San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-10-14

The Making Of
a Husband
A n n LaSLe' s N e ~
Phase of Jim and
Anne's Marital
Adventure
BY ANN Isle
CHAPTER so.
BY ANN Isle

Copyright, 1875. King Feature Syn, Inc.
The snow was falling steadily when
i went back to the studio Of The
Birches armed with the gun Jim had
taken from BERTHE Lingard yesterday.
There was already thin white car
per ON the ground. The whole world
seemed wrapped in that hush which
comes with snow in the country.
l didn't look, but knew Tarasov
was coming closer and closer.
could feel him. Pehaps | heard his
footsteps crunch the frozen ground as
be approached.
The window parted. the curtains bel
lied out, and the wind soughed and
sucked at the smoke from the CRATE.
And still / could not bring myself to
turn until L heard the giant Cossacks
gutteral:
Hail, Barbara Lyovna. 1t is warm
here. You should have plenty of wood.
1t gives a storm"
Good afternoon, Dimitri Ivano-
witch" / heard myself reply amazing
ly. ais it not cold out there in your
shack"
Il am used TO winter" the man re-
piled. In Siberia | have seen snow
above the head. But you are little
and delicate. You must have logs. !
90 to the cellar and see if it is enough
logs for you. 1t may come that the
snow shuts you in. 1t may be that
| cannot get TO you. And you must
not be alone without logs. Food, too.
| shall get you that. But the food
can wait. 1t SHOWS long days now.
The wind is right. The cold is so. 1t
will make many feet Of snow. | see
about logs now"
Tarasov turned and dumped across
the room and out to the kitchen.
1t was clear enough to me that
however much / fear Tarasov. it is
wiser to pretend confidence | do
not feel than to stir an antagonism |
cannot measure. So j stood quite still.
waiting-with my hand on BERTHE
Lingard's gun in the pocket of my
smock.
j could hear Tarasov stirring about
in the cellar. heaying things about
working sturdily and steadily. At
last he dumped up the stairs, ap-
pcaring with n great basket of kin
dlings which he slowed in one of the
big hearth boxes and returning with
several logs which he placed in the
other chest.
"Thcrc is dozen logs in cellar. ]
90 chop more" he said. II put them
all in houSc-sOidc in kitchen, few
more in cellar. some i'm outside pan
try. / fix it so you warm three. four
days-maybc week. You got plenty
apple, potato, canned good. | shoot
rabbit if so you need meat. But much
Hour, butter. milk. egg. you shall have.
Soon rs the log is ready. / go town.
| get plenty. About s | be back.
The COssack smiled his broad. hid
eous grin, showing the stumDS of his
neglected teeth, and wrinkling his
broad, dull face rcassuringly. But his
smile was a fearSOme thing, and a
drawer woman than l might have felt
terror at the thought Of being alone in
the country and having this simple
minded, and occasionally fierce giant
promise to return Mt 8 o'clock at night.
But what could / do? smiled.
thanked my scif-electcd guardian, held
out my hand for Tarasov's kiss and
said in the firmoet voice | could man.
age:
Thank you, DimItri 1vanovitch. do
Svendanya.'
"Nour husband. James Huntro
witch, he shall not get back this night"
said Tarasov placidly.
j shuddercd, thinking that the man
had uncanny powers and had inter
ccptcd Jim's message through the air.
Then l realized that he was referring
t. the probable snowfall. As the man
bowed himself out OF the room, ! took
BERTHE Tarasoy's gun from my pocket.
and showed it behind some books on
the table. 1t seemed light. ] picked
it up again and examined it. | looked
into the barrel. There was queer
emptiness. | could not see a ear
fridge. Gingerly "brokc" the gun.
The cylinders wcic empty. The gun
was not loaded. ! stared ut it in dis
may.
what protoctitn have | now" |
asked Of space.
TO BE Continucd.)