The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1924-12-11
"D-n It," muttered Lee. Il won't

But he had said he would go, and in
little things as in big ones be was scru-
pulous. He would go, just to dance
with Marcia and show Miss Judith a
thing or two. He felt unreasonably
like taking Miss Judith across his knee
and spanking her. And he did have a
curiosity to see just what Judith would
look like in a real party-dress.
Poor little wild Indian he grum-
bled. She's got the making of a won
der in her. and she doesn't even know
II. What's worse, doesn't care"
lie sat with a dead cigarette be
tween his fingers, staring at the wind
blown flame of his coal-oil lamp. Ju-
dith was doing this as she did every
thing that she set her two hands on,
thoroughly and with her whole heart
and soul. In that lay the key to her
character. There was no halfway
with her. When she gave, it was open
heartedly, with no reservation; where
she loved or hated, II was unreserved-
~; if she gave a dance 1t would he a
dance for the countryside to remem-
Der.
Yesterday Hampton had wondered,
grinning, what he'd look like in a
dress-suit again. Hadn't had a thing
on mere of late but his wal togs.
Whereby he called attention to his
turned-up overalls, soft shirt, battered
hat, and tapping vest with the tobac-
co-tag hanging out.
Bud Lee turned down the wick of
his lamp, which had been smoking, and
sat staring at it another five minutes.
by thunder" he said softly to himself,
I'll do it."
He showed the bunk away from its
place in the corner, opened a trap
door in the floor and, lamp In hand,
went down into the cabins cellar.
Here was a long pine box, hoped with
tin bands for shipping, its lid securely
nailed on. He set down his lamp and
with shirt-sleeve wiped off some of the
accumulation of dust and spider-web.
A card with the words, David Bur
rill Lee, Rocky Bend" tackled to it
Ntd L dppCOi ~ 'So
head and attacked the lid.
ITS like digging out a dead man."
he muttered. swell, we'll bury him
again tomorrow
1t was a box of odds and ends.
Clothing, a few books, a pack of pho
tographs, an ornate bride, a pair of
gOld-chased spurs. a couple of hats.
gloves, no end of the varied articles
which might have gone hastily into
such a receptacle as this from the hur-
ried packing in a bachelors apart
ments. Bud Lee, with a dress-suit and
the articles it demands, even to a tie
and dancing-shoes, went back into the
room above.
Like Hampton" he unused, looking
at the things in his hands, Il wonder
what it'll feel like to get back into
thesel I'm a fool" He laughed short
ly and set to work to improvise a fiat
iron to take the worst wrinkles out of
the cloth. "Once a fool, always a
fool. You can't get away from It."
1t was settled. He was going to
Marcia's party. He insisted upon call
ing 1t in his mind, "Marcia's party"
And he was wondering, as he shaved,
how Judith was going to look
AS Bud Lee came through the lilacs
into the courtyard, he heard the tinkle
of a distant piano and the tremolo of a
violin, so faint as hardly to be distin-
guished above the plash and gurgle
Of the fountains. The court, bathed
in soft light, seemed a corner of fairy
land, the music vanishing elfin
strains to some mischievous troop put
ting signs and love dreams into a sleep
ing maids breast. The night was rich
with stars, warn with summer, serene
with the peace of the mountains. He
was late. They were already dancing
within.
He stood a moment, looking In at
the outer edge of the flood of light
which gushed through the wide doors.
Behind him Japanese lanterns hang
ing from a uncovered %trellis; before
him flowers, bright chandeliers, girls
dresses like tluttering, many-colored,
d%iaphanous butterfly wings. He had
been saying TO himself: Il must hurry
if | want to dance with Marcia" And
something stirring restlessly within
him showed aside the thought of Mar
ella and put in its stead the old won
der: "What sort of a Judith would he
see tonight?"
He found it difficult to form any
of her here, among these gay,
inconsequent merry-makers. Judith to
him spelled a girl upon a horse, boot
ed, spurred, with a scarf 0 her
neck futtering wildly behind her as
she rode, the superb, splendid figure OF
a girl of the out-of-doors, alive with
he hot pioneer blood which had been
her rich inheritance, a sort of wonder
ful boy-girl. Remove her Tapping hat.
boots and spurs and ~riding-suit,
md what was left of Judith?
Outside were half a dozen OF the
who had not mustered courage to
set foot on the polished floors, Carson