Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1905-12-09
| Ills Hearts Desire
III By SIR WALTER BESANT
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By SIR WALTER BESANT

you come here while 1 en- busy, Mary?
I'm not so strong as l was, and David
made me angry. Wait a moment. Da-
vid said something that angered me.
Wait moment. He doesn't mean to an
ger me-no-no-but he does, some
times"
He covered his face with his hands.
Presently the trembling left him and he
recovered.
"Now," he said, with a show of brisk
ness, Il am better again. What is it,
George? If it is business, have you
come to propose anything? You have
got your legal notice, l believe? Yes.
Then you know the conditions Of the
law, which didn't make. 1t is the same
for me as for you. Pay me any other
way and keep your land. If no other
way, 1 shall have your land. Is that
sense, or is it not?'
Hard common sense" said George.
$50 it is," said David. IT'S always
hard common sense when he takes an
| other mans land"
81 am sorry for you, George" the old
man went on yet his face expressed
certain satisfaction. Nobody will blame
you, I'm sure; or me either, for that
matter; and when your poor father bor-
rowed the money the land was worth
three times as much as it is now, so
that nobody will blame him. L don't ex-
| pect ever to get the value of my money
back. So we're all losers by the hard
times. 1 shall want a tenant, George"
the old man went on, land we will not
quarrel about the rent. Easy terms you
shall have, and when you've got your
head well above water again, we will
consider about you and Mary. Don't
think l shall be hard upon you"
mo" said George; II am going to
emigrate."
''To foreign lands, George? Has it
come to that? Dear-dearw
II am going to Tasmania"
Tut, tut; this Is very bad. To for
eign lands! David went to foreign lands,
and see how he came home. George,
you had better stay at Sidcote and be my
tenant"
NO." George said, shortly. "Well, the
long and the short of it is that we are
here to-day-Mary and Ito ask your
consent to our marriage"
mo, George; 1 shall not consent
What let Mary marry a man who has
lost his own land and is going to foreign
lands2 Certainly not! not on any ac-
countp'
When your sister left Mary all her
| fortune"
at was mine by rights. 1 made 1t
for her.
She put In the clause about youi
consent to protect her. You know, as
well as l, that she herself would never
object to me for Mary's husband"
''She began with thousand pounds.
BY my advice she made it into six thou
sand pounds. Do you mean to tell me
/ that l am to have no voice in the dis
posal of all this money!
This kind of talk will not help any
body. Well, have had my answer,
suppose Mary, dear, it is for you to
choose between your uncle and me-"
Il have chosen, George, you know
well. Uncle you will have to give that
money to David or to me. Here is Da-
vid, and here am l. To which of us
will you give it?''
Suppose, Mary" David interposed-
| suppose there was secret arrange
ment-I don't say there is, but suppose
there was-between your uncle and me-
Suppose that 1 was to sell my chance
for so much down, and he was to keep
the rest"
|
do such a thing!" Mary cried
| Suppose, | say"-Dayid went on
that arrangement was to exist Then
you see, George and Mary"-David put
the thing in his slow and elaborate man
ner, SO as to bring out the full meaning
of the ransaction-'you see that If you
don't marry without his consent. he will
lose the money he's got to pay ME; but if
| hQ doaq
you get married, he will have to pay me
the whole afterward. Therefore he nat
urally wants you to marry without his
consent. You are going to play his game
for him."
At this unexpected blow Daniel was
covered with confusion. When two peo-
pie make such a treaty, secrecy is the
very essence Of 1t; and for one of the par
ties concerned to blurt out the truth is.
In a sense, a breach of contract. The
old man actually turned red-at seventy
he had still the grace to husband hung
his head, but he could not speak.
"Ohl you have specialized on our mar
rying withouty our CONSENT You have
actually bought David's chance, and now
you want US to marry, so that you may
keep the whole to yourselfr'
mot the whole" said David what
will be left after he has bought me outw
Mary" her uncle replied, evading the
question, why do you want to get mar
ried yet? Stay with me. Let George
stay at Sidcote and be my tenant And
l will consider will consider. Besides,
think, Mary; am an old man now, and
you will have all my money and all my
land when / die"
Have you bought up David so that