"Mr.Cory told me my husband was drinkin' and wouldn't know about it, and, `Besides,' he says, `what's the odds?' Of course I knowed there was trouble between him and Mr.Fear--that's my husband --a good while ago, when Mr.Fear up and laid him out.That was before me and Mr.Fear got married; I hadn't even be'n to Canaan then;I was on the stage.I was on the stage quite a while in Chicago before I got acquainted with my husband.""You were on the stage?" Ariel exclaimed, involuntarily.
"Yes, ma'am.Livin' pitchers at Goldberg's Rat'skeller, and amunchoor nights I nearly always done a sketch with a gen'leman friend.That's the way I met Mr.Fear; he seemed to be real struck with me right away, and soon as I got through my turn he ast me to order whatever I wanted.He's always gen'lemanlike when he ain't had too much, and even then he vurry, vurry seldom acks rough unless he's jealous.That was the trouble yesterday.
I never would of gone to the Beach if I'd dreamed what was comin'! When we got there Isaw Mike--that's the gen'leman that runs the Beach--lookin' at my company and me kind of anxious, and pretty soon he got me away from Mr.
Cory and told me what's what.Seems this Cory only wanted me to go with him to make my husband mad, and he'd took good care that Mr.Fear heard I'd be there with him! And he'd be'n hangin'
around me, every time he struck town, jest to make Mr.Fear mad--the fresh thing! You see he wanted to make my husband start something again, this Mr.Cory did, and he was fixed for it.""I don't understand," said Ariel.
"It's this way: if Mr.Fear attacted Mr.Cory, why, Mr.Cory could shoot him down and claim self-defence.You see, it would be easy for Mr.Cory, because Mr Fear nearly killed him when they had their first trouble, and that would give Mr.Cory a good excuse to shoot if Mr.Fear jest only pushed him.That's the way it is with the law.Mr.Cory could wipe out their old score and git off scot-free.""Surely not!""Yes, ma'am, that's the way it would be.And when Mike told me that Mr.Cory had got me out there jest to provoke my husband I went straight up to him and begun to give him a piece of my mind.