Gunnison news-champion., 1924-01-25


and admit the man vho was to have
rescued her
YOU'RE clever. aren't your the man
went "n. Vow. you lit down and
shut up, And II you make the first
attempt al warning. u will be the last
eNero.s.. yuuTI ever take In your little
crooked ne"
SD" shruuk away from him. but for
IA" moment be mad" no offer - ylo-
l"rr~ 20 her beside his seating her
amt ..4r."aErs her 10 keep SIN. 80
-.r -al for rH. '.rr being. thinking
trying 10 rra'.s~ .Hr full meaning ~
h- words. just what be- vas planning
and what %" herself mus, do
And hen silently with ,"rrnln
stupid hTa,aG". he drew out an nii
revolver from The pocket u bis con,
and la!t 10 upon his lag. And row she
saw. OF Thought shr sHw. with tsrrlyy-
IN. dls'IurrHs.s. what his purpose
WAS. He Eaus Offering no violence 20
her yet Probably o." would not I'M
'il-unru after her visitor arrived
For very clearly in some way he must
know the other man was coming She
sat stlll silent, wondering " hat she
should do. watching him furtIysly MS
be- sai beside her
She was very near TO him indeed
sh" could feel the warmth Of his
br"ath-alm0st " his great body 81.
could see the beating Of his pulse In
his thick red neck. and she could zee.
always more and NOR. distinctly, that
CLINT In his cy"-rhst CLINT In the eve
Of n man who has been drinking. drink
Ing all day long for a purpose Her
patience ouilived his.
When did you expect hlm7" he
asked her hnnlly-after several min
utes OF r-stlessness and growing Irri-
tation on his part
Expect whom7" she returned with
n calmness she did not feel.
''NOne OF that" h. said. and took
the corner Of her shoulder in his great
hairy hand. when
Il don't know what you are talking
about :" she answered with spirit, and
she started to get M. But when she
attempted II, faint scream came
from her lips. II seemed as II her
shoulder would be crushed.
Her first Instinct was to keep on
screaming. but the look In his face
prevented her. II was look, sh. saw
clearly now, a little different from the
look Of a mere drunken man: II was
more the glance Of msn unbalanced.
by drink perhaps. and 10y something
else-by hatred, the impression grew
on her-an old. yIolent hatred, studi-
ously self-infamed.
And again they sat there waiting. II
must be, she thought, Ike this that
men sit hunting animals by runwny
Of woods. She sat now, ns still as he,
submissive now TO all appearances:
but her mind was never clearer or
more accurate. or her senses keaner.
They were probably, she thought now.
overncute-yielding perhaps to
touch Of hysteria. to something she
must fight.
For now still more singular I'M
preston came over her The idea had
come, and was growing on her. that
there was third person In the room
II had come first-so far as her ex-
cited mind recalled-at the time when
this man beside her had hurt her and
made her scream. II had seemed to
her that at that instant she had seen
movement, sudden twitching. Of
the velvet curtains In the window upon
the other side of the room from where
she had discovered this man beside
her.
Since then she had cast continual
guarded Slances at the window-try-
ing to satisfy her mind whether she
had been mistaken. Could II have been
that this man whom she had been ex-
pecting had arrived before time, and
had concealed himself there-poSsibly
suspectlng the other man to be in the
room-and waited; If So, he was Ger.
tninly strangely constituted man to
let her sit there under the threats
and compulsion of this drunken brute
or mailman, whichever he might be
without aiding her. And yet on re-
consideration. what else could he do
now but wait his chance-if he was
there. For one thing nj least was GER
tain In her mind: appearance now
must mean certain death TO him.
What are you looking atr' de-
munded the sudden voice of the man
beside her.
Looking at" she exclaimed in
voice that seemed even to her to he
sn.ulsing- from, a ,,.a, ,gf-,.,.