The Garland globe. [volume] (Garland, Utah) 1906-191?, 1907-08-31
CHAPTER xiV-continued.


that, though | may have been made in
to moral coward, I'm not a physical
coward? Don't bully and threaten.
It's useless"
put my hand strongly on her
shoulder-taunts and ieers do not
turn me aside. What did you
mean?' ! repeated.
Take your hand off me-" she com
manded.
What did you mGan?" | repeated
sternly. Don't be afraid to answer"
She was very young-so the taunt
stltng her. II was about to tell you
said she, when you began to make
it impossible"
dock advantage of this to extri-
cate myself from the awkward po-
sition in which she had put mel
took my hand from her shoulder.
IL am going to leave" she an
nounced
You forgot that you are my wife"
said I.
Il am not your wife," was her an
swer, and If she had not looked so
childlike there in the moonlight all
in white, could not have held myself
In check, so insolent was the tone and
so helpless of ever being able to win
her did she make me feel.
You .e my wife and you will stay
here with me-" | reiterated my brain
on fire.
81 am my own, and l shall go where
please, and do what | please" was
her contemptuous retort. why won't
you be reasonable? Why won't you
see how utterly unsuited we are? |
don't ask you to be a gentleman-but
just man, and be ashamed even to
wish to detain woman against her
will"
! drew up a chair so close to her
that to retreat, she was forced to sit
in the broad wndow-seat. Then
seated myself. by all means, let
rs be reasonable" said |. Now, let
me explain my position. have heard
you and your friends discussing the
views of marriage you've just been
expressing. Their views may be
right. maybe more civilized, more
advanced than mine. No matter
They are not mine. | hold by the
old standards-and you are my wife
mine. DO you understand" Al
Nhs as TRANQUILITY as If we were dis
:ussinG fair weather. And you will
live up to the obligation which the
marriage service has put upon you.
She might have been a marble stat
ne pedestaled in that window seat.
"You married me of your own free
will-for you could have protested &c
the preacher and he would have sus
tanned you. You tacitly put certain con
ditions on our marriage. | assented L
them. | have respected them.
shall continue to respect them. Blu
when you married me, you didn'
marry a dawding dude chatterinl
advanced ideas with his head full
OF libertinism. You married man
And that man is your husband"
waited, but she made no common
not even by gesture or movement
She simply sat, her hands interlaceC
in her lap, her eyes straight upol
mine.
You say let us be reasonable"
went on. We'll, let us be reasonable
There may come time when woman
can be free and independent. bu
that time is long way off yet. Tn
world is organized on the baisis O
every womars having a protector
of every de,mu. woman's having
husband, unless she remains in tn
home of some of her blood.relations
There may be women strong enoug
to set the world at deliasce. But 20
are not one of them-and you know 4
You have shown IL TO yourself agai
and again in the last forty.eight hours
Your bringing-up has kept you chill
in real knowledge of real life. a
distinguished from life in that fast
ionabe dollhouse. If you tried to al
sert your so-called independence, 70
would be the easy prey of a scounC
rel or scoundrels, When |, who hav
lived in the thick OF the fight all m
life who have learned by many a su
prise and defeat never to sleep q!
cept with the sword and gun in han'
and one eye open-when | have bee
trapped as Roebuck and Langdo
have just trapped me-what chaaC
would a woman like you haye?"
She did not answer or change e,
preston
"Is what | say reasonable or III
reasonable" ! asked gently,
Reasonable - from your stant
point" she said.
She gazed out into the moonligh
up into the sky. And AT the look
her face, the primeyal savage in m
strained to close round that slendt
white throat of hers and crush an
crush until 1t had killed In her II
thought of that other man which VI
transforming her from marble to ties
that glowed and blood that surged,
pushed back my chair with a suddo
noise; by the way she trembled
gagged how tense her nerves must b
rose and In fairly calm tone, sale
We understand each other?"