The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1924-03-07
CHAPTER IIl-continusd.

situation, she admitted, from any
angle Why she should remain in 1t
at all was not clear to her, now that
sudden possible jar in her daily
routine had resulted in her asking
herself the question. Why should she
tonight, exhausted, be going home to
prepare the evening meal in that
dingy place. for that man--no relative
of hers-that indolent good-loOking
scamp, as one would say in the lam
guage of the eighties, who had mar
ried her Young widowed mother, and
whose only present tie to her was
through the painful downward process
of Incidence and self-indulgence and
idleness, and latterly much worse,
which had converted the dandy of the
earlier time to the dissipated sold
drunken ruin of a back street of to-
day?
Home. she thought bitterly-was
there anything to be called home but
dead memories in that place which
she was now entering at the beginning
of another weary night? Not one, she
thought-and then warmth of feel
Ing and light of anticipation in her
eyes contradicted her. There still was
at least Rags.
A dog, of course, has always been
the poor mans proverbial extrava-
games
She passed exhaustedly up the
stairs of the old "walk-up" fiat house,
so-called, to their four small rooms in
the rear, clipped in the key and
passed into the STIFFNESS of the small
place, crowded to distraction with the
long-kept furniture of larger rooms.
The opposite of what she had hoped
was true. The man was there; the
dog was gone.
"Where is he?" she demanded, wor-
ried as always by the chance of his
escaping into city streets.
"Where-what?" he returned hazily
"Rags?" she said, he. face thinner
and wearier as she watched him.
1--WE sold him. he said, straighten-
Ing up with dignity-the derby mean
while going to the floor.
"And now" she said, standing mo
tionless before him, you are drinking
up the price of him."
''Tha's right" he said to her, be
disagreeablel Tha's right-be dis
agreeable" he said, moving his right
hand with weary oratorical effect.
after all I've done for your
The girl went out into the small
kitchen, in her black dress, to as
semble but not to cook the evening
meal
whatever this may be-" she said,
her mind of course always upon the
odd and challenging avenue of escape
which she was about to hear of. "rm
through here, absolutely through"
And she passed out and closed for
the last time-though naturally she
did not herself expect quite that-the
door of the place, that stuffy ware
house Of old family furniture, Of old
memories.
1t was now ten minutes of eight
She had just about time enough to
reach the meeting place by the hour.
She did not seas it was intended
that she should not-the large man
who had been waiting down and
across the street from her door for
the past half-hour, and who followed
her now at a distance as she went
through Forty-second street toward
the west
Here" announced a clear voice she
and she turned and saw
The man she was to meet at the IL
orary entrance.
Suppose we go up" he suggested, |
into the art museum. 1t Will be both
Iuiet and public there. We can talk
1t any length, entirely undisturbed."
Every WE'LL" she answered him., and |
vas soon there listening to him, in |
side the quiet, sleepy, half-deserted |
lrt museum, as he told her his ex-
business.
"You are not contented now exact
y, in your position?" he asked
I'm not, no." said Mary Manches
er sharply.
"And how is 1t at your home-your
les at home 2" he asked her nova
ather peculiar question, she thought
And as she told him, she had again
hat feeling that she was telling him
thing that he already knew.
you might be willing" he suggest
d next with that meaning smile, ito
AVE an entirely different life?"
"Wiilingl" she cried. ''To change
III do anything at all that's decent"
He smiled again.
And then he made her-with proper
naturally-his extraor-
Iinary offer.
81 am a lawyer, Miss Manchester"
Ie said with that cold, oblique. but
lways most intelligent smile of his.
One chief business that we have is
uildlDg up In advance a theory OF a
ase Suppose" he went on to Mary
r. :. H. |