The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-03-21
"A hundred and ffty. Lee, {,

/ ioOhlnH puIHleu unu anAlOuS.
"How? You innocent little thing!
Don't you know that Geoffrey Blake
would give you anything you asked
| for, even to the half of his kingdom.
A man in love can be led anywhere by
the face that has his fancy"
The girl rose, staggering little, but
standing straight and proud, at last,
before the man whose every word was
an insult
II guess | understand you" she
said. "You wish me to borrow for
you, of Mr.. Blake, the sum of one
hundred and fifty dollars. Am
right?"
Partly right and partly wrong. You
must borrow for yourself and for me-"
But / have no security to offer, Lee.
Men don't loan money in that way, do
they?"
Sometimes. Blake would to you"
"And why to me, LelandT
He turned away, impatiently, some
thing on his lips that sounded like an
oath. He was fast falling in the girls
esteem. and when that is lost. love
cannot live.
zone moment, Mr. Forsyth" she
said. LET us understand each other.
You are in great need of money. you
say, and 1 believe you"
Believe me" he sneered. That's
stranger
II have one hundred and fifty dol
lars" she continued, without seeming
to notice, "the savings of months and
the fruits of denials that men know
nothing Of. That amount l will give
you in an hour-a half hour if you
wish. But when you ask me Cor more
when you are willing even to accept
more, and in that way-oh, Lee! Lee!
l would die for you, but cannot do
that! You would not respect me If
did,"
And sinking to her seat again, she
covered her face and sobbled bitterly.
Its all very romantic, and sounds
large to talk of dying for fellow. But
in my opinion it's a deuced sight bet
ter to prove your love-if you have any
to prove-by helping me out of this
tight pinch that miserable misfor-
tune has got me into. You can do it
you can do it just as easy as to turn
your hand. and you ought. If you love
me, you will
a silence fell there then-a silence
broken only by the splash of the foun-
tain. the chirp of the sparrows and the
whistle of the wind.
hSItnnnCn / do 7 I,
girl said, lifting her face after long,
long thought-"suppose l could, and
you should fail to pay the sum when
due, what then?"
Il shall not fail; but If | do, Blake'll
never push it. He'd never ask for it,
even"
"And you wish me-" she said. rising,
and speaking very distinctly-''you
wish me to believe that. and believing
it. to carry my pretty face into the
presence of my employer and ask him
to take 1t rs security ior money to be
returned or not returned as the case
may be-"
You put it queerly. But such things
are done every day"
"And poor girls are sold every day to
the DEVIL" she retorted, fiercely. But
the girl who promised TO be your wife
is made OF no such material Pure as
snow she has preserved her life-pure
as snow she will preserve her acts. |
will go to Godfrey Blake--will hum
BILE myself enough to do that-and I
will tell him the truth. VIII you wait
here till / return;"
You'd better not make fool of
yourself he said. Then, noting the
look on her face he added: You're
a good girl, Mollie. I'll wait here. But
you'll only make matters worse by
putting me in"
She did not answer. She only turned
and fed away toward the house she
had left so lately; and It seemed to her
she had grown old hundred years
since then.
She gained her room unnoticed, and
taking from her trunk n watch with
her mothers monogram in diamonds
on its case, she hurried with 1t to the
well known house down the street, and
to the private office of the firm.
Geoffrey Blake sat there alone when
she entered. He was a stately, we'll
built. well-bred gentleman. with clear,
brown, honest eyes, and soft. fine hair,
where one white hand was; for Geof-
frey Blake was thinking very earnest
ly; and 1t was not strange that he
should start and flush when, without
warning, the object of his thoughts
entered and stood before him.
And Mollle told her story from be-
ginning to end-told 1t with quiverlng
lips, and hiding her say, wet eyes un-
der their pallid lids; ana ner listener
won great battle when ne refrained
from taking the poor little fluttering
thing to his heart, just then and there
telling her how long aud how truly
he had loved her, and begging for his
| reward.
He crushed back something that
| seemed choking him--a great lump
that would not let him breathe--for a
minute, then he said;
~ honor you, Miss Ellet. as / honor
my mothers memory. For you, and
for any dear to you, 1 would do any
| thingw
He would not hurt her by refusing
| to keep the watch las security" aud
she could not see how tenderly he
kissed 1t before locking ii in the safe
in his desk--for she was standing by
Leland Forsyth, and looking him quiet
ly in the face, as she said: