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Show 8 The z. , :: Admirable :: Scarecrow By EDWARD LEVINE (. H24, Western Newipaper Dalon.) TT HAD stood flapping In every wind A for several years. Just a pole, with a man's old suit about It, and a man's old hat nailed to the head, the wooden head of it. An admirable scarecrow. It kept the birds away. It was a work of genius. But It frightened Farmer Qlllls' young wife. She couldn't bear to go near It. She asked OUlls to take it down, and he laughed at her. For the matter of that, many things frightened Bessie Olllls about the lone; ly fann. She had been used to city life, gentler ways than her husband's uncouth ones. And he had forced her to marry him. Some hypnotic power, perhaps. She never ceased to be afraid of him. Frightened to death, she admitted to herself. Even the lonely lone-ly nights when Gillla was away seemed preferable to the nights when he was there with her. That was why she welcomed it when he took a man to help and live In the house young Summers a city boy, like herself. Told that be must get out on a farm If he was to regain his health. He worked all right Farmer Glllls saw to that. "Hell be company for you, Bessie," Qlllls said, with a grim smile, and then she was more afraid than ever of her husband. For weeks she hardly dared speak to young Summers. "What's the matter? Don't you like himr asked Glllls, with his rough laugh. "I brought him for company for you, seeing as you took a turn against me." "I I love you." lied Bessie. Glllls laughed long and loud at that He seemed to take a diabolical pleasure pleas-ure In throwing the twe together. He would drive Into town In the evenings more than he used to, and when he was gone young Summers and Bessie Gllhs would seize the opportunity to talk to each other. What things they found to say I Is It to be wondered at that love stole in between them? They refused to admit ad-mit It for a long time until the evening eve-ning when they found themselves in each other's arms. And they swore never to kiss again; and that night when Qlllls came home he looked Into their faces and laughed and laughed. The man was a devil. He seemed to divine everything. At last he drove them to the point of desperation. They agreed to go away together. It was less their love that was driving them than Glllls' laugh. They fixed an evening when Glllls would be In town, the evening of market mar-ket day. They had two hundred dollarsSummers' dol-larsSummers' earnings. ' Bessie would take nothing but what she had brought with her. All the preceding day they were looking forward to the farmer's departure. They did not sleep that night. And the next morning QIUIs, with bis laugh, announced that be meant to take young Summers late market with him. "You'll Urn how to sell and how to buy," he told Mm, laughing. "Guess you kin spare Mm for the day,. Bessie?" Bes-sie?" The Iwi rirnv off torether In th buggy on the nine miles to tewn. It would be dark when they got back. Bessie and Summers bad bad a few hurried words together. They agreed to wait till the farmer went Into town aeit time. A love like theirs ceuld wait. And all that day Beesle waited In an agony that grew and grew, and terrific forebodings. And every time she looked out of the door her eyes seemed to fix themselves upon the flapping scarecrow. But how she bated It I It grew dark, and at last she heard the sound of the returning buggy. Thankful that the long suspense was ovei, she weut Into the kitchen and began bringing out the dinner. In the middle of It the door opened. Olllls stood alone on the threshold, and laughed. She shuddered. "Where's Summers 7" she almost screamed. "Him? Oh, he's gone away." "Gone away!" Suddenly she saw spots of blood on Qlllls' coat And she ran to him frantically. "Where Is her she cried. The farmer's eyes contracted to mere silts of light. He gripped her arm. "You go look at the scarecrow, Bessie Bes-sie I" he said, with awful malevolence. And It was Bessie who began to laugh yet not Bessie, but only a thing that rocked and rocked upon the chair In wild abandonment of mirth. |
