Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-06-03

with glittering eye, and there was that in
| the look of each which said:
81 stand here your enemy till de-"
Neither said it in so many words,
though. The girl at length spoke first,
and she said this
"What have you come here for?"
ITO see you, Miss Alice-what elses"
eff l had known you were here
wouldn't have come In" she said.
IL think you would, Miss Marlay," he
answered, calmly.
She shrugged her shoulders inpatient
ly but did not reply What he said was
true. Birney Graham seemed to have a
who did not like him. The sneer deep
ened in his face again, and he bowed
mockingly.
sion of gratitude, Miss Alice, solely. By
my efforts alone l have been enabled to
send dangerous character to a just pun
ishment, and at the same time to save
your fathers bank no end of loss. l am
sure you must be boundlessly grateful to
me. To hear you say it with your own
lips-this is why'I am here, Miss Alice,
exactly"
He was curiously like flint, cold and
hard as adamant of itself, but with the
power Of striking fire into the heart of
other materials. Alice Marlay flushed,
and then paled again with anger.
did not care much after came to
know him, for him you have hunted
down." she said, in low, husky voice,
although he was an angel compared
to you. l knew of what he had done
before you made it public, and never
would have married HIM, He was but
poor, weak creature, blown about by
every impulse. The man must marry
must be strong man. If you thought
to wound me deeply there, you have
failed, thank God! But hate you, Blr-
ney Graham, as / never thought could
hate any human being. All my world
knew l was betrothed to that man.
This one pities me, that one laughs at
me, another says it is good enough for
me, because thought myself above my
betters. My name Is on the tongue of
every gossip and in the newspapers.
Oh! ! could murder you"
She covered her face and burst into
tears, not gentle, girlish tears, but pas
sionate, burning tears.
"You could murder me-" questioned
Birney Graham coldly. do! Death at
your hands would be sweet"
Alice looked up again, her tears dry.
"But for you," she SAID, "itwould have
been hushed up. What was anything ]
had ever done to you that you should
have Inundated me like this?"
81 have done nothing but my duty"
replied the cold sneering voice of Bir-
ney Graham. my dear young lady,
fear you don't understand law. If l had
concealed your friends misdemeanor
knowing what he had done, | should
have been held as guilty as he was. 1t
is what the law calls compounding a
felony, Miss Marlay. It's really strange,
but ladies never will understand law, l
think"
II never thought you worth minding
before" said the girl in hot, scornful
tones. "But you have caused my name
my name, Alice Marlay, to be on the
tongue of every gossip in this city. For
brought on me, henceforth pursue you
cold, wicked smile, do you? You shall
words, Birney Graham. From this day
forth l shall fight you till die"
A faint, almost imperceptible, flush rose
into his face at last. What had you
done to deserve this, Miss Alice? l will
tell you. Years ago, long before that
little, delicate, blonde face OF yours began
to haunt idiotic young men, the founder
of your race in America, an iron faced
miser, took from my ancestor little
home he had nearly made his own. That
was only the beginning. From that day
down your race has somehow seemed to
eat up mine. Yes, from that day until
the same accursed fate brought me across
your path and caused me to love your
fair face, from the moment l saw it.
That would have been nothing only you
smiled so sweetly on me that it made me
forget that great gulf which the world
placed between US. You drew me on, a
poor, awkward, honest fool, until had
not a thought or hope apart from you,
then you turned on me and laughed at
me. In one moment you changed for
all time the hsney of my life to the gall
of bitterness. Miss Marlay, what had ]
| done to you 10 deserve thisg Was it all
nothing, think yous ! come Of Highland
| blood, and clansman never forgets. Ii
YOU had not done what you did, if you
had not Inundated me and nearly broken
my heart, then / should have spared you
when my turn came. ! have not one re-
gret, understand. If it were to do over
again would do it over again. This is
what | came here to tell you"
She raised her arm slowly, as if it had
| been weapon.
Go out of this nousem she said.
| II.
Somehow Birney Graham never pros
pered. He was not superstitious, Heaven
! knows; but sometimes he half confessed
to himself that Alice Marlay's hate
seemed to follow him like an evil eye
Alice Marlays father was his friend, but