Evening star., 1923-02-25

lyl
wise
There's Seminole and Shawnee.
Apache. Agswam;
There's Aqua and Pawnee.
Walinga. Wsukeeton.
He knew his Oklahoma
oh" exclaimed Maxine, in a little
burst of fury and stamped her foot
down hard. Squ-ush, said something
underfoot. oh" said Maxine again,
in surprise this time. October was a
dry month. She peered down. Her
shoe was wet. A Shiny something
clung TO It, a scummy something
shone reflected in the moonlight. She
had not lived ten years in Oklahoma
for nothing. Arnold Hatch bent
down. Maxine bent down. The
greasy wet patch lay just between
the two back yards. They touched
il, fearfully, with their forefingers.
Then they Strengthened and looked at
each other. Oil. Oil.
Things happened like that in Okla
homa.
You didn't try to swing a thing like
that yourself. You leased your land
for number of years. A we'll cost
between $4,000 and 100000. You
leased to Il company represented by
one or two of these cold -blooded,
steeIy-eyed young men from Pennsyl-
vania or New York. There was a
good deal of trouble about il, too.
This was residence district. one
of the oldest in this new town. But
they bought the Pardee place and
the Hatch place. And Arnold Hatch,
who had learned a thing or two in
the offices of the Okoochee Oil and
Refining Company, drove a hard bar
gain for both. The yard was over
run with drillers, lawyers, engineers,
superintendents, foremen, machinery
Arnold came with papers TO sign.
Five hundred a day. he said, 'and
a percentage" He named the per-
centage. Maxine and her mother re-
peated this after him numbly.
Mrs. Pardee had been the book
keeper in the Pardee menage. She
tried some mathematical gymnastics
now and bumped her arithmetical
nose.
Five hundred day, including
Sundays, Arnold?"
'Including Sundays"
f16T lips peSdi 10 lnONt. SEVEN
times five-thirty- five hundred-a fifty
two times thirty"
She stopped. overcome. But she
began again, wildly, as a thought
came to her. why. l could build a
house. A house up on Edgecombe
house like the Barstows', with
lawns, and gardens, and sleeping
porches. and linen closets.
oh, Maxine. Well live there
Not l." said Maxine crispIy. Ar
mold, watching her, knew what she
was going to say before she said it.
I'm going to sec the world. 1 want
to penetrate a civilization so old that
it's history wanders down the centu-
ries and is lost in the dim mists of
mythology" See Baedeker.)
Sudden wealth had given Arnold a
new masterfulness. Marry me be-
fore you 60"
mot at ALL" replied Maxine. "On the
boat going over
"Over where"
Honolulu. on my way to Japan. I'll
meet a tall bearded stranger, sun
burned. with the flame Of the orient
in his eyes, and on his thin. cruel
mouth
Arnold Hatch took off his glasses
Maxine stiffened Don't you d"
But she was too late.
There" said Arnold. he'll have to
have some beard, and some flame, and
some thin, cruel mouth to make you
forget that one"
X !; . x
n TAX1NE started. alone. against
ltl her mothers remonstrances. On
the first two days out on the way to
the Hawaiian Islands she spent all
her time in her bed. But the swell
subsided. and the wind went down
and Maxine appeared on deck and in
another twelve hours had met every
one from the purser to the honey
moon couple, in the surprising way
one does on these voyages. She looked
for the tall, bearded stranger with
the sunburn Of the orient ana the