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Show ooooooooooooocoooocooooooocooooooooQooscocoaoocooocr H h Darkest Just Before Dawn H b By Matt Keating H Her father was dirad haJ been killed In tho railroad yards wbllo coupling cou-pling cars at JGO per mouth. Her mother also was dead having spout tho small life lusumucu money In a heart-breaking dressmaking venture for which sho was eminently untitled, and then succumbod f) pneumonia. So Nina was left alone to work out tho problem of life and In Its work-lug work-lug out shu had finally landed In a department de-partment store as "saleslady." True, the salary was not much only four dollars per week but to her It was untold riches, especially when sho reflected re-flected uKin the status of Iho other girls Jessie, Maud and Kthel and countless others who were getting only threo dollars for work much moro abhorrent. ab-horrent. For bo It known Nina was In tho stationery department on the first lloor, which was comparntlvely well ventilated, and sho served people who bad somo sort of nn Idea as to whnt they wnnted, wlillo Jennie nnd Maud wero In tho bargain notion do-pnrtment do-pnrtment In tho stuffy, Ill-smelling basement, whero women shoppers, knowing cot what they wantod, el-bowel el-bowel and fdughtafor a vantage ground from which to paw over tho stock; and Kthel was tinder tho sidewalk side-walk In a sort or tunnel which tho store had stolen from under the street, wjioro sho mechanically bunded out tncks and nnlls to pcoplo who had pursued pur-sued them to this growsomo lair. In tho mcnntlmo Nina was living with a half-slBter whose husband received re-ceived 150 per month for nailing covers cov-ers on boxes lu tho shipping department depart-ment of n great wholesalo houso. On this lncomo ho supixirtcd his wife and four ptllld children, who never had seen green things grow nor smelled fresh country nlr, Tho charged Nina two dollnrs n week for hor board and cot under tho stairway and thought It was great luck to get It. Then she paid 00 cents a woe car fare, ten rents n weok for her dura to tho Salesladies Union and ten cents per week to tho Medical Aid and Hurlal association as a w t of Insurance In-surance against slekneeH or doiith. Bho was dm en to thin latter extra vnganco by tho gloomy forebodings of her half-sister half-sister and hor husband regarding her IkmhHiIo, Indeed probable Impending sickness and death, the query being, "Whole's tho money coming from to, take cure of you mid bury you?" Tho nstuto mathematician tiiu easily figure that Nluu hail 1. 10 per wick with 'which to clothe herself nnd buy Ico cream sodas and chowlng gum. It was nut n hilarious life. In tho meantime she was growing' tlilmwr and paler and more tired every week. It would have Ik en plain to nny , Intelligent portion, wore such Interested Interest-ed In her, that sho would not last long In si.ch environments. About this time thuro was another addition to her sister's family, and her brother-in-law, being pressed to extremities. Informed Nlua that ho would huwt to raise tho price of her loan! to three dollars r week. This was a sUiRKcrlng blow to tho girl, already carrying far more; than her fnlr share or burdens All day long in the hot, stilling store sho blooded mer It, wondering vauel how In the world sho was lo got along ut all If sho handed ihreo preolous dol-1 lars io hor btoiher-ln-lHW each week. ' And then there was that muslin dress ! hho had been coveting boflenely ror so' many months ami nearly uttalnod.too. j Or course that must bo given up. and nil tho other nice things or lire. Hh ' must hereafter toll on ondurliigly with ' only the hope of paying h'er brother I in-law for her board and lodging and I money enough over to pay ear faro. Conimiinlujc thus, heart-broken and hick with fear, sho stuBgonsI forth from tho store to catch her ear home-homo, home-homo, oh! whnt a tntvosty on tho word a dismal, squalid tottago. filled with the walls or neglected children, the timplilnlngs or an overworked wire, and the wirdld demands or nn Incom petent muster. Her cup Indeed wsis full. Tfce gong or a street oar clanged fiercely Just beroro her. ond nwakoned hor Irom her rowirlo. She stepped quickly hack and round hemeir directly In the path or an approaching spirited team or blacks, tho rontrol or whom tho drler seemed to hnvo lost To go rorwaid wns to meot certain Jeath un-der un-der tho Iron wheels or the street ear; to remain was to rail benentn tho hoors or tho horses. On top or all hor stren- uous montal ntroln Nina collapsed ond yank to the ground In n swoon. A cry or honor went up rrum the passengers on the electric tar nud from the iiedcstrluus on the sldawnlk, alt of whom expected to sco the girt iH mnuixlca to death beneath tho Iron- HH shod HH Even as tho gasp or emotion and HH sympathy went up, howover, n tall, HH nthlotle. figure, clad In tho unmlstak- HH nblo habiliments or tho west, swung H from the car, nnd, with tho precision ot HH tho trained horseman, grasped tho H rearing horses by tho bridle reins, nud HH with tho strength and knowledge ot H tho plains threw them sideways with HH a forco which made them swervu In H nearly a hi.t circle. Tho carrlago H barely touched tho unconscious form HH or tho girl us It swung around. HH A eecond Inter tho big man under HH j tho slouch hat had the girl In his HH arms llko sho was u baby, and was HH striding toward tho corner dnig s'oro H at a pace which would havo ma do an H ordinary man run to keep up with HH HH It developed that the fainting fit HH was not serious at alt, and was duo H wholly to rrlght und to the ncnuun HH strain tho girl had been under. Thoro H was no physical Injury at nil, and she H soon recovered. HH Tho tall stranger, however, Insisted Hfl on taking hor homo In a cnb-sho had H novor been In n cab before and when HH ho paid tho cabman ho pulled rroui his s. HH liisldi) ixickot n roll or bills which HH mado Nina gasp, in nil her life sho HH had i.over seen so much money. HJ Nina thanked him with an ex p res- H slon In hor eyes that made his heart H beat taster than It ever had thumped H lu nil his lire, and emboldened htm, HH to tsk her ir ho might call on the fol- HH lowlnu evening and nsi-erinlu ir there HH wero uny bad enects or tha accident. H "My nam.) Is Thad Hunker," said he, H bluntly. " live In Oklnhninn, and M cuuo l.aro with a row carloads or cat- HH tlo. Hild 'cm at a thuiidorln' gooil HHJ I prlco, nnd thought I would stay iver H a day or two und seo the sights, i'm HHJ all-Una glad I did, Yuiio there dldn : HH seem io bo nobody alsiut who knew n HHJ blamed thliia; uliout a horse and you'd HHl been nil In In about a minute." HJ Ho ho called the next night, causing HHl nlmovt ns much surprint to Nina's HJ sister mid her husband and the vurl- HH oils thlldreu nh the tali had eaused tho H night More. There was a wheoxy HHl nud puffy old luolodlon lu tho stufly 'HHl llttlo K,rlor. and Nina played ror .Mr. ' H Hunker. Her playing was very Imllf- HH fereni, hut Thad thoiight It was tha H grandest music ho had everheurd.niidn HHl groat in-Hlro ramo over him to buy n HHl brnud-iiew melodloii mid ship It to hln HH lonewiiue home In Oklahoma, nud then H earry Nina along with him to play It H ror him forever. What he did, how. HJ ever, was to Induce her to lay off from her iork on tha following day and HH show him the mysterlw or tho park. H It was a iiHl-letter dny In Nina's HH life lu more ways than one. lu the HH II rst plsiii she had never laid oft from work oil a week day slnte shu lould H remember. Nor had she ever liwn H iii r ltd alKiui by u man; nor had sho HHl ever leeu treateil to such i fine dinner H in m lino u rHNtMiiraut In fact, never H hud inLiiey been sniit for her persoiial HJ plisiaiiro HHl Hut the great thlnt; was when ha HHl nsked her to marry him and go to Ok- HH Inhiiiiw with him -naaurliiK her that HH lie hud two MH'ttoii or th i land H In the territory all umkr tiiltlvatlun H nud imld lor, plenty of cattle ami H mousy In th Imnk. HH Ami sho pluiwl hr ha ml In hi HH and turned to him H race m wonder- HH fully transroimtNl by ike thrill ot n BH new imotlon, by lmpplkM. hy reikr H from the dreadful Iwrilen of wirdld- HHJ iiuwi-ni trHiisrorBwd, In fact, that ho H scurtely rec.HiuUed it as UokiuglRB to HH the wan girl h hail puked front nn- tHJ dr tii horum' feet HF; Weiterners' ways are Hilar, and flK Thad Hunker lusUiod thai they should HHi lie mairltMl tfie next day and leave at Hfl once lor boiiie. us he wuutsi to kuuw. (HI "by glnaer. what ilim i.Umed boys H are ihiin to the uittlt)." And beHt( u HH hlK. dominant westerner, he had his HH way. I'eiore they muttht the prai)wr H tin next day they wm io a WHlo HH store and Thai) bouaM U m.t . HH lieusive iielodlon In the place and bud HH It shlpiwd by expreMi. "wi it will . HH there by the time we mK there, by HH Klngtir." said he. f HH And tinder euuntry nkles. with am- H pie country fare and sirrwinded by HH love and repet, the nM imn,- to Nina's face ami the imulo sng all the lin.o In her hrt-nd she worked o hard on tha metodkin that aftar a time she eonW rally py nry as well m her huhH tUoerht she rouJ. HHl (CiiyrUU. V (tan, t. u.ij H |