en chequered and interesting, and it had given haven to a large number of uncommon people. Unusual happenings had been its portion ever since it had been the rail-head of the Gr

less, although some lawless

s characters to pieces, or gossiping even to the usual degree; yet in its his

d married too young to be self- seeking or intriguing; and, in any case, no woman in Askatoon or yet in the

demned Mazarine so utterly as the coalition between the "holy good people," as Burlingame called them, and himself; and between the holy good people and himself were many who in their secret heart

he way he treats her he ought to be let loose in the ha'nts of the grizzlies. What he done to that girl

Mazarine, to eject him from their communion, because he had raised a whip against his wife; because he had maltreated Li Choo; and because he had used language unbecoming a Christian. They had decided that Ma

as it is called, that something "was up" with Mazarine, and the railway station was the place where what was up could be seen. Therefore; a quarter of an hour before the arrival of the express which was t

y Jonas Billings, marched up and down, his snaky little eyes blinking at the doorway of the station reception-room. People came and some of the

at joke to those who would carry it far and near, together with the news that Louise had taken flight. The last fact, however, was

ed the waiting-room of the station, with a lady on his arm, and presently showed at the platform doorway, smiling and cheerful. He did not b

ncerning a little heap of luggage. When he had finished this, he turned, as it were casually, to Mazarine. Then he giggled in the face of the Master of Tralee. It was like the matador's waving of the scarlet cloth in the

that doorway. I want my wife. You needn't try to hide her.

they touched the sides of the door, and as

im air. Can't you see h

giggle

athy-only aversion and ridicule. Suddenly he snatched his

t a wife shall cleave unto her husband until death. F

ncoming train was he

ly take her away over my dead body," he ground out in his passion. "The Lord gave

troublesome child. At that instant, his moth

e, "Orlando, dear, the train is coming. Let me out. I'

Mazarine, who fell back. The old man now realized that Burlingame had tricke

, try, try again,' Mr. Mazarine

g by, old Moses-not-much," shou

of you, Joel!" sne

where she is, yellow-lugs?"

n, thrusting the Bible into his pocket, he dre

gave way, and hunched up like one in pain, he ran towards the hitching-post where he had left his horses and wagon. They were not there. With a groan whi

the Methodist Church. It was there the two wags who had played the trick on him had carefully hitched the horses, and presently they anno

redth time the story of his conversion, when, as he said, "the pains of hell gat hold of him." Brother Rigby loved to relate the tortures of the day when he w

ad not been able to find his horses at any hotel or livery stable, or in any street. It was at the moment, when, in his distraction, he had deci

had been at full flood ever since he had bade his mother good-bye. A storm of anger had been raised in him. As he said to himself, he had had enough; he had been filled up to the chin by the Mazarine business; and his impulsive youth wanted to

s street cleaning to be done. Now, let me tell you this: you've slandered as good a girl, you've libelled as straight a wife, as the best man in the world ever had. You've made a public scandal of your private home. You've treated the pure thing as if it were the foul thing; and yet, you want to keep the pure thing that you treat like a foul thing, unde

savage emotion which Jonas Billings

s me my rights. It says, 'Thou shalt not steal,' and the trouble I have comes f

o shut her out. After she had lived with you all those years, you believed she lied to you when she told you the truth about that night on the prairie; but her innocence was pro

n, with flecks of froth gathering at the corners of his mouth;

id away. That's why you've sent your mother East-so's she wouldn't know, thou

the West understood that the dark insult just uttered would in days not far gone have meant death. The onlookers exclaimed, and then became silent, because a subtle sen

g to be mine some day, in the right way. I'm not going behind your back to say it; I'm announcing it to all and sundry. I never did a thing to her that couldn't have been seen by all the world, and I never said a thing to her that couldn't be heard by all the world; but I hope she'll never go back to you. You've made a sewer for her to live in, not a h

'll tell her never to go back to you; and she won't. You've drunk at the waters of Canaan for the last time

nt he had swung his horses round. He did not go beyond ten yards, however, before someone, running beside his wa

they are! I know where they are!" He stopped before Mazarine. "Gimme half a dollar, and I'll

lar in his hand, he said: "They're

ts who had driven the horses there. "They're holding a post- mortem on you at t

e shed where his horses were, but aft

en enough? Ain't there

ung it round his head as if to throw it into the crowd. At that moment a stalwart

do you think you are? This is Askatoon, the place of peace and happiness, and we're going to be happy, if I have to

towards the Meeting House; but no, not a