
and talk to him. There was some
thing mighty pleasant to me in
who never used knife and fork.
and all for my sake.
Wasn't you in love with him -
l asks. all injudicious. Wasn't
there deal on for you 10 be
come Mrs. Curiosity
All OF US do IL sometimes. All
of us get jostled out OF the line
of profitable talk now and then.
Name put on that little lemon
glsce smile that runs between
ice and sugar. and says. much
MI
credentials for asking that ques-
tion. Mr.. Peters. Suppose YOU do
forty nine day fast. just to give
you ground to stand on. and then
maybe I'll answer it
so. even after Collier was kid
naped out of the way by the re
volt of his appetite, my own pros
poets with Name didn't seem to
be improved. And then business
played out in Guthrie.
Il had stayed too long there.
The Brazilians had sold com
menced to show signs of wear.
and the Kinder refused to light
up right frequent on wet morn
lngs. There is always a time. in
my business. when the star of
success says, Move on to the next
town l was travelling by wagon
at that time so as not to miss
any of the small towns: so ]
hitched up a few days later and
went down to tell Name good
by. l wasn't abandoning the
game; l intended running over
to Oklahoma City and working
il for week or two. Then
was coming back to institute
fresh proceedings against Name.
What DO / find at the Dugans'
but Name all conspicuous in a
blue travelling dress. with her lit
tie trunk at the door. It seems
that sister Lottie Bell. who is a
typewriter in Tcrre Haute. is going
to be married next Thursday. and
Name is on for a weeks visit to
be an aCCompliCe at the Cere-
mony. Name is waiting for a
freight wagon that is going to
take her to Oklahoma. but | con-
dcmns the freight wagon with
promptness and sCorn, and offers
to deliver the goods myself. Ma
as Mr.. Freighter wants pay for
Name and | pull out in my light
spring wagon with white canvas
cover, and head due south.
That morning was of a praise
worthy sort. The breeze was
lively, and smelled excellent of
flowers and grass. and the little
COttontail rabbits entertained
themselves with skylsrking across
the road. My two Kentucky bays
went for the horizon until it come
sailing in so that you wanted to
dodge it like a clotheslinc. Name
was full of talk and ratified on
like kid about her old. home and
her school pranks and the things
she liked and the hateful ways
of those Johnson girls just across
the street, way up in Indiana.
Not a word was said about Ell
Collier or victuals or such SOL
emn subjects. About noon Name
looks and finds that the lunch she
had put up in a basket had been
left behind. could have man
aged quite coalition. but Name
didn't seem to be grieving over
nothing to eat, so | made no
lamentations. 1t was sore sub
ject with me, and l ruled proven
der in all its branches out Of my
conversation.
L am minded to touch light on
explanations how l came to lose
the way. The road was dim and
well grown with grass land there
was Name by my side confiscat-
ing my intellects and attention.
The excuses are good or they are
not. as they may appear to you.
But l lost it, and at dusk that
afternoon, when we should have
been in Oklohoma City, We were
seesawing along the edge of no.
where in some undiscovered river
bottom and the rain was falling
in large wet bunches Down there
in the swamps we saw a little log
house on small knoll of hign
ground. The bottom grass and
the chspsrrai and the lonesome
timber-crowded all around II. It
seemed TO be a melancholy little
house, and YOU felt sorry for il. I
explained to Name. and she leaves
it to me to decide. She doesn't
become salvanic and prosecuting,