The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-04-19

been happy without him. I shall make
believe that I never did,
Having reached this worldly conclu
sion. she leaned back in u more com
Portable position and gazed ut dreamy
Claude Monet on the opposite wall.
Then her self communion began again.
But there's Mr.. Milward I shall
not be able 10 forget him. | wish he
were not quite so Decembery. II only
he seemed a little more aliver'
With a quickened breath she fancied
herself alone with him In a beautiful
home. Servants moved noisily about.
but he was always cold and prim and
still. She felt stified. She felt like
prisoner. She belonged to him. for he
had bought her with his twenty mil
lions. oh, the horror-the degradation
OF 1t,
Once more she took herself to task
angrily.
Its perfect nonsenser' she told her
self vehemently. He is a very nice
old man. and in time you'n get used to
him. All your life you've longed for
wealth. and now when II Is laid at your
feet you must quibble! Wait unit. the
next interest payment Is due on the
mortgage at home. You'll wish then
that you had forgotten sentiment"
Thus she went on goading herself
but TO no purpose. There was not an
other person In the room. and she hid
her face I'm her hands and murmured
in desperation: "Oh. Jack, Jackr'
Restlessly she rose and emerged into
the street again. The clouds hung low.
and there was a slight fog. The gray
OF the stone walks. the pavements and
the sky all seemed to melt together
into one sad toned picture. Vehicles
Of all descriptions. from the butchers
wagon up. filled the street. keeping so
close together that even the most dar-
ing person did not venture to cross.
and Barbara stood at the edge of the
walk waiting for a break In the line
to occur.
She never knew how long she stood
there-long er Ugh to listen to some
new whisperings Of his Satanic maj
esty telling her how much good she
could do with all that money for the
people she loved and the sufferers of
the earth She was beginning to be
lieve that 1t was her duty to sacrifice
her feelings whether she wished to or
not She might throw away fortune
for herself, but she had no right to
deny it to the others who would bene.
fit through her.
Her eyes, which had been staring
fixedly at the procession Of carriages
without seeing them. were suddenly
attracted by an approaching coupe
The blood tingled In her veins. for she
recognized the Milward livery.
1t was q handsome carriage, with
the curved glass front which enables
the occupant to get a more extended
view than can be had in the othel
kind, and the men on the box sat very
straight and stiff. But 1t was none
Of these things that held Barbara,
glance fascinated.
1t was a pair Of glittering. fiendisf
eyes leering at her from the dark in
terror as the carriage drew near, {
pair OF eyes so horrid In their glar'
ed in stupefaction. thinking she saw
the outlines Of q grotesque. shadow,
| face around them.
Not until the coupe was OPPOSITE
her did the Illusion fade and explain
| itself. Then she drew u breath Of re
lief. for what she saw then was onl.
| the reflection OF the two large silve
buttons on the back Of the eoachman'
coat and Peter AIilward bowling I
her in his most gallant manner.
| Il never expect to see anything .
much like the Jabberwock again." sh
laughed to herself. and then she gre,
suddenly grave.
Perhaps II she accepted Peter Mi
ward that skeleton In the coupe woul
be quite real after all.
A month later, when Jack Carruti
ers, whose salary had been raised
81 500 a year. asked her to share
with him. she accepted without takin
any time for consideration.
"How much do you really love m
dear?- he asked fervently for tt
twentieth time. after the manner {
lovers who like to hear the same a
surances over and over again. An
at last. I'm desperation, she replied:
II "well. IL you want to know no
much in dollars and cents. / can pro,
that love you at least S20.OOo,Ot
worth"
|. And then she told him how 81
thought of him. and the glimpse I
the Jabberwock had kept her from a
cepting old Peter Milward and his 70
tune.