St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1921-12-17


dreadful muddle.'
How much do you know about the
muddle?" / asked.
81 know that old Mr.. Dudley let,
or partly let, contract for the DRAM
inc of the mine, to man who was
almost total stranger to him.
saw how it was. Fullerton, always
reader to talk than stuck pig is to
bleed, had been giving her his own
version Of things. But let that part
Of it go.
"Grandfather Jasper was laboring
for the good Of my soul. He knew his
medium as the artists say. lie
wanted to make me understanding
that nobody else has ever been able
to do"
Don't you like to work?'
"Why-e-e, l guess I'm like other folk
in that respect. don't mind working
if I can pick my job-and my COM
pany. I've been having bully good
time hammering around this old bunch
of junk with your father. Or L was
having one until Satan came Also"
Meaning Mr.. Bullerton?'
"Quite so; meaning Mr.. Fullerton,
christened Charles
"Ought I to stay here and listen II
you're going to say things about him"
"Not if you are going to marry him,
you shouldn't"
"Well, why shouldn't I marry him
| If l want to? Hasn't he plenty OF
| money? And haven't 1 told you that
I'd marry for money!"
''Humph!" said l; when you talk
| that way you are saying out loud just
what Lisette says to herself-only you
don't mean it and she does. But tell
me how did you get permission to
come over here and talk with met"
"Whose permission-Daddys?'
''No; Bullerton's, of course"
| 81 don't have to ask it-yet."
"Not yet, but soon,' grinned. "All
things come to him-or her-Who
waits Just the same, you shouldn't
have come. It's cruelty to animals.
| After a man has Travelled thousands of
miles to sit at the feet OF the one girl
In the universe only to find himself
elbowed by a brown-whiskered jeet-"
"Hush!' she chided. "Can't you
! ever be serious? You are not sitting
at anyhodys feet. What are you go
| ing to do about the miner" :
| "Bullerton offered to unwater the
j Cinnabar If I'd deed him a bit more
than half interest-and possibly he'd
! still be willing to do that, which would
mean that he'd form a stock company
and freeze me out completely when
he got good and ready"
"And what is the other way?'
"He offers to buy the mine outright,
Just as it stands, for fifty thousand
dollars
"But your grandfather paid nearly
half a million for it, didn't he?"
Gwen SO. But, you see, in the pres
ent scrap Pm the under dog. The man
you are going to marry has none of the
| nice little scruples in a business trans
action-if you'll permit me to go that
far. He even threatens to turn me
over to the authorities for stealing
that inspection car and getting it
smashed"
"Oh, | don't believe he'd do that !"
she deprecated.
cit. is perfectly right and proper
that you shouldn't think so-in the
circumstances. Just the same, you'll
pardon me if I say that Tn swearing
continuously and prayerfully at the
circumstances"
"You don't want me to marry money
and have good clothes and all the other
nice things, and travel and see the
world, and all that?"
"No, by Jove I want you to marry
me-"
| Her laugh was just a funny little
gurgle.
"Bluebeard!" she said, just like
that. "And you haven't even killed
Miss Randle yet! Thank you, ever so
much but I don't want to be one of
several. Besides, you haven't any
money
Talk Of impasses and impossible sit.
uations! What could man say, OF
hope to say, to such girl as that!
ibid you come over here just to
torment me?" l rasped.
"Woof!" she shivered, "here comes
the bear again. and then, right smash
out of a clear sky: kiss me-jusi
once, Stannie- bear"
Did I? She was gasping bit when
she got up rather unsteadily to &C
back to the cabin across the dump
head and wouldn't stay another min
ute, though I begged and pleaded with
her.
"No, indeed, Bluebeard man." she
said with that queer little gurgle OF q
laugh. 'I-I think have found out
what I wanted to. Goodby." AND
then, after l thought she was clean
gone, she turned back to say, airily
"Oh, yes; had almost forgotten what
came over here to tell you. You
mustn't sell the Cinnabar, Stannie; not
for any price that anybody might Offer
you Goodby, again."
Can you beat it? When the good
Lord made women He doubtless .had
many patterns; but I do believe the
mold was broken and thrown away
after this Jeanne girl had been fash
Toned. For solid hour or more sal
on that slab bench at the shafthouse
door in sort of bewildered daze, won
dering if had been asleep and dream