Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1903-03-31

| door on the street, but no window This
| door was opened, and the girl led In.
| Straight ON she went through a long,
narrow passage. distance of over a hun
dred feet, and then she was stopped be-
fore a door not more than two feet wide.
formed of three pieces of solid hewn tim
ber bolted together with iron. This was
opened, and Louise was pushed in, and
the door closed upon her. She listened
until she could hear the sound of her con-
ductors' footsteps no more, and then she
searched around for some place in which
to lie down, or, at least, upon which she
could sit down. At length she found a
low pallet with some bedding upon it,
and ON this she rested.
NShe slept some, for she was astonished
when she opened her eyes and found a
stream of sunlight struggling into the
place. She looked up and found that
there was a small aperture near the top
of the wall, about a foot square, but
she could not look out from it. The
room was small, with walls Of hewn tim
Der, and evidently built for prison.
Louise knew how easily money could hire
official assistance in the colony, and hence
she wondered not that Lobois had been
able to obtain the use of this place.
The forenoon passed slowly away, and
noon came. Hunger and thirst began to
aff1ict the helpless prisoner, and the hands
were oftener ciasped in silent supplica-
ton. At length, towards the middle of
the afternoon, the door of the cell was
opened and Simon Lobois entered
Simon uttered the prisoner, what
means this? ?'
"Can you not guess?" was his calm
reply.
''Do you mean this as means of fore
ing me to marriage?
you've hit it"
clasped her hands.
81 cannot stand this. she said.
"Then become my wife"
''Is that the only alternative!
cit isl
of this placer"
''In no other"
Bring me water
"Will you be mine?'
81 will allow the marriage to be sol,
emnized.'
''And you will go before the priest and
be legally married to me?"
Simon Lobois started with demoniac,
selfish joy.
''You shall have food and water now!
he cried. "And you shall have a faith
full, loving husband. o, Louise, you
s'But am famishing now, Simon"
Away few the man, and in short time
he returned with some cold milk and
bread.
'You take it more calmly than I had
no
gazed inquiringly into her calm, pale face.
eff l am calm, monsieur, it is not be-
cause l am happy. I find myself in your
power, and 1 have assured myself that
1 am powerless to escape you. have
reflected and pondered deeply upon this.
and now that my mind is made up, l
am not the woman, or the girl, to make.
myself suselessly miserable. But mon
sieur, you do not see my heart; you do
not see the utter wreck you have made.
there. A deep, dark sorrow, such as the
soul utterly crushed, and the heart all
broken, can only know, is mine. If you
can be happy in knowing the work you
have thus wrought, shall not envy you.
I can look with hope to the life of the
emancipated spirit; you know best
whether you can do the same"
There was deep, touching pathOs in
this speech that moved the hard-hearted
man more than he dared acknowledge
even to himself, and he tried to Danish
the emotion.
'.Poohr' he uttered. "There is-no need
of your speaking so, for you shall be as
happy as princess. 1 will always love
you-always be faithful
A look of utter contempt stole over the
fair girls face as she gazed into the evil
features of the bad man, for she knew
how hollow all his pretensions were; and
she knew now, too, what wicked means
he had used to bring her within his pow
er.
(To be continued)