Mr Jack Hamlins Mediation | Page 7

what it is?"
"No!"
"It's blood," she said gravely; "when that Mexican cut poor Ned so
bad,--don't you remember? I held his head upon my arm while you
bandaged him." She heaved a little sigh, and then added, with a faint
laugh, "That's the worst thing about the clothes of a girl in the
profession, they get spoiled or stained before they wear out."
This large truth did not seem to impress Mr. Hamlin. "Why did you
leave Santa Clara?" he said abruptly, in his previous critical tone.
"Because of the folks there. They were standoffish and ugly. You see,
Josh"--
"Who?"
"Josh Rylands!--HIM! He told everybody who I was, even those who
had never seen me in the bills,--how good I was to marry him, how he
had faith in me and wasn't ashamed,--until they didn't believe we were
married at all. So they looked another way when they met us, and didn't
call. And all the while I was glad they didn't, but he wouldn't believe it,
and allowed I was pining on account of it."
"And were you?"
"I swear to God, Jack, I'd have been content, and more, to have been
just there with him, seein' nobody, letting every one believe I was dead
and gone, but he said it was wrong, and weak! Maybe it was," she
added, with a shy, interrogating look at Jack, of which, however, he
took no notice. "Then when he found they wouldn't call, what do you
think he did?"
"Beat you, perhaps," suggested Jack cheerfully.
"He never did a thing to me that wasn't straight out, square, and kind,"
she said, half indignantly, half hopelessly. "He thought if HIS kind of

people wouldn't see me, I might like to see my own sort. So without
saying anything to me, he brought down, of all things! Tinkie Clifford,
she that used to dance in the cheap variety shows at 'Frisco, and her
particular friend, Captain Sykes. It would have just killed you, Jack,"
she said, with a sudden hysteric burst of laughter, "to have seen Josh, in
his square, straight-out way, trying to be civil and help things along.
But," she went on, as suddenly relapsing into her former attitude of
worried appeal, "I couldn't stand it, and when she got to talking free
and easy before Josh, and Captain Sykes to guzzling champagne, she
and me had a row. She allowed I was putting on airs, and I made her
walk, in spite of Josh."
"And Josh seemed to like it," said Hamlin carelessly. "Has he seen her
since?"
"No; I reckon he's cured of asking that kind of company for me. And
then we came here. But I persuaded him not to begin by going round
telling people who I was,--as he did the last time,--but to leave it to
folks to find out if they wanted to, and he gave in. Then he let me fix
up this house and furnish it my own way, and I did!"
"Do you mean to say that YOU fixed up that family vault of a
sitting-room?" said Jack, in horror.
"Yes, I didn't want any fancy furniture or looking-glasses, and such like,
to attract folks, nor anything to look like the old times. I don't think any
of the boys would care to come here. And I got rid of a lot of sporting
travelers, 'wild-cat' managers, and that kind of tramp in this way. But"--
She hesitated, and her face fell again.
"But what?" said Jack.
"I don't think that Josh likes it either. He brought home the other day
'My Johnny is a Shoemakiyure,' and wanted me to try it on the organ.
But it reminded me how we used to get just sick of singing it on and off
the boards, and I couldn't touch it. He wanted me to go to the circus
that was touring over at the cross roads, but it was the old Flanigin's
circus, you know, the one Gussie Riggs used to ride in, with its old

clown and its old ringmaster and the old 'wheezes,' and I chucked it."
"Look here," said Jack, rising and surveying Mrs. Rylands critically. "If
you go on at this gait, I'll tell you what that man of yours will do. He'll
bolt with some of your old friends!"
She turned a quick, scared face upon him for an instant. But only for an
instant. Her hysteric little laugh returned, at once, followed by her
weary, worried look. "No, Jack, you don't know him! If it was only that!
He cares only for me in his own way,-- and," she stammered as she
went on, "I've no luck in making him happy."
She stopped. The wind shook the house and fired a volley of rain
against the windows.