Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-08-18
CHAPTER XXI. (continued).

ledusa's beauty or her magic that
rned men into stone? My recollec-
IN is at fault. At any rate, SO long
she remained motionless, neither
Eln had the power to stir. She held
herself perfectly erect; every fiber in
her young body was tense. Her beauty
became weirdly powerful, masked as 1t
7as with horror doubt, shame, and re-
oroach. She had heard; little or much
vas OF no consequence In the heat
of their variant passions, the mems
voices had risen to pitch that pene-
trated beyond the room.
Karloff was the first to recover, and
he took an involuntary step toward
her; but she waved him back disdain-
slly.
do not come near me- loathe
ou!" The voice was low, but every
Tote was strained and unmusical.
He WINGED. His face could not have
stung or burned more holly had she
truck him with her hand.
.Mademoiselle!"
She ignored him. Father, what
does this mean?"
fAgony!" The colonel fell back into
hia chair, pressing his hands over his
eyes.
II will tell you what it means!"
RED karloff. rage possessing him.
He had made mistake. He had mis-
Judged both the father and the child.
De could force her into his arms, but
g would always carry burden Of
ate. ut means that this night you
land in the presence of a dishonored
aren't. man who has squandered
our inheritance over gambling tables,
and VINO, to recover these misused
sums, has sold to me the principal for
ificaton plans of his country. That Is
What 1t means, Mademoiselle.
She grasped the portiere for support.
Father. Is this thing true?" Her
voice fell to a terror stricken whisper
ooh, it is true enough" said Karloff.
4 God knows that 1t is true enough.
But it rests with you to save him.
Become my wife, and yonder fire shall
swallow his dishonor-and mine Re-
Y fuse, and | shall expose him. After
n all, love is a primitive state, and with
! it we go back to the beginning; before
1t honor or dishonor is nothing. To-
might there is nothing, nothing in the
world save my love for you, and the
chance that has given me the power to
force you to be mine. What fury
3 and a tempest love produces! 1t makes
an honorable man of the knave. a
rascal of the man of honor: it has top
! pied thrones, destroyed nations. oblit-
= Grated races -. Well, have become
a rascal Mademoiselle. you must be-
come my wife" He lifted his hand
some head resolutely.
y Without giving him so much as a
glance, she swept past him and sank
on her knees at her fathers side, TAX
4 ing his hands by the wrists and press
Ding them down from his face.
Father, tell him he lies. Tell him
he lies!" All, the entreaty, the love,
the anxiety, the terror that blended
her tones
He strove to look away.
Father, you are all l have" she
sGried brokenly. Look at me! Look
at me and tell him that he lies! /.
You will not look at me? God have
! mercy on me, it is true them" She
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 Il. That
these loving hands should have helped
( to encompass my fathers dishonor,
his degradation! For money!
What is money? You knew, father,
that what was mine was likewise
yours. Why did you not tell me? l
9lshould have laughed; we should have
begun all over again; / could have
learned living with my music; we
should have been honest and happy.
And now! (. And l drew those
!, plans with a heart full of love and hap
\piness Oh, it is not that you gambled,
that you have foolish1y wasted a
fortune; it is not these that hurt
here, pressing her heart. 1t is the
knowledge that you, my father, should
let me draw those horrible things. 1t
hurts! All. how it hurts!" A sob
choked her. She knelt again at her
parents side and flung her arms around
1.-THE unhappy. wretched man. Father,
], you have committed a crime to shield
foolish act. know, I know! What
you have done you did for my sake.
ito give me back what you thought
awas my own. Oh, how we'll l know
that you had no thought of yourself;
lit was all for me, and thank God for
that. But something has died here,
something here in my heart. have
been SO happy! :. too happy! My
poor father!" She laid her head
against his breast.
"My heart is broken! Would to
God that might die!" Annesley
threw one arm across the back of the
chair and turned his face to his sleeve
Karloff, a thousand arrows of regret
and shame and pity quiyering in his
heart, viewed the scene moodily, dog
isgedly. No. he could not go back; there
LAS indeed a wall hahind him. nride