Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1921-09-29

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 1t 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 a
wrist.
'Is it Jimmy Fayne?" 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.
~ guess you are too good for me-"
he said. There was weakness in his
voice, and it was the first weakness
she had ever knowna in him.
"Will you always think of me as
the finest and most beautiful woman
in the world?" she asked.
Always"
''It's the best can hope for" mur-
INJURED Elizabeth.
"What do you mean?"
''It's the best 1 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 un-
! grateful to him: 1t was through him
that she was being educated, being
llllSu OuI VI HOI OnCOulll anu AAA1ICl
ate self and set on higher social and
| intellectual plane. All he had ever
heard Of the so-calfed 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 HecE
stepped into the Moreland Coal com
pany's office.
Dale looked wearily up from his lit
tered desk.
~ am very much obliged to you fol
shooting Adam Ball, By"
Its hi, Bill, amt it?"
"What?"
Heck leaned over and rested hi
knotty hands on the muzzle of the In
evitable rifle.
"Whatever' it is you're a-grievin
about, o. course. Babe Littleford sh,
went back to yOre home town thi
mornin', Bill. Sort O. quare, thought
at you never went with her over t,
the switch. Sort O. Quare, too, a
she never rid over on the little ingyn
instid o. walkin' But mebbe she wa
afeard o. gittin' her fine city clo'es al
smutted up. Say, Bill. old boy,
wisht 1 may drap dead in my track
eff you don't look like a id corpst
igod. 1t haf to be HI, or yO
wouldn't grieve about it, '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 MOI
kill Adam Ball to save me?"
By Heck realized that he would hav
to be very cunning if he evaded tn
question now. Bill Dale, his got
would not be put off longer.
So By Heck answered: 81 wisht
may drap dead this minute and tur
into a cross-eyed mink with a gree
tail and pink eyes; / wisht the dev
may take me and spend ten thousan
etarnities a-sticking' red-hot, pepper
coated pitchforks in me and not Ie
me have any lobacker; 1 wisht 1 ma
be struck blind and deef and dunn
and paralyzed and ha' my tongue Gu
out and my ears and toe-nails tor
off-ef I killed Adam Ball to save yo
or anybody else"
And then. having answered, he ia,
ored Dale with an odd look, took u
his rifle and strobe out of the offic
humming:
when die, cont bury me deep
: Put no tombstone at my head and feet
Put a bears jawbone in my rigt
hand
"But he's the biggest liar in th
state" muttered Dale, turning bac
to his desk.
He closed his desk, and he didn
work any more that day. Babe Littl
: ford had gone without even botherin
to tell him goodbye!