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14
02 Life's Influence.
In tho depth of the gulrh It was
Btlll dark. Along the topmost rid gen
of tho hills facing the east were faint
traces of the coming day.
All tho houses In tho gulch were
quiet and dark, except for the hotel
and saloons. They wero never either
dark or quiet. One "all night restaur
ant" was dimly lighted and a China
man, small and wizened and yellow
stood with folded arms gazing Into the
muddy street.
The air was good, it was full of
spring and the sweet breath of plno
trees.
The hotel door opened and two men
stopped out. They stood just without
the floor, leaning against the building.
"Pino night, Mac."
"Humph!" the other grunted. f
"How's the coach, on time?" the first
one ventured.
"Yep,"
"She ought ter be 'long dircetly." he
paused and listened. A faint rumble of
something could be heard down tho
gulch. "Thar Bho comes. I'd better
hit for the stable." and he wns off In
tho dim, grey darkness.
The other waited until tho big lum
bering Tally-ho, with six horses, drew
up In front of the hotel. Then he
crossed the narrow sidewalk anl
opened the coach door. A woman
Btepped out of the black Interior. She
was the only passenger.
"Step right InBlde, Miss." he said.
"I'll lug the bag."
Thank you," she answered pleasantly.
"That a hot load o' passengers yp
brung me," ho called to the stage driv
er. "BeBt I cud do, Mac. Too many In
juns down the line. They'B all skeered
out," and with a crack of his whip
ho sent the stage lumbering up the
street.
Mac went InBlde. The woman, or
was she a girl? stood leaning against
the office desk. Mac went around be
hind this and handed her a pen and
polnte'd to the register. She took the
pen and hesitated a moment, then
wrote Bimply. "Merlam."
Mac looked at her an instant.
"Merrlam whatf he said gruffly.
"Just Marlam." she answered, and
her eyes dropped.
"Umph! Hey boy! Show tho lady
to No. 1C."
PART II.
The house stood well back from the
dusty street. It was a two-story house,
large, square and whlto, Bhaded by tall
cnestnut and tulip trees so that tho
sun rarely, found it. The grounds were
lergo and well kept. Neat walks bor
dered by beds of mignonette and flox,
led here and there. Everything was
quiet and peaceful.
A tall, lithe, young man sat on the
railing which ran around the deep por
tico of tho house, smoking a cigarette
and lazily watching the thin rings of
bluish smoke Hbo slowly In tho humid
atmosphere.
John Wait was known throughout
tho Httlo village of Orovillo as shift
less. His father was well to do through
speculations in oil; his mother wob
dead and his ono sister shunned him
because of the company ho kept. So he
kept his fast companions, gambled and
drank with tho best of them, and lost
largo sums of hfs father's money on
horse racos.
He Tiad not always been this way,
and his "going" had been gradual. His
mother was a southern woman of groat
beauty and charm and an affection had
existed between her and her son of the
deepest and most beautiful nature. She
had been taken from her family sud
denly and John was completely broken.
HIb sister's grlof, after the first heart
ache, had been expressed entirely by
her black attire. His father was a
man of few words and had little in
common with his children. Beyond
suppling thorn with money and a
homo, he did little for them.
John after his mother's death turned
first to his father, but his offers and
appeals for sympathy wore met coldly.
t Hia sister was of her father's tem
perament. - '
Gradually he drifted away from the
life his mother had taught him. HI?
. heart was hardened by constant rebuffs
and Jio sought new scenes and pleas
ures In tho bopo of finding forgetful
cce. ,
A be rtt op iW porch that July
morning tho words of his father, who
had just left him, kept ringing in his
ears. "You'll turn over a new leaf,
young man, or I'll give you your al
lowance of my money and turn you
out of here. Understand, sir; no One
can live under my roof and act as you
do."
John had not answered h I in and his
father had walked slowly away.
He sat silently smoking for over an
hour At laBt, throwing away the
stump of his cigarette he stood up and
stretched himself.
"Well, I snppose I'd better decide."
he said, yawning.
He diew a coin fioin - his pocket.
"Heads I stay, tails I go," he said
softly. The coin glittered In the air
a moment, then dropped to the floor.
"TnllB up."
PART III.
Many New Store
Things
TO BE SEEN EVERY DAY NOW
'We're ull good, rollcklng fellowB,
We're all good, rollcklng fellowB,
We're all good, rollcklng fellows.
And drink the best on call."
"Oh. come. You fellows forget that
you never Hang In grand opera, and let's
get bomethlng to eat. I'm starved. "
The two who had been singing
linked arms with the third, and they
moved on up the street.
It was a moonlesB night, but the
stars were brilliant and the blue of
the heavens was deep and dark, but In
the depths of the gulch the night was
black, so that the light streaming from
the windows of an all night" restaur
ant" ras visible a long way off. To
wards It the three young men wound
their way.
"Now, John, my boy, being that
you're now here, and bo la she, I want
to tell you about her."
The tallest of the three was speak
ing and talking to the one In tho mid
dle, while the one on the farther side
was smoking a cigarette and still
humming softly
"We're all good, rollcklng fellowB."
"You see, I'm the one that got you
started towards this 'fairy' tonight, by
bringing you along to get something
to eat, so I want to give you fair warn
ing. Oh. my boy. she's a stunner. She
has the?yes that do the work, put the
blinders on Johnnie before you look
at her, or you're Biire a gone one."
"She came In on the btage a few
weeks ago, nobody seems to know, ex
actly where from, and registered at the
lu.tel as 'Marlam," that's all Mac could
get out of her. A woeiw- after she came
she went to work waiting table for
Sing l.t'o and she's been at it ever
since. When she first started she was
pretty green. I guess this is her 'de
but.' You wait till you see her, John
say I didn't mean that as a pun on
your name. John Walt's too good a
name to bandy about. But hero wo
are. Now, Harvey, my boy, you'll have
to loose that Httlo song of yours. That's
right, 'cast' It in the gutter with your
cigarette "
"All right, Prince. But here," he
plucked the other's sleeve and pulled
him Into the shadow.
"Can you work any money out of
Walt?" he whispered, hurriedly. "I'm
dead broke. Is he Mohhnle Wise,' or
can you spiing some of the old grafts
on him. Steer him down to Bunc.
Jim's crap game."
"I'll try -it, little one.v the other re
plied, and pushed him into the restaur
ant ahead oThlm. Wait was already
within.
The three seated themselves at a ta
ble facing tho swinging doors at tho
roar of tho rather long and narrow
room. These soon opened and tho girl,
Marlam, "came through Into the dining
room. Walt looked at her first care
lessly, then noticed her closely, as she
came up to them.
.She was of modium height, rather
slender; dresed in a tight fitting gown
of plain, dark blue stuff. Her hair
was combed back from her forehead
plainly, and done In a Blmple knot
low down on her" neck in tho back.
It was a reddish brown in color, and
there was much of It. The face was
round and full, and the deep blue eyes
hold a questioning, patient, hopeful
look. ThO mouth was small and deli
cate. Tho noso was long and straight,
thq nostrils dellcatoly formed. In every
senso tho faco was roflned.
Sho looked up and caught Walt'c
Blanco, held it an instant and then her
ycs dropped and she flushed slightly.
Wait looked down and shuffled his foot
uneasily. His own faco was pot pale,
.fjho took their orders in silence and
left them.
5' "Woll, Joint, wbst- ttalntoet' thou,?0
Girls will 1)0 Interested in the beautiful spring embroideries that
have JiiBt been opened. Fine Swisses for summer dresses: Cambric-',
and Nainsooks for fresh muslin underwear.
Many New Ideas
in Embroideries
Wide corset cover embroideries have been carefully looked afirr
tills year, and can be had with one or two rows of beading
Many of the fine Swiss patterns imitate hand work of various
sorts Tenerlffc wheelB, Battcnburg stitches. Tatting edges, and lluit
style of embroidery whcic open-work braid In applied and but I on
holed around. Llttlo hemmed edges, hemstitched with n band of
fine embroidery above will bo used for turnoveis.
Bands with both edges hemmed and hemstitched are for shlit wairt
plaits and cuffs.
A wido flounce embroidery has two rows of Inseitlou woven in th"
samo piece.
Medallions of all sizes and shapes are here.
Embroidered shirt waist fronts are arranged with either plain
embroidered plaits.
Beautiful sets of embroidery consiet of several edges and lnsei
tlons of various wldthB.
Ask to see a morning glory pattern, a natsturtlum leaf pattern,
wheat pattern.
Special Prices on two lots of Swiss and
Cambric Embroideries.
MILLER & PAINE
Prince asked.
"I don't think, I know. She doesn't
belong in a place llko this. I'd like to
know more about her, and Qad! I will,
too; even If I have to ask her."
PART IV.
To the Inhabitants of Woldron very
few things appeared strange. They
asked no questions of you ajid wished
tho snmo courtesy shown them. Of
course, there were mcnwho lacked
these niceties of understanding, but
they wero not considered legitimate
representatives of the town.
Two men who fell without the pale
wero Prlnco and "The Little One," as
they were known. They dressed well
and were good to look upon, but that
was all. Thoy gambled from sun up
till moonset, no one knew when thoy
slept,, much less cared. Where they
camo from was an equal mystery;
thoy simply "came," and "were," that
was-sufficient.
To the class of men who were famil
iar with them, .It was a source of com
ment that a fellow of the seeming
character of John Wait should have
dealings with the pair. Strange as it
soomod, a close intimacy grew up be
twoon the three. Prince and "The Lit
tle One" wore not roflned, while every
thing about Walt was.
Moreover Wait and Marlam become
great frlendB. They were often seen
together and seemed happy in simply
being with each other.
Not ono word Ijad been said against
Marlam sinco sho came. To such men
as Prince she gave as he expressod
it, "the marblo stare." Prince's vo
cabulary was a wbnder in ItBelf. He
was not a profane man, gambling had
taught him a different lesson.
Wait did nothing hut run through,
as fast as possible, the money ho h,ad.
Ho dften wondered, to Princo, what bo
1 would do wbojij.Jt au bno, a.nd wopld
receive tfje reply, accompanied by- a
suggestive shrug of tho shoulders:
"Don't give up the Bhlp!"
"That's no answer, " Walt retorted,
one day. "I'll answer it for myself.
I've got to go to work."
"Oh " Prlnco diawled. "The
girl's after you. Yes?"
"That's none of your business'
Walt flashed back, and walked "dff-"iJp
the street.
"I see I'll lose you pretty soon,
honey," Prince mused after him, "butA
I'll floeco you of every cent you've
got befoio Bhe gets you. Ah! There's
'The Little One.' "
PART V.
Prince and "The Little One" sat in
a small room which opened off tho rear
of "Jim's Place." There wore a table
between them on which rested glasses
and a bottle. Prince was speaking
earnestly. "Tho Llttlo Ono" drummed
on tho table andBttiokod.
"I guess tho game's up, 'Little One.'
I'm afraid our gooso with tho goldon
egg has flown the coop. When it cornea
to dealing with women llko that
Marlam, I'm out. Shors one too many
for mo. You see Walt's known her
now for three months, and for the
past two he's been with her every day;
he's got it bad, and from what I can
see, I guess it's mutual. I can't dis
count her Influence."
"Well, did ho shake you for good?"
tho ot'her demanded.
"I guess he did. Tld mo that our
Interests w;oron't In common any more,
that he'd at last como to his' tenses.
Said ho was much obliged to you for
the lessons wo taught hinf. I told him
to keep the change."
"I rockon ho did' drawled "The Llt
tlo One." Princo smlle.d and drained
the bottle on the table und tho two
sat In sjlcnco for some minutes.
'vVve boon ln'tb'is camp about lone
bno'jjh.- don't you" thlh'K, 'Llttlo OuoV
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