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Show As False as Lovers' Vows-- f I Jack Dalton's Downfall f O By Edward Muscoe Qarnctt. 540yytOt-Vt-Kyyt H The agent of the dingy little station had Just marked up on the bulletin "No. 2 four hours late," and in response to my Impatient request for Information as to the cause of the delay, said he "reckoned maybe they had turned off at the wrong forks." and, with an Idiotic grin, retired to his cubbyhole. It was a gloomy enough prospect at best. A desert of alkali and sagebrush stretched In unnumbered miles on every side. Besides the water tank and station sta-tion there were a few squalid shacks clustered together as If for company, and these sheltered the families of tho half-dozen men that Fato and the railroad rail-road kept at Rocky Point. It was growing dark fast and, after a long day In the saddle, I was tired and ravenous. Visions of a luxurious Pullman and a well-cooked, well-served dinner, the first delayed four hours and the last Indefinitely, only made matters worse. I was amusing myself Inventing Invent-ing new and un-Chrlstlan adjectives and applying them with much vigor to railroads In general and this ono In particular, par-ticular, when the rumble of a train approaching ap-proaching from the opposite direction attracted my attention. It proved to be a freight, and I heard the engineer, as he came from tho station, grumbling because he was to be held until further orders. I strolled back along the line of cars, Idly curious as to their contents. Abruptly Ab-ruptly a man passed me. A lantern on the ground near by gave sufficient light for me to see his face. Instantly old memories were awakened. Evidently the man was a tramp, but despite the dirt and grime, a week's" beard and tho slouching gait, I knew that some time, somewhere, I had known him. And then It came with a rush Jack Dalton and the old college days back East. What did it mean? Jack, graduating grad-uating with high honors at tho head of his class, the beloved captain of the big eleven, stroke oar in the crew, the popular idol of a hundred athletic victories, vic-tories, dear old big-hearted, whole-souled whole-souled Jack Dalton a tramp! Impossible! Impossi-ble! As these memories were leaping through my brain, I was rapidly retracing re-tracing my steps. The man was just ahead of mc. The same breadth of back, the samcf massive shoulders, the same six feet of brawn and bone, surely sure-ly I was not mistaken. Coming up with him I put my hand on his shoulder. He turned on me with a snarl and I saw his hand go to his blouse. Quickly I spoke his name, the old nickname of the class of '91. He shrank back as if he had been struck in the face. Briefly I told him who I was and what I was doing there. Down the track I heard the whistle of the delayed train. Then linking my arm In his and telling him to come with me, I got my traps together and we boarded board-ed the train. Reluctantly he went with me to the smoking apartment of the Pullman, and there far into the njght and long after the other passengers were sleeping, he opened his heart to me, often choking up and sobbing like a child Here's the story as he gave It to me that night. It can be told now. Some months ago the poor fellow wras taken out of a wreck dead, and ho has no relatives alive that I know of. "It's not a long story, Jim, In the telling, tell-ing, but the living of it has seemed like an eternity. For two years I've been like you found me tonight an outcast, a wanderer, a a criminal. I was born and raised out here in this Western country. I love It and I came right back to It as soon as I graduated. You know in our senior year how wo used to talk about the big wo'rld we were soon going Into and the brave fight we were rcolng to make to achieve something some-thing worth while. I was ambitious. I could hardly wait to get the reins in my hands. I wanted fame and Influence with men. I felt I had a. future before me and possibilities In me. That was all I wanted to live for. Father and mother were dead and there were no klnfolk that had any Interest In me or I In them. "Law and politics seemed tho best field, and so I started in the Western town that had been my home to realize the dreams I had dreamed. Success came almost at once. People began to point me out, I was elected County Attorney At-torney and afterwards sent to the Legislature. Leg-islature. Congress was the goal I had set In the near future, and I knew It would be reached. And then, Jim, then tho unexpected happened. Out of a clear sky, without warning, came the greatest influence that had ever touched my life the love of 04 woman. From the outset It was a passion, vibrant, vi-brant, insistent, stronger than I whs. The old, old story that has been whispered whis-pered since time began, but which, I think, had Its source In the lost Fountain Foun-tain of Eternal Youth. To mc It was something pulsing with life, new, fresh, unspoiled, I had never run the gamut of affection, and It made me bare my head and thank God dally that I was olive. Sho had come to our town with her brothers, who had purchased and were publishing the local paper. "Wo were engaged that winter. She was 19 then and we were to be married in a year. In the spring she went East to visit. I wrote to her dally and she to me. I was then having a home built, a home for her. It was in July that she siariea nomo. stopping ior some weeks in a city of the Middle West with relatives. rela-tives. It was from this time that her letters became less frequent nnd that she first began to mention some man who was paying her attention, entirely too much for safety, I should have known, but I believed In her, Jim, I trusted her. God knows how much. "Finally she reached home. At once I felt a change. There was something like restraint toward me. I talked to her about It but she denied that there was any difference and said she loved me as much as always. We went over the plans of the new home together. At times she seemed like her old self, but I wasn't satisfied. The demon of jealousy had already creeped in. She lefused to tell me about the man she had written about, only to say that he had made It pleasant for her during her stay and that was all. One day I came In unannounced and found her reading a letter. We had our firat ouarrel. She acknowledged It was from him. I didn't know before that they wero corresponding. I asked her to !-YYGS-f-0YiYYe-)--f promise me never to write to him again and she gave mc her word. "It was a few days after this that she seit for me and told mo that a girl chum in X whero she had last visited wus to bo married and wanted her to be- bridesmaid, and that she had decided de-cided to go the next day. Again my suspicions flamed Into being but this time I didn't let her see it. In my mind there had rapidly formed a plan of action. ac-tion. I meant to confirm my fears or else set them at rest forever and beg her forgiveness. "The next night she left. 1 followed a few hours later. Reaching the city at dusk I went at once to the address whero she had formerly stayed and where I was unknown. The house war brilliantly lighted, there was much coming and going, and evidences of unusual un-usual excitement. From a servant I li:arned there was to be a wedding at 0 that nlrht at a certain fashionable church close by. and then the truth, tho cruel, crushing truth. The girl I had loved, that I would uladly have given my life for, had deceived me, lied to me, not once but tlmca without number. num-ber. It was she that was golnc from lhat house to the arms of anoth.-r man. "And then I think I wont mad. The Just of murder was on me. I could feel my throat go hot and dry, the muscles grew icnso ann siraincu, mere was a firo here in my breast that consumed me. With It all I felt the cunning of lho tiger waiting for his prey. I was not an invited guest but I would look nice upon the happy pair. The carnages car-nages oegan to come and go. I fol- HZ $os lowed them to the chur ? curious crowd outaid l k L waited until it " eemcS rf5 dropping mto rpacc L tbs W rouched me on the& P& he looked into my WderS x Cered me away. i in a more obwure ,0 to ft was over. They SmL' S & J-mlllng radiant, S a Z her and looked long J? w J sl!4 jf S ed to be sure. 1 hlra- iJ 1 "A carrlase whlrloi .u a hired cab I tolSct S feel my fingers at h 1 x tV laughed aloud to think I struggle and how tl T PCTr 1! Grow weaker and weait-rh redly his eyes would ,, ' frt sockets and h3 Zmt cned nnd protrudlncSdi ' him from me ghay"1. ift1 Strange to ca? : hVllfW violence for ber. It n?n( ft cent though he was "The deoot was 'rwchM s ibl! were present to shower t. 11 rlco and bid them Go" 'iE ver was told 10 go I ) pointed out to him th'at hVJ for a minute down at r,11lrn AH "MuspA1! outsido the rays of light "Ji tl P true my hands did the Wn! Nfioi hato within me. Th"0nRLl J the daath rattle as he Sft and lifeless Into an own tof$ . .switch. Then 1 "That's two years ag0 ju w ill never take me allv 'ri Jm tie difference to .110 1 Wlw hero with you tonfeh, wrecked and I will end UH fiSi but I'm not sorry. God. rd & ?. over again. She-she I've L JP since. Tho papers said shflT51 a convent. :lsi "The train's stopping GojO,a$1i 13 man. lou'vo been 1; nd to EVL4iWc nake of the old days TrytoVj well of mo as you can. ' ff?J7l night! Jak DaItn swun?tflt. |
