Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-05-07

Il
my own hands-and the skin off your
| face, too Get me? mean every
word of it, You're goin' to come down
| to where you belong this minute, and
| you're goln TO look the part, too, or
my name amt Inez. You've come the
| naughty over me for the last time.
| It's my innins now, and when I'm fin
ished with you everythin' II be per-
fectly even between you and Inez, for
| ever and eyer-a-men p
With trembling, awkward fingers
Priscilla began to pluck at the but
| tons of her blouse.
Inez retreated to the table, picked
| up the glass and ratified the ice mu-
sically within it.
Hurry, dear heart y
Priscilla removed coat and blouse
and stepped out of her skirt, then lift
ed her hands for the glass. Her tor
mentor warned her off.
"Wait-a-min-ute! You're forget
tin them rings"
Silently the girl stripped her fin
gers, dropping their jewels into the
greedy palm. Nothing mattered, so
that she earned that drink of water.
But yet once again was she put off.
Don't crowd me so! I might get
nervous and spill somethin'. :.
Climb into them clothes / brought you
first-and if I was you | wouldn't
waste no time, neither. Can't tell
when Harry or someone I'll bump in
here and catch you with nothin' on
but your pretties. And be thankful |
let you keep them :"
For an instant, indeed, the woman
seemed disposed to repent of that
generosity, cycling Priscillas under
garments of lace and filmy silk. In
fumbling haste Priscilla covered them
with the cheap and none too clean
cotton blouse, the shoddy and i'll
fashioned coat and skirt which Inez
had brought her.
AT long last she had her reward. At
first in frantic gulps, then more slowly
II with no less ayidity, she drained
the glass: while Inez at the bed
snatched up and packed under her
arm the spells of this her first victory
over her rival.
well, how about 1t, Nora? Feelin
chirpier?" she inquired with magma
nimity when Priscilla put down the
empty glass.
Il don't know" Priscilla's feet wove
uncertainty toward the bed. Too late
she was realizing that the glass had
held something more than mere water.
She sat down suddenly and began
again to nurse her head I'm ILL.,"
she murmured-"yery i'll. How did |
get here?"
Il guess maybe that's somethln'
you don't know" Inez laughed spite
fully. And l don't mind tellin':
Harry followed you down Fift avenue
safternoon and seen where you
stopped, up in McDougall alley. Then
he got Charlie and left him to watch
you while he 'phoned for the rest of
the bunch. When 1t got dark and
everythin was quiet, they picked the
lock, found you dom Rip van Win
kle that looked good for twenty year,
give you a shot of the hop to make
sure you wouldn't wake up at the
wrong time, and brought you down
here In taxi. That's your history up
to date. Cheer up: the worst Is yet
to come, And when it comes-grab
this from me--nnocent lii Inez Is
goin to have ringslde seat"
Il don't understand :"
The words were barely audible; but
the termagant heard. Her sneer dark
ened.
"Well, If you gotta know, the
bunch's outside maxim up their minds
what to do with you. | haven't got no
idear what they'll finely settle on, but
it'll be plenty, whatever it is. If 1t
was anybody else Id feel sorry for
them; but you"
Her laugh was harsh and ieering.
For sole response the cringing figure
on the bed suddenly sank in upon
itself, then over upon one side, where
1t lay Sprawling, inert, whites of eyes
showing under half closed lids.
Startled, the woman bent over Pris-
ella. But her breathing went on mo-
notonously. She had merely tainted.