The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1893-01-26

| ing black dress, O. red rose at her
bosom, and her cheeks like arose with
expectant pleasure. Jose gave her his
hand. She clasped it in her own, and
thrilled through to the core.
Never, the poet thought, had he seen
her look prouder, more lissome,
more beautiful. He paused, and sur
veyed her approvingly from head to
foot. "Well, Maisie," he said, with
unfeigned Joy in her beauty, ''you are
splendid creature, and no mistake;
supple and glorious and warm like a
tiger. How good of you to come
across all this way to see me! I've
written you poem, too. I've brought
it here to-day for YOU"
you've brought me better than
poem" Maisie answered, flushing still
redder with delight, in her imperial
beauty. you've brought me the
poet. You've brought me yourself.
What more could you bring meP And
Jose, now, whatever's mine is yours.
am rich, 80 are you. You can free
yourself at last from the milestone
round your neck. You can cast of
the eneumbranee."
OO5O 1OOhCA uOWA upO1 Will a
strange smile, fitting lambert about
his lips. He enjoyed this slow playing
her as he would have enjoyed playing
a noble salmon, darting madly down
stream with the hook in it's nostrils.
Free myself from the millstone?' he
said airly, after long deep pause.
"And why? And for what2 Not sure
ly to go back again, my child, into the
self-same slavery"
A sickening horror came over
Maisie's soul. What could he mean
by this-her Jose, her poet2 Shestead-
led herself by a chair, for she was
still standing in front of him. Her
heart sank in her breast. "Oh,
Jose," she cried wildly" "what
do you mean? What do you
say? And with me, too! Slavery"
Jose laid his two big hands on her
shoulders, and pushing her down I'M
resisted, seated her in a chair. Then
he surveyed her from above with crit.
ical calmness. 81 like you when you're
gone that way" he said, rolling the
words on his tongue. '"The tigress
looks grandest when she fghts-or
despairs. You're as noble creature
as ever saw in my life. It's worth
while wounding you. Your death
theories deserve any culptor's atten-
ton. That attitude, now-ah, what
grace, what revulsion, what hopeless
ness!"
Maisie gazed up at him, appalled,.
In truth and indeed she had met her
fate. She could be heartless in her
small feminine way; but such colossal,
gigantic, egotistic, male heartlessness
as this lay wholly beyond her scope.
She had no strength left, were it only
to speak. She just gasped out family,
in voice of incredulous despair,
"But, Jose, do you mean to say you're
not going to marry meH"
The strong man put one hand on
his hip, poised his head on one side,
drew back a pace, still fronting her,
and looked her over steadily.
Beautiful he said, once more, in a
voice as if entranced; every beautiful
indeed! No painter ever drew, no poet
dreamed lovelier."
She held out her arms to him inn
ploringly, enticingly. She could hard
ly believe her ears. This was CHASTITY
incredible.
"Oh, Jose," she cried in an agonized
burst, "would you kill me? Would
you kill me? But you're only in jest!
You do it to try me. You mean in
the end, of course, to marry me?"
But Jose looked hard at her still
with that cold alarming smile of his.
Truly he was right in what he had
said to her at Washington: he was the
complement of her kind, the male of
her species. And the male is always
more terrible still and more deadly
than it's mate, because stronger and
fercer. He watched her throes, all
attention.
"Marry your" he repeated lowly, in
a deliberate voice. "Ah! marry you?
Marry you? ...... ...... Well, Maisle,
it's bad for a woman to act on her
own responsibility too much, with
out advice sought beforehand from her
natural affinity, the born lord of her
being.
The penalty of failure for her is a
very bitter one-to lose his compan-
ionship for life, which might other
wise have been hers if she'd acted
more wisely ...... ......You've man.
aged this matter clumsily, my child,
you've managed it clumisly. Regard
for my own position, if nothing else,
makes me unwilling to go with you
quite as far as you wish .... .......
You see, 1 cashed that cheque at
Washington in person. Now, if only
you'd told me what you meant by it,
in full. I'd never have cashed it my
self. I'd have waited patiently. But
it's all spent by this time of course
cigars, hotel bills, champagne, the
opera! l enjoyed that week no end.
And our little Dreams over IF /
married you, after that, and anything
strange came out, why, of course,
you must see for yourself I'd be com.
promised = seriously compromised.
And being man who could marry
any woman ! wanted, il | cared to
give up my freedom once more,--well,
uot to mince things to small, or give
fine names to plain actions, don't
care to compromise myself even for
shape like yours, by marrying a wom-
an who's poisoned her motherl"
Maisie heard the words as in a
dream,-those awful words-those
true, true words-those words of the
cruel, INSCRIPTIONS man who had
pushed her to her crime, but who was
nevertheless the instrument OF
Heavens vengeance against her. He
hadfound out all. Hehad OWNED it
by in tuition, just becauseh he was like
her. Her cheek grew deadly white. Her
jaw dropped slowly. She answered
never @ word. She just gazed, and
pazed, and gazed OF him like an. idiot.
The poet was. really quite sorry to
see how her eye lost fire, and her face
lost vividness. She was beautiful
creature once, what pity this short
interview should have changed her as
If by magic, at single blow, into an
expressionless imbecile!
And now, in the Nebraska State
Lunatic Asylum there are two vic
Tins of Jose Mansfeld's treachery.
THE END.
AFtful DOdQinQ.