The Adair County news., 1921-09-27

emnly beautiful profile. He could
hardly believe that he had heard cor
rectly. He knew she loved him. She
had told him that she loved him. Then
why wouldn't she marry him? He
tried to reason it out, and the attempt
made his brain ache; he was unable
to reason. He knew only that she was
all of the future to him, all of the
world to him, and-that she had re-
fused to marry him.
When they were within two miles
of home, Dale went suddenly white
and caught her almost rudely by q
wrist.
'1s it Jimmy FayneT' he demanded
hOtly.
She gave him a reproachful glance
and said nothing. He flung her hand
from him angrily.
Dale did not speak again until they
had entered the broad valley that was
home to him. Somehow he felt limp
now. The great wave of anger had
passed.
81 guess you are too good for me-"
he said. There was weakness In his
voice, and it was the first weakness
she had ever known in him.
"Will you always think Of me as
the finest and most beautiful woman
in the worldr' she asked.
always"
"Its the best can hope for" mur-
INJURED Elizabeth.
"What do you meanT
ITS the best can hope for" Eliza
beth repeated as though she were talk
ing to herself.
They rode on in silence.
There was no sleep for Bill Dale that
night. The sweetness of his liberty
had all been taken away by Babe Lit
tleford's refusal to marry him. He
became bitter toward her again. She
had been exceedingly unfair to him:
while she really loved him, she was
going to marry Jimmy Fayne because
he had so much money. She was uD-
grateful to him: it was through him
that she was being educated, being
llLlCu Oul VI nCI uuNOull
ate self and set on higher social and
intellectual plane. All he had ever
heard Of the So-called unfathOmable
mystery of womankind he now be-
lieved, and more. All this, Of course,
was unworthy. But Bill Dale was in
tensely human, and to be human Is
to be unworthy.
1t turned cold that night. A little
before noon Of the next day, By Heck
stepped into the MOreland Coal COM
pany's Office.
Dale looked wearily up from his HI
tered desk.
81 am very much obliged to you for
shooting Adam Ball, By"
ITS HI, Bill, amt it?'
"WhatT"
Heck leaned over and rested his
knotty hands on the muzzle of the in
evitable rife.
whatever it is you're a-grievin'
about, o. course Babe LittlefOrd she
went back to yOre home town this
mOrnin', Bill. Sort O. quare, 1 thought,
at you never went with her over to-
the switch. Sort O. quare, too, AT
she never rid over on the little ingyne
instid O. walkin' But mebbe she was
afeard O. gittin' her fine city clO'es all
smutted up. Say. Bill, old boy,
wisht I may drap dead in my tracks
eff you don't look like a ID COrpst,
igOd. 1t haf TO be HI, or YOU
wouldn't grieve about il. 'Smatter?
Babe?"
Dale rose and glared at BY Heck.
I'm going to have the truth, BY !;
now get that. Did you. or did you not,
kill Adam Ball to save mc?''
BY Heck realized that he would have
to be very cunning if he evaded the
question now. Bill Dale, his god
would not be put off longer.
So BY Heck answered: 81 wfSht Z
may drap dead this minute and turn
into a CrOss-eyed mink with green
tail and pink eyes; I wisht the devil
may take me and spend ten thousand
etarnities a-sticking' red-hOt, pepper
coated pitchfOrks in me ana not let
me have any tObacker; I wisht may
be struck blind and deef ana dumb
and paralyzed and ha' my tongue cut
out and my ears and tOe-Rails tore
off-ef l killed Adam Ball to save you
or anybody else"
And then. having answered, he fay-
ored Dale with an odd look, took up
his rife and strobe out Of the office
humming:
when 1 die, don't bury me deep
Put no tombstone at my head and feet
Put a bears Jawbone in my right
hand"
'But he's the biggest liar in the
state" muttered Dale, turning back
to his desk.
He closed his desk, and he didn't
work any more that day. Babe Little
ford had gone without even bothering
to tell him gOOd-byel
TO BE CONTINUED