The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-08-11

was it he saw over ets (the ccunt's)
shoulders and beyond! lnstiuctiveIy he
turned and what he saw chilled toe
eat OF his blood.
There stood the girl, her white dfe@
marble-white against the dark vine
of the portiere. an edge of which one
hand clutched convulsively. Was it
Medusa's beauty or her magic that
turned men into stone! My reco!lec-
ton is at fault. At any rate. 80 long
as she remained motionless. neither
man had the power to stir. She held
herself perfectly erect; every fiber in
her young body was tense. Her beauty
became wesrdly powerful, masked as it
was with horror doubt. shame. and re-
proach. She had heard; little or much
was OF no consequence. In the heat
OF their variant passions. the mems
voices had risen to a pitch that penc-
trated beyond the room.
Karloff was the first to recover, and
he took an involuntary step toward
her; but she waved him back disdain-
fully.
DO not come near me. I loathe
you!" The voice was low. but every
note was strained and unlnusical
He WINGED. His face could not have
stung or burned more holly had she
struck him With her hand.
"Mademoiselle!"
She ignored him. Father. what
does this mean?"
I "Agnny!" The colonel fell back into
his chair. pressing his hands over his
eyes.
| Il will tell you what 1t means."
cried Karloff. Il rage possessing him.
He had made a mistake. He had mis-
Judged both the father and the child.
He could force her into his arms. but
he would always carry burden OF
hate. 1T means that this night YOU
stand in the presence Of a dishonored
parent. a man who has squandered
your inheritance over gambling tables,
and who. to recover these misused
sums. has sold to me the principal for
tificaton plans of his country. That is
what 1t means. Mademoiselle"
She grasped the portere for support.
Father. is this thing true?" Her
voice fell to a tcrror-stricken whisper.
"Oh. 1t is true enough said Karloff.
God knows that il is true enough.
But it rests with you to save him.
I Become my Wife. and yonder fire shall
swallow his dishonor-and mine. Re
/ fuse, and ! shall expose him. After
all, love is 4 primitive state. and with
IL we 90 back to the beginning: before
+ ii honor or dShonor is nothing To-
night there is nothing. nothing in tho
world save my love for YOU, and the
chance that has given We the power to
force you to hc mine. What a fury
and n tempest love produces! II makes
an honorable man of the knavc. 4
rascal of the man of honor 1t has top
pied thrones. destroyed nations, ohlt-
Grated races Well, ] have become
Il rascal. Madcmoisellc, you must be-
come my wife" lie lifted his hand
some head resolutcly
/ Without giving him so much as
glance. She swept past him and sank
on her knees at her fathers side talk
! ing his hands by the wrists and press
ing them down from his face.
Father, tell him he lies. Tell him
! he lies!" All. the cntreaty, the love.
the anxiety, the terror that blended
her tones!
He strove to look away
Father. you are all l have" she
cried brokenly. Look at me! Look
at me and tell him that he lies!
You will not look at me? God have
| vrn (. CSI,
rose and spread her arms toward
heaven to entreat God to witness her
despair II did not think or know that
such base things were done That
these loving hands should have helped
To encompass my fathers dshonor,
his degradation! For money!
What Is money? You knew father.
that what was mine was likewise
yours. Why did you not tell me?
should have laughed; we should have
begun all over again; could have
earned living with my music; We
should have been honest and happy.
+! And now! And ! drew those
plans with a heart full of love and hap
piness Oh. i, is not that you gnmbled.
that you have f0olishly wasted
fortune; it is not these that hurt
here, pressing her heart. ut is the
knowledge that you. my father. should
let me draw those horrible things. 1t
hurts! All how ii hurts!" sob
choked her. She knelt again al her
parents side and flung her arms around
the unhappy, wretched man. Father.
! you have committed a crime 10 shield
Il foolish act. ! know ! know! What
you have done you did for my sake.
F., to give me back what you thought
was my own. Oh, how well know
that YOU had no thought of yourself:
it. was all for me. and thank God for
that. But something has died here,
somethng here in my heart. havo
been so happy! too happy! My
poor fathcr!" She laid her head
against his breast
"My heart is broken! Would to
God that l might die!" Annesley
threw one arm across the back of tho
chair and turned his face to his sleeve
Karloff. a thousand arrows of regret
and shame and pity qufvering in his
heart, viewed the scene moodly, dog
gedly. No. he could not 20 back; there
was indeed wall behind him: pride.
"Well. Mademoiselle?"
She turned. still on her knees.
y