The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-12-22

Herr why, nalf the time poor
Herbert babbled, you can't tell
whether she just maxim up what she
says or not. If you've gone and be-
lieyed everything that ole girl told
you, you haven't got even what little
Sense I used to think you had !" So
base we are under strain, sometimes
so base when our good name Is threat
ened with the truth of us! II wouldn't
believe anything she said" he finished,
in a sickish voice, "if she told me fifty
times and crossed her hearth"
Wouldn't you if she said you wrote
down how pretty you knew your eyes
were, HerbertT'
whats this about Herbert having
pretty eyes'?' Mr.. Joseph Atwater in
quired: and Herbert shuddered. I'm
Gle Joseph had an unpleasant reputa-
ton as q joker.
The nephew desperately fell back
upon the hopeless device of attempt
ing to drown out his opponents voice
as she began to reply. He became
vociferOus with scornful laughter bad
ly cracked in the scorn. Florence
got mad" he shouted, mingling the
purported information with loud cack-
lings. "She got mad because I and
Henry played games with Patty She's
tryin' to make up somep'm to get even.
She made it up! It's all made upi
She"
mo, no. MI. Atwater interrupted.
Let Florence tell us. Florence, what
was it about Herbert knowing he had
pretty eyesT
{ Herbert attempted to continue the
drowning out. He bawled, "She made
it upi It's somep'm she made up
herself! She"
Herbert" said Uncle JOseph-"ff
you don't keep quiet, I'll take back
the printing press"
Herbert substituted another gulp
for a continuation of his noise:
Now, Florence" said Uncle Joseph,
tell us what you were saying about
how Herbert knows he had such pref
ty eyes"
Then 1t seemed a miracle befeii.
Florence looked up, smiling modestly.
"Oh. 1t wasn't anything, Uncle Jo-
seph,'' she said. II was just trying
to tease Herbert any way I could
think up"
"Oh. was that all?" A hopeful light
faded out of Uncle Joseph's large
and inexpensive face. II thought
perhaps you'd detected him in some
indiscretion."
Florence laughed, 81 vas just
teasin' him. 1t wasn't anything, Uncle
Joseph"
Hereupon, Herbert resumed a con-
fused breathing. Dazed, he remained
uneasy, profoundly so; and gratitude
was no part of his emotion. He well
understood that Florence was never
susceptible to impulses of compassion
in conflicts such as these; In fact, II
there was warfare between them, ex-
perience had taught him to be wariest
when she seemed kindest. He moved
away from her, and went into another
where his condition was one of
increasing mental discomfort, though
he looked for q while at the pictures
in his great-uncle's copy of Paradise
Lost" These illustrations, by M. Gus
tave Dore, failed to aid In reassur1ng
his troubled mind.
When Florence left. he impulsively
accompanied her, maintaining a nerv-
Gus silence as they comprised the
short distance between Uncle Joseph's
front gate and her WI There, how
ever, he spoke.
Look here! You don't hat to go
and believe everything that ole girl
told you. do your"
mo" said Florence heartily. II
don't hat to-"
We'll, look here" he urged, help
less but to repeat. You don't haf to
whatever it was she went and
told you, do your