The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1885-01-30
LOVE OR MONEY;
OR,
A PERILOUS SECRET.
Dy CHARLES READE,
Author of "Put Yourself in His Place.
etc, etc., etc.

Author of "Put Yourself in His Place."
etc., etc., etc.
AT inns moment the voice or Colonel
Clifford was heard, loud and ringing as
usual. Julia Clifford had decoyed him
there in hopes of falling in with Percy
good Colonel as to her intentions she
had been running him down all the way;
so the Colonel was heard to say in a
voice for all the village to hear, zeal
Gus is he, and suspiciousp Then you
take my advice and give him up at once.
You will easily find better man and a
bigger" After delivering this, like the
word OF command upon parade, the
Colonel was crossing the turf, yard or
two higher up than Hopes workshop,
when the spirit of revenge moved Bart
ley to retOrt upon his insulter.
lily, Colonel Clifford!"
The Colonel instantly halted, and
marched down with Julia on his arm,
like q game-cock when another rooster
crows defiance.
"And what can you haveto sayto me,
sir?" was his naughty inquiry.
ITO take you down a peg. You rode
the high horse pretty hard to-day. The
Then, of course, it was fixed bayonets
and no quarter.
"Have the Cliffords ever dabbled in
trade or trickery? Coal merchants, coal
beavers, and coal whippers may defle
our fields with coal dust and smoke, but
they cannot defile our honor"
THE men are brave as lions, and the
women are chaste as SNOWY" sneered
BARLEY.
Il don't know about lions and snow.
| have often seen lion turn tail, and
the snow is black slush wherever you
are. But the Cliffords, being gentle
men, are brave, and being ladies, are
chaste."
ooh, indeed" Kissed BARLEY. "Then
how comes ii that your niece there
whose name is Miss Clifford, | believe
spent what this good man calls a
honeymoon, with young gentleman,
at this good mans lmf"
Here the good man in question made
a faint endeavor to interpOse, but the
gentlefolks by their impetuosity com
pletely suppressed him.
Its falsehood!" cried Julia, baughti-
~, -.
you scurrilous cadw roared the Colo
mel, and shook his staff at him, and
seemed on the point of charging him.
But BARLEY was not TO be put down
this time. He snatched the bracelet
from the man, and held itupin triumph.
And left this bracelet there to prove
il was no falsehOod."
Then Julia GOT frightened at the evil
dence and the terrible nature of the ac-
c,lsatiOn. oh" cried she, in great dis
tress, "can any one here believe that [
ain II creature SO lost? have not seen
the bracclct-these two months. | lent
itto-ah. here she is! Mary, save me
from shame; you know am innocent"
Mary, who was standing at the Win
dow in Hopes study, came slowly for
ward, pale as death with her own troub-
lie, to do an act of womanly justice.
Miss Clifford" said she, languidly,
as one to whom all human events were
comparatively inditlerent-"Aliss Cliff
ford lent the bracelet to me, and left
it at that mans inn" This she said
right in the middle of them all.
The hotel-keeper took the bracelet
from the unresisting hand of BARLEY,
touched his hat, and gave it to her.
There, mistress" said he. ~ could
have told them you was the lady, but
they would not let poor fellow get q
word in edgeways." Heretired with an
obeisance.
Mary handed the bracelet to Julia,
and then remained passive.
"A dead silence fell upon them all. and
sort of horror crept over Mary Bart
ley ut what must follow: but come what
might, no power should induce her to
say the word that should send Walter
Clifford to jail for seven years.
BARLEY came to her; she trcmbled,
and her hands worked.
What are you saying, you fool?" he
whispered. 1.-THE lady that left the
bracelet was there with gentleman"
Mary WINGED.
Then BARLEY said, sternly, "WhO was
your cOmpaniOnW
81 must not say"
You will say one thing" said Bart
ley, "or shall have no mercy on you.
Are you secretly marriedy"
Then a single word flashed across
Mary's almost distracted mind-seJ-
sacrifice. She held her tongue.
Cant you speak? Are you wifep"
He now began to speak so loud in his
anger that everybody heard it.
Mary crouched little and worked
her hands convulsively under the tor
ture, but she answered with such dog
gedness that evidently she would have
let herself be cut to pieces sooner than
said more.
"I-don't-know.p
you don't knowp" roared BARLEY.
Mary paused, and then, with iron dog
gedness, "I-don't know"
This apparent insult to his common
sense drove BARLEY almostmad. "You
have given these cursed Cliffords a
triumph over me-" he cried; you have
brought shame to my door; but it shall
never pass the threshold" Here the
Colonel uttered contemptuous snort.
This drove BARLEY wild altogether; he
rushed at the Colonel, and shook his fist
in his face. "You stand there sneering
at my humiliation; now see the example
1 can make" Then he was down upon
Mary in moment, and literally yelled
at her in his fury. go to your para
mour, girl; go where sou will. You
never enter my door again." And he
turned his back furiously upon her.
This terrible denunciation overpow-
cred poor Mary's resolution; she chung
to him in terror. "Oh, mercy, mercy,
papa! III explain to you, have pity on
your child"
BARLEY flung her so roughly from