The Red Cloud chief., 1907-04-26

g Grey, by your ~" r'N'ng antago-
l. IN. On that night, though I did Il,
know 1t, I took up my positions; I ma,
my determination. DO you know VIII"
that determination wasT"
She shook her head.
1T was the desire to stamp out Chill.
cote's footmarks with my own, to
prove that personality Is the great force
capable Of everything. | forgot to reck-
IN that when we draw largely upon
Fate she generally EFFORTS a crushing
interest.
First came the wish for your re-
spect. then the desire to stand well
with such men as Fraide-to feel the
stir Of emulation and competition-to
prove myself strong in the one career
I knew myself fitted for. For a time
the second ambition ove%rshadowed the
first, but the first was bound to reas-
sert itself, and in Il moment of egotism
/ conceived the notion of winning your
enthusiasm as well as your respect"
Ewes face, alert and questioning,
suddenly paled as a doubt crossed her
mind.
'"Then it was only-only to stand well
with me?'
81 believed it was only the desire TO
stand well with you. | believed it un.
I'll the night of my ~specch-if you can
credit anything so absurd. Then on that
night, as | came up the stairs to the
gallery and saw you standing there,
the blindness fell away, and | knew
that | loved YOU" As he said the last
words he released her hands and turn
ed aside, missing the quick wave of
joy and color that crossed her face.
Il knew il, but it made no difference.
l was only moved TO Il higher self glori-
fcation. | touched SUPREMACY that
night. But as we drove home | expert.
cnced the S%trangcst coincidence of my
life. You remember the block in the
traffic at piccadillyT"
Again Eve bcnt her head.
"W ell, when | looked out of the car.
riage window to discover its cause the
first man | saw was-Chilcote.'
Eve started slightly. This swift. u
expected linking of Chilcote's name
with the most exalted moment of her
~ ~ h'l ulllltdNllitl ENOlIlt
glimmering of Loder's intention in so
linking il broke through the web of
disturbed and conflicting thoughts.
"iou saw him OH that night"
"Yes. and the sight chilled me. 1t
was Il big drop from supremacy TO the
remembrance of-cvcrything."
lnvoluntnrily she put out her hand.
But Loder shook his head. NO. he
said; don't pity me-! The sight of him
came just In time. had a reaction In
that moment. and, such AZ it was, ]
acted on it. l went to him next morn.
Ing and told him that the thing must
end. But then-even then-I shirked
being honest with myself. / had meant
to tell him that it must end because l
had grown TO love you, but my pride
rose up and tied my tongue. I could
not humiliate myself. | put the case
before him i'm another light. 1t was n
tussle of wills, and | won, but the vic
tory was not what 1t should have been.
That was proved today when he re-
turned to tell me OF the loss of this
telegram. II wasn't the fear that Lady
AStrupp had found it. 1t wasn't to
save the position that | jumped at the
chance Of coming back. 1t was to feel
the JOY of living, the JOY Of seeing you.
If only for a day. For one second he
turned toward her; then as abruptly
he turned away again.
IL was still thinking Of myself he
said. II vas still utterly self conferred
when came to this room today and al
lowed You to talk TO me. when asked
YOU 10 see me tonight as we parted ut
The club. | shan't tell YOU the thoughts
that unconSciuosly were in my mind
when | asked that favor. You must
understand without explanation.
Il went to the thcatcr with Lady AS
trupp ostenSibly to find how the land
lay in her dircctiou-rcally to ~hcighten
my self esteem. But there fate or the
power we call by that name was lying
in wait for me, ready to claim the first
interest in the portion of life | had
dared to borrow" He did not glance
toward Eve as he had done in his pre-
yiouS pause. His whole manner SEEM
cd oppressed by the gravity OF what he
had still to say.
Il doubt IL a man has ever seen more
in half an hour than | have tonight" he
said. I'm speaking Of mental seeing.
of course. In this play, Other Mems
Shoes W men change identities-as
Chilcotc and | have donc-but in doing
50 they overlook II fact-the fact that
one of them has Il wife! That's not my
way of putting it. It's the way 1t was
put to me by n of Lady Astrupp's
party"
Amin ENn lnnEnl IN WLn lonht nnl