NORTH PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE
By KATHLEEN NORRIS
CHAPTER XV Continued.
14
"Martin," she sultl, Impetuously In
terrupting him, "I've got to talk to
you I I've niennt to wrlto It so mnny
times, I've had It In mind ever since
I loft lied Creek I"
"Shoot I" Mnrtln sold, with hlf fuv
orlte look of Indulgent amusement.
"There nro mnrrlngcs that without
any fault on either side are a mistake,"
Cherry began, "any contributory fault,
X mean "
"Talk United States I" Martin
growled, smiling, hut on guard.
"Well, I think our mnrrlago was one
of those 1" Cherry said.
"What hnvo you got to kick about?"
Martin asked, after a pause.
"I'm not kicking I" Cherry answered,
with quick resentment. "Hut I wish
I had words to make you realize how
I feel about It I"
Martin looked gloomily up at her,
and shrugged.
"This Is a sweet welcomo from your
wife!" ho observed. Hut as she re
garded 1dm with troubled nnd earnest
oyes, perhaps her hulf-forgotten beau
ty made an unexpected appeal to him,
for he turned toward her and eyed
her with a largo tolerance. "What's
tho matter, Cherry?" ho asked. "It
doesn't seem to mo that you've got
much to kick about. Haven't I always
taken pretty good caro of you? Didn't
I take tho houso and move the things
In; didn't I leave you u whole month,
while I ate at that rotten hoarding
house, when your father died ; haven't
I lot you have how long Is It? seven
weeks, by George, with your Bister?"
Cherry recognized tho tones of his
old arraigning voice, lie felt himself
ill-treated.
"Now you como In for this money,"
ho began. Hut sho Interrupted hliu
hotly :
"Martin, you know that is not true I"
"Isn't It truo thnt tho Instant you
can tttko care of yourself you begin
to talk about not being happy, and
ho on!" he asked, without any par
ticular feeling. "You bet you do I Why,
I never cured anything nhout that
money, you never hoard mo speak of
it. I always felt that by tho time the
lawyers and tho heirs nnd the wit
nesses got through, there wouldn't be
much left of it, unywayl"
Too rich In her now position of tho
woman beloved by Peter to quarrel
with Martin in tho old unhappy fash
Ion, Cherry laid an appealing hand
on his arm.
"I'm sorry to meet you with this
"sort of thing," sho said, simply, "I
blamo myself now for not writing you
Just how I've como to feel about It!
Wo must make some arrangement for
tho future things can't bo as they
wero !"
"You've had it ail your way ever
since wo wore married," ho began.
"Now you blamo mi "
"I don't blamo you, Mnrtln 1"
"Weil, what do you vvunt n dlvorco
for, then?"
"I don't oven say anything nbout
a divorce," Cherry said, fighting for
Cherry Laid an Appealing Hand on
His Arm.
tlmo only. "Hut I can't go back I" she
added, with a Budden force nnd con
victlon that reached him at last.
"Whv 'can't you?"
"Because vou don't lovo me. Mnr
tin, and you know HI I don't love
yoal"
"Well, but you can't expect tho way
we felt whon wo got married to last
t oi over." ho said, clumsily. "Do you
ftuppose other mon and women talk
ftils way when the the novelty has
worn off?"
"I don't know how thoy talk. I only
know how I fool I" Cherry said, chilled
In- Mm nlil iwnurnllzatlon.
Martin, who had stretched his legs
to tholr length, crossed thorn at tho
nniflPfl. nnd shoved his hands deep In
to his pockets, staring at tho racing
blue water with somber oyes.
"What do you want?" ho usked,
heavily.
"I waat to Uvo ray own life 1" Cher
ry answered, after a stlcfaco during
TERS
which her tortured spirit seemed to
coin the hackneyed phrase.
"That stuff I" Martin sneered, under
his breath. "Well, nil right, I don't
enre, get your divorce!" he agreed,
carelessly. "But I'll have something
to say nbout that, too," he warned her.
'You can drag the whole thing up be
fore the courts If you want to only
cmember, If you don't Uko It much,
you did It. It never occurred to mo
even to think of such a thing I I've
done my share In this business; you
never nsked mo for anything I could
give you thnt you didn't got; you've
never been tied down to housework
like other women; you'ro not raising
a family of kids go ahead, tell every
shop-girl In San Francisco all about
It, In tho papers, and see how much
sympathy you get!"
"Oh, you beast!" Cherry said, be
tween her teeth, furious tears In her
eyes. Tho water swam in a blur of
blue before her as they rose to go
downstairs nt Sausallto.
Mnrtln glanced nt her with Impa
tience. Her tears never fulled to
anger him.
"Don't cry, for God's snko I" he said,
nervously glancing nbout for possible
onlookers. "What do you want me to
do? For the Lord's suke don't mnko
sccno until you and 1 huve a chance
to talk this over quietly "
Cherry's thoughts wero with Peter.
In her soul sho felt as If his nrm was
about her, us if sho were pouring out
to him the wholo troubled story, suro
that he would rescue and console her.
Sho had wiped her eyes, and some
what recovered calm, but sho trusted
herself only to shrug her shoulder na
she preceded Martin to tho train.
There was no tlmo for another word,
for Allx suddenly took possession of
them. Shu had had tlmo to bring tho
car all tho six miles to Sausallto, and
meant to drive them direct to the val
ley from there.
Sho greeted Mnrtln nffectionntely,
although even while sho did so her
eyes went with u quick, worried look
to Cherry. They had been quurrellng,
of course it was too bad, Allx
thought, but her own course was clear.
Until she could tuko her cue from
them, sho muflt treat them both with
cheerful unconsciousness of the
storm.
They reached the valley and Martin
was mngnnnlmous about tho delayed
lunch. Anything would do for him,
no sum; ho wus taking a couple of
days' holiday, and everything went.
Kow waB chopping wood after lunch.
and ho sauntered out to tho block with
suggestions; Allx, laying n flro'for the
evening, simply because sho liked to
do that sort of work, was favored with
directions. Finally Mnrtln pushed her
aside.
"Here, lot mo do thnt," ho said.
"You'd havo a flno tiro here, nt that
rate I"
Lator. ho went down to tho old house
with them, to spend there an hour
that was trying to both woinqn. It
was almost In order now; Cherry had
pleased her simple funcy In tho matter
of hangings and papering, nnd tho
effect was fresh nnd good.
"Girls going to rent this?" Mnrtln
asked.
"Unless you und Cherry como Uvo
here," Allx said boldly. Ho smiled
tolerantly.
"Why should we?" -"Well,
why shouldn't you?"
"Lounng, eh?"
"No, not loaling. But you could
transfer your work to San Francisco,
couldu't you?"
Mnrtlu smiled a deep, wlee, long-
endurlng smile.
"Oh, you'd get mo u Job. I suppose?"
ho nsked. "I love tho way you women
try to run things," ho added, "hut I
guess I'll pnddlo my own canoe for n
whllu longer I"
There Is no earthly reason why you
shouldn't Uvo here," AUx snld pleas
antly. "There Is no earthly reason why wo-
sliouldl" Martin roturncd. no was
annoyed by n suspicion that Allx and
Cherry had arranged botween them to
make this plan tho alternative to a
divorce. "To tell you tho honest truth,
I don't Uko Mill Valley l"
AUx tasted despair. Small hopo of
preserving this particular relationship,
Ho was, as Cherry had said, "Impos
sible."
"Well, we must try to make you Uko
MIU Valley better I" sho said with
resoluto good-nature. "Of course, It
means u lot to Cherry aud to mo to bo
near euch other l"
"That may bo true, too," Martin
agreed, taking tho front sent again
for tho drlvo home.
AUx was surprised at Cherry's pas
slvlty and Bllonce, but Cherry was
wrapped In a sick and nervous dream
unnblo cither to Interpret tho present
or face the future with any courage,
Beforo luncheon ho had followed her
Into her room nnd had put his arm
about her. Hut sho hnd quietly shaken
mm off, with tho nervous murmur
"Please no, don't kiss me, Martini"
Stung, Martin had Immediately
dropped hie arm, had shrugged his
siiouiuers Indifferently and laughed
scornfully. Now ho remarked to Allx,
wim somo brnvado:
"You girls still slecplmr out?"
"Oh, always wo aU do!" Allx had
Copyright by Kathleen Morris
answered readily. "Peter has an ex
tra hunk on his porch; Cherry nnd I
huve my porch. But you can be out
or In, as you choose I"
Mnrtln ventured an answer that
made Cherry's eyes glint angrily nnd
brought a quick, embarrassed Hush to
AUx'fl face. Allx did not enjoy n
certain type of Joking, and sho did not
concede Mnrtln even tho ghost of n
smile. Ho immediately sobered and
remarked thnt ho himself liked to be
Indoors nt night. Ills sultcuse was
accordingly taken Into tho pleasant
little wood-smelling room next to Pe
ter's, where tho autumn sunlight,
Bccntcd with tho dry sweetness of
mountnln shrubs, was streaming.
He began to play solitaire, on tho
porch table, nt flvo, and Kow hud to
disturb him to set It for dinner at
seven. AJIx was watering the gar
den, Cherry was dressing., It was an
exquisite hour of long shadows and
brilliant lights.
Kow hud put a tureen of soup on
the table, and Allx hnd returned with
damp, clean hands nnd trimly brushed
hair, for supper, when Peter came up
through the garden. Cherry had ram
bled off In the direction of the barn a
few moments beforo, but Mnrtln had
followed her and brought her back,
remarking that sho had had no Idea
of tho time nnd was Idly watching
Antone milking. She slipped Into her
place uftcr they wero all eating, and
hardly rnlscd her eyes throughout the
meal. If AJIx addressed her she Hut-
tered tho white lids as If It were an
absolute agony to look up; to Peter
sho did not speak at nil. But to Mar
tin sho Bent an occasional answer,
and when the conversation lagged, as
It was apt to do In this company, she
nervously filled It with random re
marks Infinitely less reassuring than
silence.
"How long do wo stay here?" Martin
cautiously asked his wife after dinner.
"Stay here?" Bho echoed, at a loss.
"Yes," he answered, decidedly. "I
can stand a little of it, but I don't
think much of this sort of life! I
thought maybe wo could all go Into
town for dinner nnd tho theater to
morrow or Saturday. But on Monday
we'll havo to beat it."
'Monday 1" Cherry's heart bounded.
"Martin, Isn't It a mlstako to go on
pretending" sho began bitterly. But
Peter's voice, In tho drawing room, In
terrupted her. "I'll let you know
we'll talk about it 1" she had time to
say, hurriedly, beforo ho enmo out to
them. Ho dung himself Into a chair.
CHAPTER XVI.
Tho evening dragged. Allx had sug
gested bridge, but Martin did not piny
bridge. So she went to the piano, and
began to ramble through various
songs.
Cherry nnd Peter, left at the table,
did not speak to each other; Peter
leaned back In his chnlr, with n ciga
rette; Cherry dreamily pushed to and
fro the little anagram wooden block
letters.
But presently her heart gave a great
plunge, nnd although sho did not alter
her different nttltude, or rnlse her
eyes, her white hand moved with di
rected Impulse, nnd Peter's casual
glance fell upon the word "Alono."
When he inld his finished cigarette
In the tray, It was to linger the let
ters himself, In turn, nnd Cherry real
ized with a great thrill of relief thnt
ho was answering her. Carelessly, and-
obliterating onu word before he begun
another, he formed tho question: "My
ofllce tomorrow?"
"Mnrtln always with me," Cherry
spelled buck. Sho did not glance at
Peter, but ot Martin, who was watch
lug the fire, and at Allx, whose buck
wns toward tho room.
"Como on, havo another game I"
Peter asked, generally, while he
spelled quickly: "Will arrange sail
ing first possible day."
Allx, humming with her Bong, said:
"Walt a fow minutes I" nnd Mnrtln
glanced up to say, "No, I'm no good at
that thing 1"
Then Cherry and Peter were unob
served ugaln, and she spelled "Mart
goes Monday. Plans to tnko me."
Peter had reached for n magazine;
ho whirled through tho pages, and
yawned. Then ho began to play with
tho nnagrams again.
"Can you get away without htm?"
ho spelled.
"How?" Cherry Instantly nsked.
And as Peter's hands went on build
ing n llttlo bridge of wooden letters,
Bhe went on: "Allx to train, Martin
with mo to city, Impossible"
"Glvo him the Blip," Peter spelled
And after a pause ho added, "Llfo or
dentin"
"Difficult to evade," Cherry npellod,
wiping tho words away ono by one.
"Must wait" Potcr began. AUx,
ending her song on a crash of chords,
camo to tho table, Interrupting him
Cherry was now lazily reading a mngn
zlno; Potcr had built a llttlo pen of
tiny blocks.
"I'll go you 1" Allx Buld. with spirit
But the game was rather n lnnguld
one, nevertheless, and when It was
over they gathered yawning about the
mantel, ready to disperse for tho
night.
"And tomorrow night wo dlno In
town and go to tho OrpheuidT' Allx
usked, for the plan had been suggest
ed at dinner-time.
"I'll blow you girls to any show you
like," Martin offered.
Remarking that ho was tired, Potcr
went to his room. Cherry, with only
u general good-night, also disappeared.
to find Allx arranging beds und pil
lows on their sleeping porch.
"Oh, Allx I'm so worried I'm so
sick with worry 1" Cherry whispered.
"He won't listen to me. Ho won't
hear of a dlvorco 1"
"I know!" Allx said, dlstressedly.
"But what shull I do I enn't go
with him I" Cherry protested.
Allx was silent.
"What shall I do?" Cherry pleaded
again.
"Why, I don't see what else you can
do, but go with him!" AUx said, In n
troubled voice. "You are his wife.
For better or worse, for richer or
poorer, till death ' "
It was said so kindly, with Allx's
simple and embarrassed fashion of
giving advice, that poor. Cherry could
not resent It. Sho could only bow her
head desolately upon her knees, as
she sat, chlld-fashlon, In her bed, and
cry.
"A nice mess I've made of my life 1"
she sobbed. "I've made a nice mess
"A Nice Mess I've Made of My Llfel"
She Sobbed.
of It I I wish oh, my God, how I
wish I wns dead !"
"My own Hfo hns been so darned
oasy," Allx mused, In a cautious un
dertone, sitting, fully dressed, on the
Bide of her own bed, and studying her
sister with pitying eyes. "I've often
wondered if I could buck up nnd get
through with It If some of that sort of
thing had come to mo ! I don't know,
of course, but It seems to me that I'd
aayi 'Who loses his llfo shall gain
It!' nnd I'd stand anything people
nnd pluces I hated, loneliness and pov
ertythe wholo hag of tricks ! I think
I would. I mean I'd read the Bible
and Shakespeare, and enjoy my meals,
nnd have a garden " Her voice sank.
"I know It's terribly hard for you,
Cherry I" she ended, suddenly pitiful.
Cherry had stopped crying, dried
her oyes, nnd had reached resolutely
for the book that was waiting on the
llttlo shelf above the porch bed.
"You're bigger than I am," sho said,
quietly. "Or else I'm so made that I
suffer more! I wish I could face the
music. But I can't do nnythlng. I'm
sorry. One knows, of unhappy mar
riages, everywhere, without quite
fancying just what a horrible trngedy
an unhappy marriage Is I Don't mind
me, Allx."
Allx was conscious, ns she went out
to speak to Kow about breakfnst, nnd
to give a Anal glnnce at fires and
lights, tnat this was one of tho times
when girls needed a wise mother, or a
father, who could decide, blame, and
advise.
Coming back from the kitchen) with
a pitcher of hot water, sho saw Mar
tin, In a welter of evening papers,
staring at the Inst pink ashes of the
wood lire. Upon seeing her he got up,
and with n cautious glunco townrd the
bedroom doors lit said:
"Look here a minute I Can they
hear us?" Allx set down her pitcher
of water, and came to stand beside
him.
"Uenr us Peter nnd Cherry? No,
Cherry's out on our porch, and Peter's
porch Is even fnrthor away. Why?"
"Tako a look, will you?" lie said. "I
want to spenk to youl"
Allx, mystified, duly went to glance
at Cherry, rending now In a llttlo fun
nel of yellow light, and then crossed
to enter Peter's room, nis porch was
dark, but sho could see the outllno of
tho tidl figure lying across tho bed.
"Asleep?" she asked.
"Nopel" he answered.
"Well, don't go to sleep without
pulling n rug over your sho com
mnnded. "Good-night, Peto!"
(TO DE CONTINUED.)
The Books of a Year.
The total number of books published
In tho United States during last year
nmounted to 8,422, a decline of more
than 2,000 as compared with tho year
of 1010. When classified thoro wns
shown an Increase In Action, poetry,
geography, amusements, biography
and juveniles, nnd a decline In agri
culture, history, medicine, business,
social and religious. Thera was a
general Increase In the cost of books
during tho year.
Only Two Specimens.
Thoro are two kinds of men those
who do what their wives tell them, and
thoso who never marry, Smart Set,
NEGRO MAKES
TORCH OF SELF
Saturates Clothes With Kerosene
in Cell, Applies Match and
Is Horribly Burned.
New York. A human bonfire sent
thrills of terror through the Tombs
prison. Sylvestor Crockett, a Negro,
Intent on cheutlng the law and life,
and Sing Sing, dovlscd and carried
out one of the most gruesome schemes
to end It all. In his cell at the Tombs,
he first drenched clothing nnd his
body from head to toe with kerosene
and then wound a noose made out of
a handkerchief nnd after tying It so
He Was a Human Torch.
tightly around his neck that it stop
ped his breath, applied a match to his
oil-saturated clothing. Within a sec
ond he was a human torch, the flames
scorching the cell and the fumes
spreading throughout the jail. He
was horribly burned beforo attendants
could extinguish the blaze, and died
In terrible agony.
Tho prisoner wns to have been
taken to Sing Sing to begin a five
years' sentence for an attack on a
policeman.
When Deputy Warden MncManus,
aided by keepers, had put out the
flames, Crockett was a sight that made
even the hardened Tombs guards shud
der. Except for shreds of coat and pants
that had been pasted to the body by
the liquid Are, there was not a bit of
clothing left on tho man. Every bit
of hair had been burned. Even his
face seemed to have been soaked In
oil, for the sight of one eye was
literally burned out and where tho
eyebrows hnd been there were holes
from which hung greenish shreds of
skin.
Tho prisoner had been left in the
cell pending arrangements for his
being finger-printed, photographed
and measured. In his cell stood a
can of kerosene used to clean Ink
from the hands of prisoners after
being finger printed.
Crockett made not a single outcry
while ho was burning.
Rattlesnake Trees Man;
Waits for Assistance
Montlcello, N. Y. Friends of
H. ID. Bnrnum of Brldgevllle,
near Montlcello, were informed
that Barnum was attacked and
treed by n rattlesnake which
made a lunge at him, but only
succeeded In puncturing one of
his shoes. Barnum was on his
way to Denton Falls when the
rattlesnake crossed his path,
only a yurd away. He leaped
for a branch of a tree ns the
snake struck. It struck again,
but Bnrnum had pulled himself
up far enough to get out of
range. With Barnum safe In the
crotch of the tree and the snake
on guard below, he shouted for
help, and J. B. Durmara killed
the reptile with a club.
PIRATE BIRD STEALS RING
New York Policeman Rescues Engage
ment Emblem From Pigeon's
Nest.
New York. A pirate pigeon has
been added to tho dark lexicon of
crime.
Itebecca Bernstein wears her en
gagement ring around her neck. She
placed the shining symbol on a win
dow sill In her Harlem apartment, and
a pigeon, flying to the casement,
picked up the ribbon and ring and
darted away.
A policeman climbed a fire escape to
the bird's nest, found tho stolen Jew
elry and then reported the deed to the
station house.
Girl Held for Slaying of Father.
Bardstown, Ky. A warrant has
been Issued for Allle Vance, fourteen
yeare old, daughter of Charles Vance,
who wns shot and killed In his bed.
Tho girl nnd her mother testified that
just before his death Vance chastised
his daughter brcause she persisted In
receiving the attentions of a young
man-
DAIRY
COW TESTING IS IMPORTANT
Much Prog re co Has Been Made in Re
placing Inferior Bulls With High
Class Animals,
(Prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.)
Numerous examples of tho valuable
work being dono by cow-testing asso
ciations aro contained In reports of
testers of these organizations sent to
the western ofllce of the dairy division
of Uio United States Department of
Agriculture.
According to tho reports, marked
progress has been made In replacing
Inferior bulls with hlgh-clnss purebred
animals. Six of the testing associa
tions of which three are in Idaho,
two In Colorado and one In Washing
ton have reached tho 100 per cent
purebred bull mark, having eliminat
ed all scrub Blrcs from thels herds.
Another 100 per cent association was
added to tho list in January, and sev
eral others arc getting near this mark
The Petnluma (Cal.) association has
only two scrub bulls left. Tho dairy
department of the local farm bureau
of tho county In which the association
Is located has a plan for an annual
purebred bull sale, the first of which
was held several months ago. Young
bulls out of 400-pound dams and older
proved bulls are consigned to this sale
by breeders and by dairymen wishing
to dispose of bulls which they have
used as long as they can In their own
herds. The sale was the means of In
troducing 25 purebred bulls Into tho
county, nnd the association hopes by
this means to eliminate all scrub bulls
from the county and to keep the dairymen-
supplied with good bulls In tho
future. Through these sales It nlso
hopes to open a market for proved
bulls, and so keep these bulls In serv
ice In the county for mnny years.
The tester of the Skagit Valley
(Wash.) association reports that the
last scrub bull has been "discharged
from service." He also says that one
farmer Increased his production by 12
pounds of fat per cow on 25 cows from
November to December by better care
and feeding, and adds that this is an
easy way of getting 300 pounds of
fat more a month without milking
nny more cows.
The bend tester for the Los Angeles
(Cal.) association reports an Increased
Only Purebred Bulls of Known Breed
ing Should Be Used In Bull Assocla.
tlons.
production by tho 8,000 cows In the
association for, December, 1020, us
compared with December, 1010, he
says, means an increase of more than
$30,000 a month.
One herd of 30 cows In Orange
County (California) Increased its pro
duction from 10 pounds of fat per cow
in September to 30 pounds In Decem
ber, largely as a result of the associa
tion. This Increase of 510 pounds of
fat a month is more than some 30-cow
herds are giving nt this season, he re
ports. Another herd In this associa
tion increased from un average of 27
pounds per cow to 41 In six months.
One dnlrymnn in tho association culled
13 animals from a 45-cow herd, and by
so doing decreased his production only
12 gallons a day but saved over $00 a
month.
The tester of the Adn association In
Idaho reports thnt every cow In tho
organization has been tested for tuber
culosis. Every herd In this associa
tion is headed by a purebred bull and
25 per cent of nH cows arc purebred.
REDUCE MILK FLOW OF COWS
Serious Injury May Be Avoided by
Drying Up Animal Some Time
Before Calving.
Many a good dairy cow Is seriously
Injured through poor handling beforo
calving. The best milkers have a long
period of milking. If not discouraged,
thoy will give milk In worth-whllo
quantities right up to calving. All too
often they are encouraged, rather than
having anything done toward reducing
tho flow. The consequence Is not only
a stunted calf, but a freshened cow
that will never give raoro than three
fourths the milk she would were sho
given a six weeks' rest. It Is an easy
matter to dry up a cow. Simply skip
a milking. Milk again, then skip two
mUklngs. Milk again, and then forget
about her. At the snrao time, omit all
grain from the ration for a few days.
There ts seldom any further trouble.