The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-21
ria, white and stately in the ~silences
Copyright, 1904, ~ 1.eia rsrr,ss.r.

VI ACo. 4OoOH W04ho oAO tO1CAk0 kSONO0s -
Ramsdell had found it. Every day
he had ridden over the cliff road, watch
ing for q glimpse Of the girl with the
dark eyes and hair like the tint Of the
goldenrod. And one day he had found
her, kneeling beside a peasant boy in
the road. The boy had been run down
by her chauffeur. and was more scared
than hurt, but his sisters and cousins
and aunts, together with the male pop
masse, with evil intentions toward the
white automobile. And Ramsdell had
taken the curly-headed, sobbing boy in
his arms and had carried him up the
rocky road to Rudella, a bunch Of gray,
stone houses set like gulls' nests in the
cliff %crevices. The male population had
followed him, together with the sisters,
their evil intentions with a goodly dis
! play Of gold.
When he had returned to tho cliff
road, the white automobile had been
waiting for him, and he had spoken
with her, merely q few words Of thanks.
but it had been enough. In tho days
that followed he had wished devoutly
that every. peasant boy IN the Route
de Ia Corniche could be bribed to take
a tumble under the wheels Of tho white
automobile.
And that had been all She might
have been an empress Of the orient
for all the chance he had Of meetinr
her, and yet, in the few last days Of
hopeless, reckless stalking on fortunes
Whlm, her face had been always with
f f5m; In = 1 its lo3 ysszt n seGeaitRE ;m he e.. had q
promise Of forgetfulness of his own
misery. So he had ridden to Mentone
more frequently than the ayerage
Casino player, and tonight when TIE
parting, of the ways had come, he
found himself musing on the face Of
that his word Of honor demanded that
an hour.
The promenade was deserted: Be.
low. 1t, the rocks jutted out like III.
tanic teeth of some beast Of prey
raneau. One could leap to them. Not
here, when one could see the lights
OF thc Casino, but beyond at the turn
OF the path, where the shrubbery OF
the palace gardens shut out the view
he wished 1T to appear as much as pos
sible, an accident. Suicide. carried Will
it a stigma Of deficient moral courage
dear to him. :
At the turn Of the path, he stopped
smoked cigarette. In. exactly tht
same spot where he had about made
up his mind. to. cancel his debt.te Crit
for foT1 the leap pf to dea stGoo' ALREADY poi'e'
1t was not a moment for introduc
tons. ,Ramsdell caught the fgur'
, from behind. It swung around, ant
; he got a swift, well-set blow in tn,
jaw for his pains, and a curse tina
was a cry Of ,veritable agony; 49,,
The struggle was a blessed relief tt
y the TfQnciOn nf fho z no ct ho,ro Ao L.
known, and wrestled with him, he felt a
: II for q last moment, fate had givel
: that other personality into his hand
c to settle old scores with. When he ha,
finished, the mar lay limp and motion
3 He was, young and in evening dress
=, AS Ramsdell looked down at the pal
. upturned face with its fair, curtin,
. hair, and ~clean-cut profile, he felt salts
fed that the other personality was a
!, !, least that Of a gentleman, according t
: collar and raised him.
: nAre you able to waikiki he asked
q The other spoke IN French, CURLY.
: For answer Ramsdell produced q fas:
= of brandy, and compelled him to drinl
I from it. With resolute, " compresse
= lips, and eyes in which a. CLEAN o
IdIluSCl1CuG EuOnc, OtC1 . Luo. 1dtCS
! somersault of circumstances, he helpe
.. the man to rise. In less than half a.
i hour the two faced each other in Rams
! dell's room at the Hotel de Paris, an
it still lacked twenty minutes Of mic
a night. 80 ..Es
Q The stranger was nervous and u
4 strung. He sat in q chair beside tn
ut would have been over by now,
q he said slowly. "Why did you .sto
:, Ramsdell watched quizzically. Som,
q how he felt as if a crisis had bee
y passed safely. When he turned 10th
e dresser and found a box Of cigarette
l. which he had left there, he smiled III
u or limited by the burning Of Ave ciea,
ettes. It still flowed on, and Ram
D. dell lit a sixth one from tho fresh boz
~ did 1t because you were usurl
% ing my place. . : J.. ~.
"You, too9" F.
It There was a fash Of fellowship !
the glance Of the other. He leane
d forward eagerly.
le "Why9'
It Ramsdeu hesitated. It was hard /.
n select any definite reason. > 8 y 8. =
y "Because / had given my word 70 q
: : no 4A Ass!r!y 9 Ivy your'elt-yeu d
IL not QeSlre III /. ~ = a.
q Ramsdell thought Of Beata.
# ct should say not
re "Noq And for me''-he rose fro
n the table, unsteady. and excited
is all that I long for. You have n
stopped me from it. Tomorrow
n next day, or the next, whenever it ca
N be. it shall be-. I will not live.oo
Ramsdell watched the white your
er face specuIatively. There was q freni
O. in his despair that was pitiful. The b.
lle was certainly in deeper trouble th'
HIe tapis verti" he asked.
le "To the very end Of all. And #
ne could have staked my-life, it would ha'
as gone also. But that is not all, m,sieur.
+, He spoke more quietly, with q kind,
I'd hopeless awe at the ruin he had accol
~ plished. UI am more than ruined.
ct am d%ishonored. It was not my none
I have made her penniless, too. Iwish'
n to die. before tomorrow, when she W
nd NDoes she love youiH
Of II am all that she loves in =
is world"
iii R%amsdell, calmly. 81 am only one. =
er take your own life from yourself befo
es YOU have fulfilled your time. It's
bad thing to give up when tomorro
holds the cards. Every morning brin
IS. q fresh deal, and the game s never do
he until death rakes in the pot. But Y
at would have taken q life that was des
est on earth to another
lp, uThere was nothing left to cover t
dishonor except DEATH