Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1907-08-15
CHAPTER xxVill.-continued.
CcE1z2EzZ 1893 y1

OTIAF En- M
l braced myself for the worst. She
Is about to tell me that she Is leay-
Ing" thought 1. But / managed to
say: I'm glad to hear of your luck"
though l fear my tone was net espe-
cially joyous.
$50" she went on, II am in a posi-
ton to pay back to you, | think, what
my father and Sam took from you.
It won't be enough, I'm afraid, to pay
what you lost indirectly. But | have
told the lawyers to make it all over
to you"
l could have laughed aloud. 1t was
too ridiculous, this situation into
which / had got myself. l did not
knnN what to say. | could hardly
keep out of my face how foolish this
collapse Of my crafty conspiracy made
me feel. And then the fuli meaning
of what she was doing came over me
the revelation of her character. l
trusted myself to steal a glance at
her; and for the first time | didn't
see the thrilling azure sheen over her
smooth white skin, though all her
beauty was before me, as dazzling as
when it compelled me to resolve to
win her. No; | saw her, herself-the
woman within. / had known from the
outset that there was an altar of love
within my temple of passion. | think
that was my first real visit to 1T.
"Anita!" l said, u~nsteadily. Anita
The color famed in her cheeks; we
were silent for a long time.
"You-your people owe me moth
ing" l at length found voice to say.
Even if they did, | couldn't and
wouldn't take your money. But, be-
lleve ME, they owe me nothing"
"You cannot mislead me-" she an
swered. When they asked me to be-
come engaged to you, they told me
about it'.'
/ had forgotten. The whole repul-
sive, rotten business came back to me.
And, changed man that had become
in the last six months, l saw myself
as l had been. ! felt that she was
looking at me, was reading the de-
grading confession in my te4ltale
features.
81 will tell you the whole truth
said /. Il did use your fathers and
your brothers debts to me as a means
of getting to you. But, before God,
Anita, | swear | was honest with you
when | said to you | never hoped or
wished to win you in that way!"
81 believe YOU she replied, and her
tone and expression made my heart
leap with indescribable joy.
Love is sometimes most unwise in
his use of the reins he puts on pas
sion. Instead of acting as impulse
commanded, I said. clumsily: And !
am very different to-day from what l
was last spring" 1t eye occurred
to- me how she might interpret those
words.
Il know she replied. She waited
several seconds before adding; Il, too,
have changed. I see that | was far
more guilty than you. There is no
excuse for me. l was badly brought
up, as you used to say, but"
"No-no," l began to protest.
She cut me short with a sad: you
need not be polite and spare my feel
ings. Let's not talk of it. Let us go
back to the object | had in coming
for you to-day"
You owe me nothing" | repeated,
"Your brother and your father set
tied long ago. I lost nothing through
them. And I've learned that IL | had
never known you, Roebuck and Lang
don would still have attacked me-"
What my uncle gave me has been
transferred to you" said she, woman
fashion, not hearing what she did not
care to heed. 81 can't make you ac-
cept it; but there it is, and there 1t
stays"
Il cannot take It," said l.. tIf you
insist on leaving it in my name, !
shall simply return it to your uncle
81 wrote him what / had DONE" she
rejoined. Ills answer came yester.
day. He approves it."
Approves til" l exclaimed.
"You do not know how eccentric he
u.s." she explained, naturally misun.
d~erstanding my establishment. She
took a letter from her bosom and
handed it to me. ] read:
Dear Madam: 1t was yours to dc
with as you pleased. II you ever find
Yourself in the mood to visit. Gull