, 1923-11-14

siDle Tor ne not to believe that the
curious pattern of his walk bore some
relation.
From the northern wing Of the ranch
house, strongly lighted, came Il tumult
OF sound: music, humping feet, a
mans voice chanting couplets:
On. you walk right through and you
turn around and swing the girl
that finds you,
And you come right back by the same
old track and turn the girl behind
you.
Someone was directing a quadrille
In native fashion. There was much
laughter. confusion and applause.
lone of this noise disturbed the man.
He did not look at the lighted win
dows. He might really have been a
gigantic insect entirely unrelated to
the human creatures so noisily near
at hand.
A man came round the corner of
h house, crossed the square, and,
lurching a little. made for the door
of the lighted wing. Shortly after his
entrance the sound of music and dane
ing abruptly stopped. This stiffness
gave the spider pause, but he was
about to renew his weaving, when, in
the silence. a woman spoke.
You. Mabel. don't you go home"
she said.
She had not spoken loudly, but her
voice beat against the walls of the
court as though 1t could have filed
the whole moonlight night with dam
gerous beauty. The listener outside
lifted his head with a low. startled
exclamation. Suddenly the world was
alive with adventure and alarm.
mind your own business, you Wild
cat" answered n mans raucous voice.
"She's my wife, which is somethin'
that Il sort knows nOthin' about.
Come on, you Mabel. If you think
that outlaw can keep me from takin'
home my wife, you're betting wrong"
Another silence; Their the voice
again, a little louder, as though the
speaker had stepped out into the CEN
ter of the room.
mabel Is not a-coin' home with
you" 1t said and the listener outside
threw back his head with the gesture
of a man sensitive to music who lis
tens to some ecstatic melody. "She
happens TO he stoppin' here with us
tonight. You say hat she's your wife,
but that don't mean that she belongs
to you. body and soul, Bill Greer-not
to you, who don't possess you own
body or soul. Why, you can't keep
your feet steady; you can't pull YOU
hand away from mine. You can't hold
your tipsy eyes On mine. Do you call
that ownin' your own bodyf'
A deep, short. alarming chorus OF
laughter interrupted the speech. The
speaker evidently had her audience.
$50 you don't w anything tonight"
went on the extraordinary, deliberate
voice; surely you don't own Mabel.
You can't get n claim IN her. not
thataway. She's her own. She he
longs to her own self. When you're
fit to take her, why. then come and
tell us about 1t, and If we Judge you're
n-tellin' us the truth, mebbe Wen let
her go. TIL then" a pause which
was filed with a rapid shufiiing OF
feet. The door few open and in its
lighted ohlong the observer saw a
huddled figure behind which rose a
woman's black and shapely head.
9TH then" repeated the deep-toned,
ringing voice. 'get out!" And the
huddled man came on n staggering run
which ended IN n backward fall on
the cobbles OF the court.
The man who watched trod lightly
past him and came to the open door.
Inside, freight bent on the golden log
walls and salmon colored timber cell
ing: n lamp hanging from n beam
threw down n strong, conflicting arc
of white light. A dozen hrown-faced,
booted young men stood about, three
musicians were ready TO take up their
interrupted music. the little fat man
who Ind called out the figures OF the
Quadrille stood on n barrel, his arms
folded across his paunch. A fair-haired
girl. her face mnrred by recent tears,
dropped near him. Two OF the young
men were murmurlng renssurnnces to
her; others surrounded n stout. red
faced girl who was laughing and talk
ing loudly. The Jews eyes wandered
TIL they came to the fireplace. There
another woman leaned against the
wall.
The music struck up, the dancing
began again. the two other girls, quick
~ provided with partners, began to
waltz. the supcrnuous men stood up
together and vent nj It with gravity
and grace. No n asked this woman.
who stood nj -nse. watching the dane