Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-16
waiting for him. He arose more slow

She stood very still TOr some SECONDS.
"Why not?" she asked quietly.
Because I have not time to- cut a
road through to another bunch of pine.
1t is this or nothing"
"Why not nothing, then?'
81 want the money this will bring"
His choice of verb was unfortu-
nate.
"Will you tell me for what you want
the money 2" she asked.
The young man caught the note OF
distrust. At once. instinctively, his
own confidence vanished. He drew
within himself again the power of
justifying himself with the needed
word.
"The firm needs it in the business"
said he.
Her next question countered instan-
taneously.
"Does the firm need the money more
than you do me?"
They stared at each other in the 81
lence of the situation that had so sud-
denly developed as dust cloud springs,
up on a plain.
'sYou do not mean that, Hilda?' said
Thorpe quietly. st hardly comes to
that"
Indeed it Does" she replied, every
nerve of her fine organization strung to
excitement. 81 should be more to you
than any firm"
Sometimes it is necessary to look
after the bread and butter" Thorpe
reminded her gently, although he knew
that was not the real reason at all.
"If your firm can't supply 1t, can"
she answered. ut seems strange that
you won't grant my first request of
you merely because you need little
money"
cit isn't little money" he objected,
catching manlike at the practical .ques-
t ton. "You don't realize what an
, amount clump of pine like this stands
for. Just in saw logs, before it is made
i into lumber, it will be worth about
$4,000 There's $4,000 profit in it."
The girl, exasperated by cold details
r Mt such a time, blazed out. II never
i heard anything SO ridiculous in my
t lirev she cried. "Either you are not at
r all the man thought you, or you have
. some better reason than you have CIV
y en-. Tell me, Harry; tell me at once.
: You don't know what you are doing"
u 1.-THE firm needs it, Hilda," said
: Thorpe, "in order to succeed. If we do
I not cut this pine we may fail"
/ "If were man." she said, and her
n voice was tense-'if were man and
e loved woman, would be ready to
Z, give up everything for her. My riches,
/ my pride, my life, my honor, my soul
even, they would be as nothing, as less
e than nothing, to me if loved. Harry,
don't let me think am mistaken. Let
t. this miserable firm Of yours fail, If fail
n it must for lack of my poor little tenn
pie of dreams" She held out her hands
with tender gesture of appeal. The
n affair had gone beyond the preservation
of a few trees. It had become the ques.
ton Of an ideal. Gradually, in spite OF
{. herself, the conviction was forcing it
self upon her that the man she had
y loved was so different from the rest
that the greed of the dollar had cor
n, r,1pted> him too. By the mere yielding
Re to her wishes she wanted to prove tn,
Of suspicion wrong.
lg 81 cannot, Hilda," he answered stead
d, lily.
re "You sell me for $4,000! canno
ae believe it! Harry, Harry, must put |
" to you as choice? Don't you love M
~ enough to spare me thatT'
IN He did not reply. AS long as it re
10, mained dilemma he would not reply
W. BE was in the right.
~ "Do you need the money more thai
er you do me, more than you do love?
Ell she begged, her soul in her eyes, for sh
" was begging also for herself. 'eThinl
cA Harry, it is the last chance!
He was face to face with vital d.
1f' cision. Ee experienced no conflict {
mind, no hesitation, for the mome1
no regret. During all his woods iii
~ he had been following diligently tt
81 trail he had blazed for his conduc
nj Now his feet carried him unconsciou
W " to the same end. There was no OF
NJ er way out. In answer to Hilda's que
ne ton he merely inclined his head.
ne II have seen vision" said she sir
ns ply, and lowered her head to conce
ere her eyes, Then she looked at hi
'te' again. There can be nothing bett
nls than love-" she said.
sue Eyes, one thing" said Thorpe-'t
an duty of success"
oie The man had stated his creed, t
woman hers.
She left him then and did not
as him again -Four days later the cam
ing party left. Thorpe sent Tim She's
a er over as his most efficient man to
us that they got off without difficulty, :
~ himself retired on some excuse
II Camp Four. Three weeks gone in
Is tober he received marked newspaI
lor announcing the engagement of M
N a Hilda Farrand to Mr.. Hildreth Mort
Az of Chicago.
he, (To be Continued.)
re- -------