The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-05
THE
Continued from Last Sundays News)
XVI.
AND HAS TO GO TO WORK.

\ l.
AND HAS TO GO TO WORK.
From that moment Graham ceased
to be an integral factor in the girls
history. His only hold on her imagi-
nation had been his moral superiority
and it was now gone, She treated
him thenceforth as an admirer whose
sincerity deserves the consideration
whioht his :nsistence makes difficult TO
give ungrudgingly He was not dis
couraged or frowned on. He was for
given promptly as a child is forgiven
But he was kept always scrupulously
to his place. The girl now held the
whip hand. After a little, when he be-
came too insistent. she cut him cruelty
in punishment and only deigned to
smile on MIN again when. 10 sue for
giveness, he had quite abandoned his
attitude of fault-inding.
AS for him. the girls actions soon
became hateful He saw them all
wrong, yet he felt his powerlessness
to alter them in even the slightest de-
gree. This aroused so powerful but
so impotent a rage that shortly he
came to react irritably against every
thing Molly did, whether right or
wrong. He instinctively arraigned
himself in the opposition He did not
want to do this, and his common sense
accused him strongly Of unreasonable
ness, but he could not help 1t. 1t was
greater than he. No matter what the
plan. discussion or even conversation,
IL
the girls error impelled him to OBJ
iect.
Let's go over to Rockerville to-day"
she would suggest.
The horses aren't here"
But it's no great matter to get
them. Let's send the Kid
Il don't know where the Kid is"
We'll, Frosty, them
"Frosty's busy"
1T wouldn't hurt you any to get
them yourself"
"One of the saddles is broken"
You know very we'll it's only a
cinch ring. 1t can be fixed in five
minutes"
well Don't you think it is go
ing to be pretty hot?"
mo. l don't; and if can stand it.
I should think you could
Heavens and earth. It's harder than
climbing trees 10 get you to do any
thing. Never mind, l don't want to
go to Rockerville or anywhere else
if it's all that trouble.'
And then Graha would wonder at
his stubborn fit Why shouldn't they
have gone TO Rockerville? In five min
utes he could have got the horses,
fixed the saddle. And the day was
beautiful What real reason did he
have? He did not know; only he felt
an irresistible impulse to object. This
was because he loved her, disa pproved
of her, and was quite powerless over
her.
When ne was not merely contrary.
he was urging strong advice on an
unwilling recipient. 1t was offered in
either the pleading or the clustering
spirit. If in the former, Molly mere
ly teased HIM. II in the latter, she be-
came very angry. 1t was always on
the same subject. The girl was wearied
with it.
And yet, if it were any consolation,
Jack Graham could have comforted
himself with the truth that, next to
Cheyenne Harry he claimed a greater
share of her thoughts than any other
in camp. His offices were ungrateful,
but they had a certain sincerity which
prevented their being ignored; and, not
forgotten, their acid-like drop of truth
ate into that conscience of which she
did not yet realize the existence. Her
horizon was becoming banked with
thunder clouds, looming huge and
black and heavy with port9nt. Ora
ham, as an ideal, had stood for a high
er existence. Now, however. shrunken
his image appeared. the ideal itself re-
NAMED as something tangible in her
collection of moral standards She ac-
knowledged to herself fercely that she
had fallen from il. She told herself
that she did not care.
She was dreadfully alone Lafond
was always kind to her, but she never
felt that she knew him. Graham. in
spite of his frequent presence. was in
reality quite estranged. The Kid and
Peter and Kelly and Houston and even
old Bill Martin had fallen away from
her somehow She did not know that
the reason the older men were less in
innate was because she was supposed
to be Cheyenne Harry's mistress, and
the rule of such cases is hands off,"
And then there was always the sitting
forn1less weight at her heart which
she did not understand. She was very
unhappy. That with her meant that
she was reckless. She threw herself
passionately into her affair with Chey-
enne Harry, as the one tangible HUI
man relation left to her in its entirety.
The days followed each other in a
succession of passionate exaltations
and dumb despairs. Harry kissed her
whenever he pleased now. She had
long since got beyond mere coquetry.
1t meant much to her hereditary in
stincts so TO yield, but she gave her
self up to it with the abandon of a
lost soul delivering itself to degrading
wickedness. For in spite of her life
and companions she was intrinsical-
~ pure. so pure that even Cheyenne
Harry, with all his extraordinary in
fiuence. did not somehow care to go
too far. He kissed her, and at the
first, when the long resistance had en-
HANGED hel" value, he was persuaded
that he loved her-that these inter-
views meant to him what lovers
meetings mean-and so he responded
to her passionate devotion With what
seemed TO be corresponding ecstasy.
But then after little insensibly the
flood ebbed. In the old days she had
amused him with her bright laughter
her gay speech. her hooking SUPERIOR
ties, her little conquetries of manner
or mannerism. How she had thrown
these weapons away. Her surrender
was complete. Her life had simplifet
TO one phase. that of dewy-eyec
pleading alteration. At first il pleased
his masculine vanity. After a time il