Adventure Magazine Cover, April 1916 — page 100: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

98 his dory-mate, mind ye, I meant to put him out o’ th’ way at th’ first chance. I tried it several times—’’ she shuddered—“but failed every time, thank God! He never suspected, an’ treated me as his hest friend. Then we got adrift in th’ dory. *Twas my fault, that. I tried to kill him then by p’izenin’ th’ water in our dory-jar. Th’ jar was changed, but I didn’t know it, an’ fur three days an’ three nights adrift I darsen’t have a drink. “T went through hell then, woman, an’ went crazy. I tried to knife Westley, an’ th’ dory capsized. He saved me an’ hauled me up on th’ dory an’ lashed me there. I won’t tell ye any more. I’ve told ye enough, an’ ye’ll please not breathe a word o’ what I’ve told ye.” The look in his eyes frightened her. “Now,” he continued steadily, ‘when West Collins goes to see you, you'll accept him. I won’t have ye, for I don’t care about ye any more. He’s in love with you, an’ believes in you. He thinks you love him. You do—you'll have to! You ain’t a-goin’ to make a bluff like I did. You’ve played your bluff—so did I. I pretended to be his friend. I hated him, but I love him now. He’saman’sman. You'll love him too.” He paused and continued in a kinder tone: “Elsie—my love for you is dead. I’ve changed it for West Collins. He’s a man what’s true blue. He ain’t none o’ yer fancy kind, but he’s all there, and he'll Adventure make ye a better husband than ye deserve. You marry him, an’ ye’ll be happy.” “But, Tom, I don’t love him,” almost wailed Elsie. ‘It’s you I i “Forget it!’ snapped the other. “I have no use for ye. I’m for hookin’ up with Jennie Hooper whom I used to go with for years.” Miss Conover felt a strange pang, and Anderson knew that the shot had gone home. Jennie would have him, he knew, and Jennie was a nice girl. He saw her in the hospital at Yarmouth before he came home, and was sure of his ground. “Yes,” he said, “‘you can count me out. West Collins is your man, and he’s one 0’ th’ best. You'll marry him, Elsie, an’ keep yer promise. Goodby!’ The following announcement in the Anchorville Daily Echo pertains to the story: At the Anchorville Baptist Church, on Wednes- day afternoon, Miss Elsie Conover was united in holy matrimony to Mr. Westley Collins—both of this place. Miss Jessie Theriault acted as brides- maid, and Mr. Thomas Anderson acted as best man. Human nature is a queer thing. Love begets jealousy; jealousy begets deceit and hate; and hate begets murder. Yet in the case of Westley Collins and Tom Anderson, these passions led to mutual respect and abiding love between them. If Collins had known? It is perhaps better he did not. CoOMmichoooks CO