Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1932-09-07
THE FAITHFUL CHEAT
BY Ruby M. Ayres

/ A man who must have been on
the wrong side of fifty, he had a
cherubic face and the smile of a
boy.
Everybody who knew Cass loved
him, and he was John Anderson's
greatest friend.
Nobody quite knew why, for
Cass was in a perpetual state of
being broke, and he and Anderson
had not a thought or taste in COM
mon apart from their mutual af-
lection.
Unkind people said hat Cass
lived on his friends bounty, but it
was not the case. Cass had never
been known to take a shilling
from John Anderson, and Ander-
son knew better than to offer it.
How he lived and kept up the
appearance he did was a mystery.
There were fantastic stories Of
a back room IN some shabby street
where Cass slept arc ale and hal
his being, but as nobody had ever
visited him there. nobody was in
an exact pos tior to verify The
stories, and Cass kept his own
counsel.
Whenever he appeared in public
he was smart and well groomed,
if a trifle loud in his choice of
J clothes; he gambled recklessly
when he had anything to gamble
with, and enjoyed life no matter
what it offered him, good or bad,
c~heerfully robbing Petsr to pay
Paul.
His real name was Stephen Cas-
sidy, but he was known to every
one as Cass, and even his enemies
credited him with being the own
err of the kindest heart and the
most tolerant soul in the world.
Sondra liked him, though she
did not know why-and she trust
ed him, too.
well, fair l~ady-and how have
you managed to drag John out at
this early hour of the morning p
he demanded, with his boys smile.
Anderson answered for her.
We've been down to see young
Merriman off"
"Ohl-so he's really gone, has
he? ?" Cass raised his brows. "Nev.
err thought he would somehow" he
said thoughtfully.
"Why not?" Anderson asked;
there was a sharp note in his
voice.
Cass shrugged his padded shoul.
ders.
Don't know, dear boy-can't
explain-never can explain any
thing. l just thought it, that's all
Grand morning, isn't it,"
He addressed Sondra, but she
seemed aware of it, and Cass
filled in the following silence with
a little snatch of song
HE told her he loved her, but,
oh-how he lied!
"Oh, how he lied! Oh, how he
lied! -" he broke as suddenly
as he had commenced to say, 'tBy
Jove-that girls got a fine figure,
/. Excuse me, it's worth follow
ing"
And he had trotted off again
before either of them could speak,
riding about as badly as a mar
can ride.
Sondra laughed as she looked
after him.
Il never knew anyone so per-
~sistently cheerfully cheerful" she
said.
Hell break his neck before he's
done," Anderson answered.
He looked down at her.
"Well-shall we go on?"
"Yes."
Sondra closed her eyes, CRATE.
fully conscious of the sun upor
her face.
Her body felt so cold, as if the
storm of emotion that had swept
over her during the last few
hours had taken all her vitality
and bodily warmth with it.
She could not think, was moi
even conscious of pain; it was just
as if something vital had forsak.
en- her, leaving her empty and in.
ert.
1t was some time before Ander,
son spoke again.
rs it too early for lunch?"
"No, I'm rather hungry"
1t was not the truth, but she
was so used to voicing untrue
platitudes.
She seemed to grow suddenly
aware of Anderson's silence anc
she reused herself to talk to him
"You didn't have much oppor.
tunity to speak to Cass."
Not doesn't matter, l know
where | can find him later on"
She said with attempted inter,
est, Il often wonder why you two
are such friends"
Anderson smiled. give otter
wondered myself; we've known
each other a great many years
perhaps that's the explanation"
as it? / shouldn't think so
There are lots of people / have
known all nv life and still cannot