Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-02-01
The Fighting
Chance. s sSiS ;; ::
Copyright, Curtis Publishing Company.
Copyright, by
>. BY 80.
ROBERT w.
CHAMBERS.
Copyright, 1904 by the Curtis Publishing Company.
Copyright, 1885, by Robert w. Chambers.

ton and power offered me. but Will
not lie for it nor betray for it..
She dropped one arm on the back or
his chair and rested her chin on 1t.
staring at space across his shoulders.
That's how 1t had to be. you see,
when found that l cared for you.
There was nothing to do but to tell
him He trusts me enough to marry
| me. He will be safe enough as far as
my personal conduct is concerned" she
added naively 1T seems that | am
capable of love. but ! am incapable OF
! its degradation"
Siward, leaning heavily forward over
| his desk, rested his head in both hands,
and she stopped from her perch on the
arm of the chair, pressing her hot
| cheeks against his hands-a moment
only; then. slipping to her feet. she
curled up in great armchair by the
fire, head tipped back, blue gaze con-
centrated on him.
.The thing for you to do she said.
lis to ambush me some night and
| throw me into hanson and drive us
both to the parsons. I'd hate you for
it as much as I'd love you, but I'd
make you an interesting wife
II may do that yet" he said, lifting
his head from his hands.
you've year to do 1t in she OBJ
served by the way, you're to take me
| in to dinner, as you did the first night
| Do YOU remember? | asked Grace Fer
rail- then | asked her again today
| Heigho. 1t was years ago, wasn't 1t,
| that drove up to the station and saw
very attractive aud perplexed young
man looking anxiously about for some
| body to take him to Shotover? Ahem
| The notorious Mr.. Siward. Dear.
| didn't mean to hurt you You know
1t, silly! Mayn't I have my little joke
about your badness-your redoubtable
badness OF reputation? There! You
had Just better smile. How dare you
brighten me by making me think | had
hurt you? Besides, you are probably
unrepentant"
! She watched him closely for a mo-
ment or two, then, Are you unrepent-
| anti"
about what?"
"About your general wickedness-
about"-she hesitatel-"about that girl,
for example,"
"What girl?" he asked coldly.
"That reminds me that you have
told me absolutely nothing about her"
'sThere is nothing to tell" he said
| in tone so utterly new to her In it's
| finality that she sat up as though lis
| tening to an unknown voice.
Tone and words so completely eX-
cluded her from the new intimacy into
which she had imperceptibly drifted
that both suddenly developed sig
nificance from sheer contrast. Who
was the girl. then, of whom he had
absolutely nothing to say! What was
she to him? What could she be to
him-an actress, a woman of COM
mon antecedents? She felt little irri-
| tated, little Inundated, little hurt,
and took refuge in a silence that he
did not offer to break.
Early twilight had fallen in the
room. The freight grew redder.
l
to the old. light tone limiting Of the
laughter in his eyes which she could
no longer see, suppose, as you sug-
| gested, | did ambush you-say after
the opera-seize you under the very
nose of your escort and make madly
for a hansom?'
II know of no other way" she said
demurely.
"Would you resist physlcally?"
Eyes, / would. If l were going to
surrender at once l might as we'll go
off to church with you now"
"Wenniston church!' he said prompt
". "I'll order the motor"
| She laughed, lazily settling herself
more snugly by the fire. Suppose it
were our fire?" she smiled. ''There
would be dog lying across that rug;
and comfortable Angora tabby doz-
ing by the fender, and-you. cross
legged, at my feet, with that fascinat-
Ing head of yours tipped back against
my knees"
The laughter in her voice died out,
and he had risen, saying unsteadily:
"Don't! IL can't stand that sort of
thing, you know"
She had nude mistake too. She
also had suddenly become aware of hel
own limits in the same direction.
"Forgiye me, dear! l meant no
mockery."
II know. After awhile a man finds
laughter difficult"
81 was not laughing at-anything.
was only pretending to be happy"
"Your happiness is before you," he
said sullenly.
"My future, you mean. You know
am exchanging one for the other. And
some day you will awake to the in
fanny of it. You will comprehend the
depravity of the monstrous trade !
made. And then = and them she
PASSED one slim hand over her face
then you will shake yourself free
from this dream of me: then, awake,
! nv punishment at your hands will be-
gin. Dear no man in his right senses
can continue to love girl such as
am"
After a long silence, do you think
before the year is out that you might
be granted enough courage" he asked.
mo. I shall not even pray for it. l
want what is offered me. he might
have stopped me. He did not. And
now what is there on earth to halt