Show ILI youth AV U t h rides R 1 d s W west S t IDY by ad will irwin ra copyright ur kr will irwin THE STORY SO 80 FAR on fan their WRY way to the new cot conwood gold eold diggings in colo 1 seventies itoe early the rado in n easterner and his gilson ort nr duck buck hayden 11 a veteran partner rolner cintr witness the he holdup hold up of a coach from which the ex lt tage ge box bot la is stolen before the press are sea beaded red oft off among victims are mrs con can the ini holdup hold up and mrs hirs darnaby nc eDeane deane who oln intends tenda to open a restaurant cottonwood gilson meets in handy editor on hla his way barcus to start start tho the cottonwood cou courier rier iriving ielne in town gilson and ayden together purchase a mining claim A thre threatened ateneo lynching lunching lyn ching is averted by the bravery of curls chris mcgrath town marshal becomes disgusted with sold gold digging what with its unending labor a bar and small rewards indio the sudden appearance ot of shorty croly old time partner of duck buck Is not t altogether discon berting mirten to him takes a 1 lob 0 b on the courier and arranges to tall gall his share in tho the claim to shorty ty ills his acquaintanceship with B etli mrs airs deane ripens As the courier grows in power a cavio spirit dalt to la awakened following Follow lne a crime wave which the marshal seems to overlook handy in his demands a cloan up CHAPTER VII continued 9 I 1 read and I 1 realized that marcus bad d outdone himself ills iila literary faults alts and merits alike were as a usual nal thing those of the old time illin ing scamp editor lie ile overloaded his might with words and figures of anech bech he wrote in stock phrases lot it this editorial was waa simple explicit is forceful orce ful and as straight to the point is it a pistol shot it reel recited ted with the cartas irtes affair as a text the present gate lie of cottonwood camp holdups robberies liberles brace faro games and all where here are our schools it inquired where here Is our fire protection does any 1 sensible man doubt that a single alre to in the heart of town would sweep cottonwood tt onwood off the mapa map where Is oar r provision for public health the back k alley of main street smells as loud id as our municipal morals nere acre above everything la Is our pro action alon against crime do the pres fat authorities really want to suppress car r epidemic of holdups and highway y robberies liberles have we here th the e great st camp in the rocky mountains I 1 the e editorial trailed off into the glob des and possibilities of cottonwood and 1 ended with a demand for a mu apal government to replace the allting alsting sting regime of weak inefficient bigit ff 11 I 1 looked up from my reading find add my eyes must have told marcus what I 1 hough its the rubicon I 1 guess said fracus acus rony MRY get me killed in the next rt twenty four hours and here as though the weight had begun to houft lift from m his spirits lie he became his nor mal 1 dramatic self dont give a d n it if I 1 do dle die tie ho chuckled ickler by G d the sooner they kill I 1 me the well clean up cot tallwood tol wood lwood 11 1110 DO longer concealed from myself f that it I 1 loved constance deane loved her with every kind of warm emotion abar if a man can hold toward a wombat albut mostly so young was wag I 1 as a devotee rotee loves his bis saint like one 00 0 sinks by imperceptible degrees under fer at a narcotic I 1 passed gradually into 0 this torturing yet agreeable mad aft B and like a bad patient I 1 fought the 1 ether Accord according lul to the et ethics lites in which I 1 had been reared to a married woman was a thing 00 genteel person so much as con tP IP when it happened I 1 had ard ro rumors of casesi cases ope one abis 1 the news to his intimates in chocked hocked hoc ked tone with which one menis hideous vices for all our reed exteriors we were a tic in tile the circles of my origin cutely lu tely shutting our minds to such facts of life and lessons of experience as a not fit tile the picture we founie foun in our sugary notion fiction somewhere billed bior for you the one Ift aeling eing destiny to lull w bring her down a 0 pa path th you of course she would be ti un alt it was wa s always arranged that way there were soft passages at blell ca the sickly imagination of f youth grew w fleetly sleet lY faint then you were irmild Irr ild ed and afterward but ining on halted there marriage did not liot collie within the scheme of romance first looked d at the facts of this lluent mental entanglement shyly as round 1 I the edge of a door when I 1 had tell tor for less than a week a boarder MIs a barnabas barnabys Barn abys the e presence of mrs deane at that board ra 1 bd ad worked according to the wu jim 11 akers prophecy her S elf unconscious Un Conselo us she was waa balt bait to mra barnab I 1 after ya fishing within two days she be consented consent eo to receive me mrs Ir my laaby took no more M ore transients at evelye for iya dollars a week ruinous rates pose tbt ao d days ay 8 she filled tier her table A 1 Penu anent guests gt ni even yen could e roast boast that she sha shared red with jim baer ker the a best patronage in As jim drew the kind of r man il aln ko in for settled communities goes in with clubs ws so we jil gathered up those ia fort desires for the boink com and society of decent women s 4 dapper clerk nt at the bank michelson Ml chelson chief owner in one of tile the most promising golena cl claims ainis selden the assayer barton the mining broker old pop agent nt for tho the stage bingo company these probably because they gave me most reason for incipient jealousy remain most vivid ald 11 in my memory sirs airs barnaby it appeared sternly erased from her waiting list all other oilier w women omen than mrs donne deane though Iliou gli indeed women of tho the class which any anny respectable boarding houie houge would receive applied but rarely so 90 all threads of converset conver conversation sat foil lit at tile the table ran together knotted them selves in the person of mrs derine denne she lind had the gift of drawing coull clances clen ces tier ery cry roiene reserve backed ns as it was by a sense of vivid ld sympathy scorned to spur the confessor on oil when I 1 think of her is AS alic was in that rosy dawn of a n stormy morning I 1 see her always as she bie sot sat at the head of mrs airs table the lain lamplight plIght drawing flecks of gold from the curl of golden brown hair which tumbled across her shoulder throwing from tier her brows brow a slin shadows dows that could not yell veil the blue glint of her 03 eyes cs blurring to mystery the quick whimsical expressions of tier her mouth month I 1 hear tier her laughter running kg its gamut like a little the delicious pause and drip of tier her voice when she hesitated between syllables and then over that vision rises always the vulgar invidious glitter of sam barton my dawning jealousy jen lousy could find in the conduct of the rest no haw flaw to criticize never had queen more respect never neer saint more reverence than she from this tiny court of hers all except barton ile he glistened did sam barton lits diamond studs and rings his heavy watch charm even his too perfect teeth most of his profession and kind took meals at jim Huffa Huff kerB akers where passed all tho the gossip of the camp in his presence at mrs Barn barnabas barnabys abys I 1 read a sinister meaning when he looked at mrs airs deane hla his expression as I 1 defined it to myself became sinister oily insinuating of course I 1 exaggerated still reviewing I 1 sam barton after the intervening years I 1 cannot say aay that it was all imagination ue ile alono alone plied piled mrs denne deane with open compliment he alone sometimes introduced ideas considered in that time wholly inappropriate to the hearing of a lady khith always caused a moment of embarrassed chill about mrs Barn barnabas barnabys abys dinner table a silence broken only when ft hen mrs deane adroitly turned tile the subject theres going to be an assembly ball I 1 announced one evening as having got the floor I 1 retailed camp news guess ill have to put on a clean collar arid and take mrs deane I 1 there loyb boys got my bid in first I 1 said pop hastily aw no fair it you tried to dance at your age look plumb unseemly 1 put in selden guess gue I 1 will need an assistant said pop eldridge in case mrs deane gives me tile the contract boys why dont we all take her the one surel exploded like a bunch of firecrackers round the table its selfish of me said mrs mra deane but you gentlemen have tempted me beyond my strength I 1 accept its 1 out of the tha crowd F merged constance deane waltzing ing understood though that mr eldridge is head escort escoel SO bo ill go 90 w with ith you yon all mr alc elson and you mr you mr gilson here selden seden and you she rm paused afraid ril rii have to forego the to keep out aup of breasure ble pleasure asure I 1 said trying I 1 feltt but sulkiness the voice my mor drop in to report it I 1 added I 1 and if I 1 control eells exerting 11 ly self may have t he pleasure of 0 ne dance the ball having tant but on the night of with her dinner at deane mrs seen curled event baa ha S ried for the newly cu I 1 lair 11 n of fire 0 lived through a scatter scattering ing ing e S which turned in me a sick ot of persiflage will ku I 1 sulked again 1 told as I 1 walked f uric noly ba to the abey all th 1 the ball COU id go hang lyl that while knowing perfectly that was fi lying to myself and at about ten of in an especially busy evening I 1 dropped a murder story halt half written and took the trail to to odd fellows hull hall couples were waltzing furiously through the mist inist raised by their feet from a dusty soft pine floor two reflector lamps illuminated a background of pathetically sparse evergreen decorations lons tied up with will tiny and sleazy american nags flags in corner an ail orchestra of guitars and violins twanged dreamily out of tile crowd emerged constance denne waltzing she wits in blue brocade rt dress simple for those days the throat opened in 11 laco lace edged eded square to show a bosom boom full yet et virginal I 1 caught my illy breath then I 1 was aware that barton held her in ills his arms held tier her nil all too close for current idelis on oil dancing lie ile was looking down on oil her with what I 1 described to myself its as ills hid vulgar insinuating A surge of blood struck with the force of a tidal wave wae the base of my skull I 1 could have killed barton I 1 hated him because I 1 loved constance denne deane it was ridiculous unprecedented even disgraceful but I 1 loved constance deane I 1 loved now half a n dozen men en arrayed in every description of evening dress swallow balls to blue reefer jackets surrounded her impulsively I 1 started toward the group to claim my dance as impulsively I 1 turned left the ha hall 1 walked back to the courier I 1 could not bear in that moment to see anyone else so much as rest n hand upon her arm I 1 was jealous of barton jealous of the whole world jealous beyond all things of that wedding ring but lying awake that night with the whoops tho the rattle the music of cottonwood flowing in discordant waves through the chinks of our cabin I 1 spawned a rosy hope which became as my stimulated imagination played upon it a reality widows widow a also wore wedding rings I 1 had even read in stories of maidens going to far perilous places who assumed for protection the title and symbol of marriage that was it that must be it I 1 could float away now on the enchanted river of my dreams it did not seem so plau plausible sibie when I 1 woke early for me next morning with the brilliant mountain light streaming through my window I 1 must know an hour ahead of the dinner time which was my breakfast I 1 went over to mrs barnabys barnabas Barn abys and to that tent where mrs deane lodged she tame at my call through the flap faced me with no halt or embarrassment barras of manner not even the touch of an emotion like fear and I 1 realized it was not going to be so BO easy 1 I savi saw you at the ball last night she began it was roost most Interest interesting 1 though I 1 must admit im tired this morning you wild westerners Wester nera are energetic dancers mr allson I 1 why you claim your dance I 1 forced a laugh 1 I noticed you dancing with barton you seemed to be enjoying yourself I 1 said and my ill natured mood must have shown through these simple words for mrs deanes head came up straight and tier her eyes became for a moment serious then they twinkled barton at least has enter enterprise 1 she said you mean if id had the enterprise I 1 began but her laugh cut we me off you are to be punished by not understanding der what I 1 meant mean 1 she said 1 I think if I 1 gave you the chance be very naughty I 1 the charm of her was cred creeping ping over me again like a spell its an hour yet before my breakfast and your dinner I 1 said will you suspend sentence long enough to go with me for a walk that Is if you have nothing better to do mrs deano deane hesitated just a moment 1 I never have anything really urgent to do just now she replied walt wait until I 1 get into roy my things wont you there were suggestive feminine rust lings within the tent before she emerged a little bonnet crowning with blue flowers the glory of tier her hair tier her fingers fluttering like a flock of lovebirds oyer over the business of putting on tier her gloves up from the hill where cottonwood was building its residence district rau ran a shallow gulch wherein no miner had ns as yet found algi of ore no lumberman a tree lurge large enough to be worth cutting even the little brook which had gouged it out from the hills ellla ran unpolluted heavily clean over entanglements entangle ments of and watercress toward this tin na by common impulse of youth and holiday wo we turned she was walking at my right hand tho the single groat great colled coiled curl in which her hair was dressed that morning fell over tier her left shoulder it gave cave out a taint faint perfume which sent my lily blood beating so BO that I 1 could not trust my voice A little shelf of rock guarded tile tho approaches to the troll trail up tho gulch As aa I 1 helped her across it I 1 felt that my own hand nt at the warmth radiating through her glove at tile tho soft yet firm grasp of tier her fingers was trembling she too must have perceived that for suddenly she withdrew tier hand and slipped lightly down into tho the trail tho the very embar of this pulled tile together I 1 controlled my voice and clutched nt at the first commonplace which popped into my illy mind airs ire taylor was asking askier about you last night she was very enthusiastic called you a radiant creature or something like that I 1 think link mrs airs tay 4 1 it wo was mrs deane dean she was wa coming down the th Trall lor or Is preparing to call become at once a member of the elite associating with the wives of the mining engineers A dazzling prospect certain certainly lyl I 1 exclaimed mrs denne deane then suddenly the laughter died from her eyes did mrs taylor tell you she eho was going to call she asked tier her voice a trifle muffled oh no I 1 that was merely my inference only 11 can see that youre elected mrs taylor Is the outward and visible sign like an accolade or a royal proclamation it if she says anything about that to you discourage it mrs donne deane had sla slackened tier her pace im not sure I 1 wish to belong to the camp aristocracy there are so many other interesting things here after all and I 1 may not stay long enough to make it worth while then youre going sooil saoul I 1 exclaimed and my voice in spite of my will was sharp that depends on many things oil oh I 1 must have some of those daisies replied mrs deane I 1 know knew perfectly that she was changing |