The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-09-02

stsasn< and her hezrf beat So Il
might be any one OF thousand men
There vas no reason, no reason n fne
xe-id. she told herself xhy Is shonid
be sny particular cneg
Yet. a. Erck would hare Il. i was
John Ashton No. not luck taanrs
rarely fzvurs sBch usez ~ he Al
hat ther have il won By bard en-
lsezyur. aad persistent 1Aiths ana
3oxeed watrhfuiEesS. Luck 4 more
apt 70 b1sfes them. 70 call cut the
forces ia them and show
tire stuff Q: which they are made lie
had tarnei and followed Miss Wander
pool az respectful distance that after
noon be had met her on the street IL
Was getting i&fr. and he had soss1e old
fashioned notions. nos almost oat o.
date, prejadixiAi 70 womans going
shout al night. unprotecfei. uPo:l the
streets. When be saw the lonely d.
rertSon In which she was tending. be
had followed stiil more sesol1tely, for
he knew the character OF the men
along the water front better than she
And who could tell whom she might
meet IN that wrefehed place at such an
hour. When she stopped TO look sea-
vzri be had gone doSn over the
nsarSh. both because be had some in
sfruction to give % his foreman and
because he feared she would die
cover him in turning back. He had
been first to hear the wild, beseeching
cry and TO realize it, purport: to start
out uith q party OF men provided with
lanters. pEanks. ropes = every thing
needfui; to man a boat and rog fierce
r. up the slough. flooded at high tide,
directly to the spot where > human
Iife-ss precious to him-was going
out: 20 throw himself out upon the
mOrass. bracing himself on the
blanks that they had brought. and
finally. like the true knigh; that he
was. To gather the unconscious girl in
his arms. covered with mud as she
was, and wrapping his coat about her
bear her TO the place she called home.
But John Ashton was not the man
to claim any recoInpense for the ser
vice he had rendered. The more ser
ious her peril the greater the risk he
had to run on her behalf. the more
need that he should be delicate and
distant in all his bearings toward her;
that he should try and make her for
get he had ever pressed any claims |
upon her. He woald not have come |
now had he been his own free agent. !,
She saw that the moment he opened
the door. and shrank from her own
thoughts. He surrnised the look upon |
her face and interpreted it in his own
way. So she disliked him so much /
that it CALLED her to think he had put |
her under such obligations. Well,
seIll If he had had the time 10 con-
.ider. il might have been better to
have il left 20 one of the men, or, at |
east 10 have concealed his own con-
nection with il.
you are feeling better, Miss Van
lerpoolgn
There was not note in his voice be- |
gond the ordinary requirements OF
courtesy. She answered him in kind. |
Quite well now, / thank you.
Won't you be seated ?" motioning him
10 q chair.
II thank YOU But he still re-
manned standing, his hat in his right |
hand. his left hand was-iu her
Iancy, or were the fingers clenehed p
hanging easily beside him.
II came" he said. in a matter-of-
TACT way, "about a matter of business.
| tried 10 speak to you on the street
today. You were not willing to
listen. You were right II was not
the proper place" i
You mistook. 1t wasn't that. l
was preoccupied; couldn't have
talked then-with any one" she ex-
planned. hurriedly, in low voice. He
noticed her voice, and did not
at all comprehend them, but went in
q formal, business way:
"a matter of business. | was au-
to conduct some negotiations
with you. They concern the Wander
pool estate
Weak as she was and broken rs she
was she could not suppress little
laugh. only half mirthfully. but wholly
sarcastic. The Nanderpool estate
What had there been of il since she
came in possession of il but an mex
tricable tangle of debt and litigation.
Iapsed contracts and forfeited rights
Now that we have got ready for
work, we are in a position to negotiate
for the tide-lands There are 10 acres
belonging to the vanderpool estate
am empowered To make you the fol-
lowing offer
He drew a paper from his pocket
and named sum which took Miss
yanderpool's breath away. Enough
to restore the lost glory of the Van
derpools. Enough-more than enough
to buy back the old home where her
mother had died and she was born
enough to restore her TO the life of
affluenee to which she had been bred
enough to place her forever above the
reach of the petty privations and
racking cares that had sat so heavily
upon her but yesterday. She raised
herself up on one elbow and looked
at him. Her eyes, always large, shone
with an unusual hrilliance. He
thought her exulting over her res
toFatiOn to wealth and power.
al won't ask You for an answer
now, he said; perhaps you would
better consult a lawyer. May | say to
the company that you viii give your
answer In writing 2"
He was moving toward the door, not
even waiting for her answer, for he
had determined to give her no oppor-
tunity TO refer To the events of the
day He was arrested by a single
word
joint
No woman ever speaks in such n way
40 y lt&AH slit AptN tlpN 1--we, tue
men do not always understand. John
Ashton did not understand. He came
back and stood by her side. looking
down doubtfully into the shining eyes
raised TO his own. then quickly turned
away. He was only man, after all,
and he had some bitter recollections
to steel him against any betrayal of
weakness. Besides. she was a rich
woman now. richer than she had been
in the DAYS when he had assured her
he would have been too proud to ask
her 30 share his life.
John, are YOU going SOP He
understood then; slowly ut first, with
dawnins comprehension of all the
words meant 60 him and 20 her. Then
heaven itself seemed 10 open TO him.
as he gathered her into his arms.
Had any other Nanderpool ever
made oyertures to the man She loved
Would the cheeks Of dead and gone
NsnderpooiS have Redeemed with
modification conid they have wit
messed this shameless betrayal of her
heart Somehow Miss Nanderpool
was SO hspPy that she did not care.
And as for money
d" IL would have seemed like curse