South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-01-23

SldlkS into the ranch house Three
men, cook, pretty young woman
all snow-bound. Count me out Of
IT, as / did not count. anyway.
never did, with women. Count the
cook out, II you like. But note tho
ehect upon Ross and Eteienne Gil
rod.
Ross dumped Marx Twain in n
trunk and locked the trunk. Also.
he discarded the Pittsburg scandals.
Also. he shaved OF a three-days'
beard.
Etienne. being French. began on
the beard first. He pomaded f..
from a little tube of grease hon
groise in his vest pocket. He comb
cd II with o little aluminium comb
from the same vest pocket He
trimmed il with manicure scissors
from the same vest pocket. His light
and Gallo spirits underwent a sud
den, miraculous change. He hum
med blithe San Salvador Opera
co. tune; he grinned. smirked. bow
ed. pirouetted, twiddled, twaddled,
twisted, and tooralooed. Gayly. the
notorious trOubadour, could not have
equalled Etieene.
Ross method Of advance was
brusque. domineering. Little wo-
man." ne said. you're welcome
here."-and with what ne thought
subtle double meaning-"welcome to
stay here as long as you Ike. snow
or no snow"
Miss Adams thanked him a little
wildly. some OF the wintergreen ber-
ries creeping into the birch bark
She looked around hurriedly as IL
seeking escape. But there was none.
save the kitchen and the room al
lotted her. She made an excuse and
disappeared into her own room.
Later I, reigning sleep, heard the
following:
'Mees Adams, I was almos to per-
ish-die OF monotony wen your fair
and beautiful face appear in thees
mee-ser-rhable house" I opened my
starboard eye. The beard was being
curled furiously aroung a Anger. the
SvengaI eye was rolling, the chair
was being hunched closer TO the
school teachers. I am French
you see-temperamenta I
cannot endure thees dull hours in
thees ranch house; but-a woman
cOmesi All" The shoulders gave
nine 'rahs and tiger. What a DIFF
ference!" All is light and gay; ever
ting smile wen you smile. You have
cart, beauty. grace. Ny cart comes
back to me wen I feel your cart.
So!' He laid his hand upon his vest
pocket. From this vantage point he
suddenly snatched at the school
teachers own hand. All! Mees
Adams. II could only tell you how
I ad-"
Dinner" remarked George. He
was standing just behind the
Frenchman's ear. His eyes looked
straight into the school teachers
eyes. After 80 seconds Of survey,
his lips moved. deep in the flinty,
frozen maelstrom Of his face: Din
ner." he concluded. will be ready
in two minutes"
Miss Adams jumped TO her feet,
relieved. Il must get ready for din
ner." she said brightly. and went
into her room.
Ross came in Is minutes late.
After the dishes had been cleared
away. I waited until a propitious
time when the room was temporarily
ours alone, and told him what had
happened.
He became so excited that he lit
a stogy without thinking. "Yeller
hided. n " h 9 d. Dal1n-readin'
skunk" he said under his breath
I'll shoot him full O. holes If he
don't watch Out-talkin' that way to
my wife,"
I gave jump that set my collar
bone back another week. Your
wife!" sasped.
We'll, I mean 20 make her that"
he announced.
The air in the ranch house the
rest OF that day was tense with
pent-up emotions, or, best buyers Of
best sellers.
Ross watched Miss Adams as a
hawk does a hen; he watched Etlen-
ne as a hawk does a sCarecrow. Eft
ienne watched Miss Adams as a
weasel does a hen house. He paid
no attention to Ross.
The condition of Miss Adams, in
the role of sought-after. was fever
ish. Lately escaped from the agony
and long torture of the white cold.
where for hours nature had kept the
little school teachers vision locked
In and turned upon herself. nobody
knows through what profound fem
mime introspectiOns she had gone.
Now suddenly cast among men. in
stead OF finding relief and security.
into other disCOmforts. Even in her
own room she could hear the loud
voices of her imposed suitors TN
blow you full o. holesi" shouted
Ross. Witnesses" shieked Etienne.
waving his hand at the cook and me.
She could not have known the pre-
vious harassed condition Of the men.
fretting under indoor conditions. All
she knew was, that where she had
expected the frank free-rnasOn Of
the west, she found the subtle tangle
OF two mems minds. bent upon ex-
acting whatever romance there
might be in her situation.
She tried TO dodge Rofss and the
Frenchman by spells Of nursing me.
They also came over TO help nurse.
This combination aroused such Il
natural state OF invalid cussedness
on my part that they all were forced
10 retire. Once she did manage TO
whisper: Il am so worried here.
7 don't know what 20 do"
To which I replied, gently hitch
ing up my shoulder. that I was a
huach-savant and that the eighth
house under this sign. the moon be-
ing IN Virgo, showed that every
thing would turn out all right.
But 20 minutes later I saw Ell
enne reading her palm and felt that
perhaps I might have 10 recast her
horoscope. and try FOR a dark man
coming with a bundle.
Toward Hunset Etienne left the
house for a few moments and Ross.
who had been sitting taclturn and