The Devils Lake world., 1922-11-01
The Paying
Guests
BY CLARA DELAFIELD
S<SsssSssssssSSSSSSS

weren't married. Maybe ii was the
attention he showed her. That amt
natural or proper between married
folks
would never have taken paying
guests on the farm, only the interest
was due on the mortgage, and then the
COW died. ! always knew Cy Hicks
poisoned her because l showed him up
when he was courting Ada White for
her money. But | couldn't prove it,
and IF course Il rich man can always
buy the courts. So had to take
paying guests that summer.
Well. the Cranes was the first, and
look dislike to Mrs. Crane the
minute l set eyes on her. She wore
them smart city dresses and she used
to wash her hair and set on the stoop
with it all hanging out to dry, and
dyed down to the roots. so that you
could hardly tell it. And. as l was
saying. it amt respectable for decent
married folks to set holding hanus on
the stoop after dark, and that's what
must first have made me suspicious.
lay low and said nothing, but one
day when | was doing up their room
letter caught my eye, and it showed
ME my suspicious were correct. 1t was
written to woman called Mary,
which was what Mrs. Crane called her
self. and signed your loving husband
Horace Now Mr.. Cranes name was
Percy.
1t gave me terrible shock, In par
ticular because l found out that she
was an actress. 1t was all about parts
in theaters, aud If I'd guessed I'd
never have had them on the farm. But
they were too smart for me, and I'm
naturally trusttul.
After that duty compelled me to
look in Mr.. Cranes pockets when he
was out with that woman, and it
letter written by q woman in Elmira,
signed, ''your loving wife, Maisie."
Now that woman's name wasn't Maisie
at least, she called herself Julia,
though Of course it was an alibi.
Well, 1t was my clear duty to stop
LILAC "O*S VI AAAAAAoA any lAoS V0o cNO.
merging our village, and SO set down
and wrote an anonymous letter to the
real Mrs. Crane, which l signed "a
Friend" and another to that woman's
husband, telling them what their part
ners was up to. Then waited and
watched them. Sure enough day
or two later they began to look wor-
rled, and wasn't long in finding out
the reason.
There was an awful letter from that
woman's husband, whose name was
Dickens, saying he was coming on the
next train to shoot Mr.. Crane dead
in his tracks
And there was letter from the real
Mrs. Crane, saying that she was COM
ing too, and there wouldn't be much
hair left on that woman's dyed head
when she got through with her. Coarse
but neat, I called it.
Well, there was pretty kettle of
fish. l waited till the night train
come in and off l went to the depot.
There was strange man there, look
ing black as thunder, and a strange
woman, crying. And each says to
me, Can you tell me the way to Miss
Ann Jones's farm"
l showed them the longest way
round, and run as hard as l could to
the police station, and told Cy Hicks,
who's our police officer, to come up to
the farm or there'd be murder.
guess I must have threw scare into
Cy, for he turned white as sheet,
and then got down his rabbit gun and
pairs Of handouts from the hooks, and
started off as spry as he could 60.
We'd just reached the potato patch
it was rearly dark-when there
come blood-curdllng scream from
the house which made me go funny at
the knees Then woman's voice, say
ing.
Spare me! Don't shoot mel I'll
never see him again, swear it! Only
let me go!"
And an awful mans voice followed !:
you false traitress, say your pray
another minute to live. I'm going to
shoot you in your tracks as I've shot
this perjured breaker-up of my happy
| home!"
There followed the most terrific
screech I've ever heard, and then the
sound Of a gun. And few moans-
! Cy and l was nearly at the house now
and then the hollow, mocking laugh
Of maniac.
caught hold OF Cy, and he didn't
80 quite SO spry as before, and
could see the rabbit gun kind OF going
up and down in his hands, but at last
he got sand enough to knock on the
door with the butt end Of the gun and
say:
! "Open in the name Of the law. The
(, house is surrounded, and If you don't
come out you'll be shot dead where
+, you stand"
At that the door opened and there
stood both the Cranes inside, with
/ the two strangers, laughing at US.
"What's this mean?" demanded Cy
looking kind Of foolish. What you