Pueblo chieftain., 1921-07-10

two walked down the narrow way.
picking their steps with caution. As
they passed an alley. a form darted
out. seized Janets arms. and danced
about in the darkness. II was a most
weird attack-could hardly have been
called an attack, in fact-more like the
antics of playful bear. Janet
screamed: Sid stood. dumbfounded
and agape: the cavorting figure ca
vorted. A. suddenly as he had grasped
her arms, the man dropped them and
darted back into the shadows OF the
alley with Sid. now aroused. in pur-
suit. The darkness. however. swal-
lowed the fleeing form and Sid came
back to the waiting girl. hreathless
from tho chase. He was very silent.
There's something funny about all
this, he said, at last. Il saw that
mans face clearly-and he works for
he hurt your"
Not bit: fr,sh'ened me. tho.
He works for us7"
Yes: one OF the old men. Names
Barbour. I'll see that he has the can
tied"
Janet wa. nutnins great laughter In
her handkerchief. AT last she regained
her composure.
Now Sid. please don't do that. That
that explains the whole thing. to me.
It's one OF dads little jokes. Don't
say a word about II Sid"
Jokes? What do you mean?"
"oh. the time has come-for mice and
men"
What In the world are youo talking
about7 Did that man frighten you"
mo, you big silly! I was just think
ing about those lines in Alice In Won
derland. OF course. he did not friShten
me. He was really very tender In his
attentions. One could see that he
was having the time of his lie ........
But. the time has cone......" She
hummed gaily into the night.
The little accident seemed to draw
tho two more closely together. and the
night increased in its darkness to an
extent that made It necessary that
Sid's arm should encircle Janet's
shoulders. Their eyes met. and Janets
were sparkling with laughter.
"oh, You funny boy" she whispered.
Huh" Sid responded. and started
to withdraw his arm. He was miffed.
Man-like. he did not understand.
"Don'tV' she whispered. I'm scared
without IT. And-I like it-there"
After the meeting OF the Brotherhood
had been duly closed, Janet and sid
rode home under the stars and the
longest way round. The roadster
fingered outside the Draytou home un-
til Janet. convinced that sid could not
safely go homo alone. at such an un
seemly hour, decided that she must
take him to the building wherein he
had located his bachelor apartment.
Upon arriving there. sid. on his part
was convinced that It was not alto
gether safe for Janet to return thru a
certain section without his aid. There
fore, he accompanied her thru the GER
tain section and walked back
Next morning. Andrew Drayton was
charged with great .mpstience and
growing excitement and unrest. He
paced the floor Of his office. He lis
tened to the steady click of the type
writer in the adjoining room and his
hrows were corrugated in puzzlement.
He approached the Intervening door.
creeping cautiously along the walls.
watching his shadow. All in all, the
conduct of the elderly. bulky gentle
man was not what night he termed. in
this instance. conservative.
In the other room, Sid was en-
Crossed in the papers that lay upon
his desk. Suddenly. az he frowned
over some particularly knotty problem
that ono letter presented. a slim hand |
came into the range Of his vision. and. |
in tho hand. n note. typewriter. He |
read Il. reread It:
when you hear that door squeak
again lean over and kiss me.
Unpunctuated: Just little more
moro than line on a narrow slip. |
Sid's face was crimsoned: it was n |
tremendous leap from the matter Of
the complaint OF the southern agent |
TO the Instructions on the hit OF pa
per. He shook his head, vehemently. |
crumpled the note and turned to his |
work However. he was visibly per-
.urhed.
Again. the hand and the note:
Do as ! tell you I am running this. |
While he was absorbing this bit Of |
news, squeak that was most per- |
ceptihle came from the hinges of tho |
Intervening door. sid, with q face the |
color Of a ripe, bright beet and eyes |
that Travelled wildly around the room |
hesitated And. while he hesitated the |
deed was done. Two warm arms were
on his shoulders and two dainty lips |
found his. He reached up. pulled the
head down and completed tho OPERA
tion. Then. above the noise Of their
hearts they heard a muffled snor. from
the other room:-Guck footsteps. and
the opening Of a door.
The strike'" II was the excited
voice NJ David I'VE Just seen their
committee an-they will come hack to
work."
"Sure' I knew n wouldn't last"
Then. the booming tones Of Andrew
Drayton fell Janet and sid crept to
I. l,, .,.4.i