The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1896-02-20
IMPERlHL MILLIONS
By JULIAN HAWTHORNE

out fear of your misunderstanding me
that it interested me. Let me also re
mark at the outset that the rewards yot
offer would not be acceptable to me
even were to become entitled to them
But, as you may easily imagine, my
mind, since our last meeting, has mo-
been entirely at ease; and if were able
to forward your efforts in this affair
should feel justified in hoping that any
hostile designs you may have against me
would undergo some modification. 1t il
for this reason that l address you. dc
not wish to exaggerate the value of the
information possess-it may lead te
nothing. But, at any rate, believe
have come into possession OF something
that may turn out clew; and if you
will call at my house alone at noon to.
morrow will tell you what it is. must
stipulate, however, that you show this
letter to no one, nor intimate that you
have received it, for / will not run the
risk of being forestalled or interfered
with in the matter. You can, of course,
disregard this letter if you choose, or you
can attempt to draw my secret from me
by force: but if you know me well you
will do neither of these things, but ac-
cept my invitation under the conditions
that have imposed"
There might, no doubt, be personal
danger to the count in going to this rem
devious. Sallie Matchin and he were
on terms of deadly enmity, and moth
ing would suit her better than to
have him out of the way. Going alone
to her house he might easily fall into a
fatal ambush; for, perilous though it
would be to commit violence upon a
man of his social prominence, Sallie was
q desperate woman and was capable of
anything.
If he hesitated, however, it was by no
means on account of any considerations
as to his own safety. If he had known
that he were going to certain death he
would still have been prompt to the
nour, prov Iueo Ouiy uIlssU ne wi sss assureu
that Olympia had been placed in safety.
But this was very far from certain. The
"clew" might be merely bait to draw
him to destruction; and his destruction,
SO far from benefting Olympia, might
remove the only chance remaining to
her to escape. And since no one was to
know on what errand he had gone, the
chances were against his fate being dis
covered.
Nevertheless, after weighing all con-
siderations, he resolved to go. It was a
chance, and the only one that had Of
fered itself. Were he to neglect it he
might repent it forever. The only pre-
caution he took was to place revolver
in his pocket, and at twelve o'clock the
next day he rang the bell at Sallie
Matchin's door.
Sallie, of course, was far too clever to
think of attempting to influence her Wis.,
itor by accentuating the seductiveness
of her beauty. She had already expert
enced the ill success of such an effort,
and even had it been otherwise man
in an agony about one woman is not in
humor to be attracted by another, apart
from the question of previous enmity.
But Sallie enjoyed her beauty on her
own account, and took pleasure in adorn-
ing it. So the tiger seems to feel pride
in her glossy stripes and the coral snake
in its gaudy scales. This woman had
never felt so sweet a satisfaction with
herself and her prospect as when she
bade her visitor welcome that day; and
she looked as she felt. At the first
glance there seemed to emanate from
her the pure bloom and freshness
of May itself; but as one looked
more closely he became conscious of
something behind this innocent and
balmy aspect which was as poisonous
and cruel as sin. The rich, glowing
color, the queenly grace, the dark, daunt-
less eyes, the smiling, curving lire, the
sparkle of a jewel here and there, and
certain oriental luxuriousness of cos
tune and demeanor, all contributed to
render. her splendid, pestilential Great
ure. uch as the women of medi8val Italy
might have been, or Cleopatra. There
she stood, like queen in her kingdom;
ana she greeted the count with a smile
Of pleasure SO bright and spontaneous
that. had he been in mood to speculate
shout it, he might have imagined she
was glad to zee him for his own sake.
Il am heartily glad to see you, Count
de Lisle," she said. II thought it even
chances that you lid not come. You
my hands and let the assassins spring
forth upon your" She actually did clap
her hands as she spoke, and at the signal
the curtains in doorway at the upper
part of the room parted, and in came
not band of assassins, but-a pretty
French matchmaking, with the Rus
sian Samovar on tray. Sallie watched
her guest under her eyelashes, but he
did not even turn his head to see who
entered. He was turned to sterner is
sues than this, and Sallie smiled again.
II am here on business" he said, seat
ing himself in the chair she indicated,
"and must request you to conduct this
interview on business basis. You say
you have something to sell that want
to buy. If you prove that you have it
you can name your price"
''Oh, my dear count, you forget that ]
am woman, with all a woman's foibles
and frailties," she exclaimed; "Women
cannot move in straight lines. like bull
lets; they must undulate, like snakes.
Besides, I want to feel that am hu-
man being dealing with another human
being, not one part of an abstract COM
marcial transa ctiop vor yp,,ek ro,,o,o