The Winslow mail., 1901-02-21


like beggar. Is it crime to love
you?"
mo, Mr.. Chatham" said the girl,
more gently, sit is not a crime to love
woman; but it is at least a serious
blunder to adopt the method you have
selected of showing your affection,
and it is certainly not generous to
force it upon her rs you are doing"
"What else can [ do?" he repeated,
doggedly. Here am I suddenly
obliged to leave New York for a long
| time-perhaps forever-and unable to
get single word with you. I called
yesterday morning and was informed
| that you were at that artist fellows
| studio. Then [ wrote you a letter,
asking for an interview, and [ left it
there for you myself. The only notice
you took of it was to give instructions
to your butler not to admit me if I
called again. 1 cannot go away like
| that, without a ray of hope to tighten
my exile, and to leave you here sur
rounded by lot of men who are
anxious to marry you"
The tender-hearted girl felt grow
| ing pity for the awkward and vulgar
young man in whom she began vague
| ly to discern a genuine suffering.
81 am sorry Mr.. Chatham she
| said. more sorry than I can say.
But what can l do? I do not care
for you in the way you wish, and af-
fection is not to be coerced. l have
done the best I could to discourage
you, because"
81 know you have" interrupted
| Chatham; ''you have avoided me, and
snubbed me, and taken every way you
could to show that you do not like
me-
'It would have been mistaken kind
ness to do otherwise" said Agnes,
| gently.
'sNo. it wouldn't" exclaimed the ac-
countant; 81 don't ask you to love
me: not at once, at any rate. But
give me a show; give me time; give
me little hope"
81 cannot do that said the girl, in
a low tone.
'Why can't you?" urged the young
erything for you; have given up all l
had; I have lost my position; I have
risked my life"
81 don't understand you," said Miss
| Murdock, looking at him in astonish-
ment.
"Your father would" he replied,
huskily; sit was he egged me on to
| L. ,oro,o,;co1 mo tbot won wOTlld
have me"
'My father promised
eyes, your father; and, by C"
Chatham, who was growing more and
more excited, brought down his
| clenched fist upon a table near which he
| stood, and with an evident effort re-
pressed the oath which rose to his lips.
Miss Murdoch, startled and bewildered-
observed him in speechless amazement.
After momentary struggle. the ac-
countant suddenly broke forth in pite-
Gus pleading:
at don't ask much now. Tell me only
one thing and l shall go away content
for the present. Say that no other man
has any better chance with you than I
have. Say that you do not love anyone
else.''
The young girl tried hard to avoid
his ardent gaze.
'Say It'll" he commanded, in sudden
| sternness.
Agnes drew herself up proudly then.
II don't know by what right you pre-
sumo to catechise or to command me"
she said, coldly, at the same time MAX
| ing a motion as if to touch the button
| of the electric bell.
Chatham saw the motion and sprang
before her to intercept it.
'Ah! that is the way of it, is it ?" he
exclaimed, with passionate jealousy.
''You are-in love-with another mani"
The words seemed to choke him in
| head; the veins on his temples stood
out in purple vividness, and, as he
clutched spasmodically at his collar,
wild light came into his eyes.
Agnes caught their mad glitter and
shrank back in sudden terror.
Il have been duped!" he shouted,
frantically. II have been cat's-paw,
| i
| wanted of me L am to be turned off
like a dog, with kick. The dirty work
| is done. is it? We'll see about that;
we'll see what your father has to say
But, at any rate, you can be sure of one
thing"
His voice sank to hoarse whisper
and the words fell with impressive dis
| tinctness:
eff [ don't marry you, no one ever
shall!"
AS he spoke he leaned forward upon
| the table which stood near him, and
his fingers closed nervously upon the
handle of a jeweled paper knife. There
was murder in his eye at that moment,
and the frightened girl quailed be-
| fore it.
Suddenly her ear caught the sound of
footsteps in the hallway. She opened
her lips to cal. for help, but before she
could utter a sound the door opened, re-
vealing the anxious face of the house
maid, who had heard enough to realize
that it was time to interrupt the tete-
a-tete without further ceremony.
MIR. Sprague, miss she an
nounced, wita comforting nod at her
young mistress, whose pale face and
frightened eyes had not escaped her at
tention.
Sprague stood on the threshold in
evident embarrassment, looking from
Agnes to Chatham, and uncertain how