Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1931-10-29


choking, the tears running down his
cheeks. Sahra WIS angry. then fright
ened For as suddenly as he had be-
| gun to laugh he became serious He
| stood up. one hand OIL the table Then
| he seemed TO pull his whole body to-
| geIher like a tiger who is about to
spring He stood thus a moment,
swaying a little. Actum est de re-
puhlica.'
"What:' said Sabra. sharply.
Latin. Latin, my love- Pineapple
and marshmall0w salad! 1t is all
over with the Republic She
shrugged her shoulders impatiently.
Yancey turned stifiiy. like a soldier.
walked out OF the room. ficked his
white sombrero Off the hall rack and
put II on at the usual jannty angle,
went down the porch stair with his
light. graceful step, to the sidewalk
and up the street, the great head low
cred. the arms swinging despondently
at his sides.
a
tidying up the house. Her eyes burned,
her throat WAS CONSTRUCTED. Men /.
Men! Gin of with that squaw. YAM
cey angry because she had given him
this very feminine dish of left-overs.
What was the use of working, what
WAS the use of pride. what was the
use OF ambition for your children. your
home. your town il this was all 1t
amounted to? Her work done, she al
lowed herself the luxury OF a DELHI
crate and cleansing storm of tears.
Eight O'Clock. She heated some OF
the afternoon coffee and drank 1t sit
ting at the kitchen table. She went
out on the front porch. Darkness had
come on. hot September evening.
The crickets squeaked and ground
away In the weeds. She was con-
scious of an aching WEAKNESS In all
her body, but she could not sleep. Her
eyes felt as though they were being
pulled apart by invisible fingers. She
put her palms over them, to shut them,
to cool them. Nine Ten Eleven.
Twelve. She undressed, unpinned the
braids OF her thick hair. brushed 1t.
plated it for the night All the time
she was listening. Listening. One.
Suddenly she began to dress again
with icy fumhline fingers. she did up
her hair, put on her hat and a jacket.
She closed the door behind her.
locked IT, slipped the key into the
mail box The Wigwam office. Yan-
cey was not there. The office was
dark. She shook the door. ratified the
knob, peered in, unlocked 1t with the
key in her handbag. Her heart was
pounding, but she was not afraid OF
the darkness. cats eyes cleaned
at her from the printing shop. She
struck light. No one. No one. The
linotype machine grinned at her with
its white teeth. Its iron arm and
hand shook tauntingly at her in the
wavering light. With a sudden pre-
monitiOn she ran to Yancey's desk,
opened the drawer In which he kept
his holster and six-shooters, now that
Usage had become so effete as to make
them an unessential article OF dress.
They were not there. She knew then
that Yancey had gone.
Doc Valiant. She closed and locked
the door after her, stepped out into
the quiet backness OF Pawhuska ave
nue.. Doc Valiant. He would 20 with
her. He would drive her out there.
But his office and the room at the rear.
which was his dwelling. gave forth no
response. Gone out somewhere-a
case. Down the rickety wooden steps
of the two-story brick building She
stood q moment In the street, looking
this way and that. She struck her.
palms together In kind OF agony OF
futility. She would 20 alone If she
had horse and buggy. She could
rent one at the livery stable. But
what would they think-those men
at the stable? They were the
gossips OF the town. 1t would be all
over Usage, all over the county. Sabra
Cravat driving out into the prairie
alone In the middle of the night.
Something up. Well, she couldn't help
that. She had to TO- She had to get
him.
Toward the livery stable. past the \
Bixby house. A quiet little figure
rose from the blackness Of the porch
where all through the day the travel
Ing men and loafers sat with their
chairs tilted back against the wall.
The red coal Of his cigar was an eye
In the darkness.
"Sabra What Is thisl What are
you doing running around at this hour
OF the night?''
Sol Levy, sitting there In the Okla |
homa night, a lonely little figure, sleep
less. brooding. He had never before
called her Sabra.
"Sol! Sol Gins out at the reser-
walton. Something's happened.
know. feel It."
He did not scofr at this, as most |
men would. He seemed to understand |
her fear, her premonition, and to &C
cept II with oriental fatalIsm.
What do you want to do?"
Take me but there. Hitch up and !