Evening star., 1909-07-01

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THE FIGHTER l
81 By ALBERT PAYSON TERHUNE
3l Copyright 1907 BY Payson Terbune E&
Copyright. 1909, BY Albeit Payson Terhune.
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! you say It'll seem queer to stop fghtin
But-1tll seem nice, too. ! never though,
Ia feel that way. But I do now. An
always snail while you're by me- You
can do anything you want to with me
You always could. an YOU always can"
our arms are so big-so strong.
| murmured Desiree. Il seem to be In q
fortress where no ill can ever get to me
I'm home.''
He wrapped the coat more closely about
her and held her tenderly as mother
reverently as priest might bear the
| most. AND after time, as she lay
fringe of her eyelashes began to waver
| Sleepily she lifted her face
Kiss me good night" she said. he,
voice slow with drowsiness
| The fire had died down and the ring o.
| heat ramparts it had reared against the
autumn cold crumbled away The sleep
| ing girl rested cozily warm in Conover'.
arms. The man. his back against the
tree, sat motionless; fearing by the slight
| est move to disturb her sleep.
He dared not rise to repienish the
smoldering fire. He was coatless. and
the growing cold gnawed with increasi sing
keenness through the thin neglige shirt
into his arms and shoulders. 1t was the
coidest night he had known since his ar
| rival at the Adirondacks
AS the last flame died down upon the
bed of red-gray Goals Rex woke with a
| quiver of chilliness, crept close to the
embers and lay down again. Caleb. frs,
| making sure the movement had not dis.
turbed Desiree. fell to envying the dog
| The cold had sank into his very bones
| The impossibility of shifting his stilte6
position CALLED him as the endless hours
crept by. Cramped. half frozen, racked
| with the agony of stiffening muscles and
of blood that could no longer circulate
he clenched his teeth over his under r
from sheer pain. The girl, who at frs,
had lain featherlike in his arms, nov
seemed heavy enough to tear loose his
throbbing biceps. Nor would he. Tor al
the physical anguish of his plight, move
her body one hairs breadth.
And SO. like sleepless Galahad before
some old world forest shrine-like Stylites
on his piilar-worshiping yet in infinite
suffering-lfe sat the long night through
At length his body grew numb his
blood congested. Aching discomfort and
cold had wrought their worst on his
frame of iron and had left it hardly i'm
pervious to further ILL., His mind, wher
bodily surcease came, awoke to new
| activity. His thoughts, at first dis
jointed and wonderingly happy. settled
down soon to their wonted sharp clear
ness. Then 1t was he coolly weighed this
thing he had done.
1t was like him to array in battle order
all the contrary arguments of the case
that with the brute force of his domina
ton he might batter them to pieces. And
| long array they were.
First, his own social yearnings, his
golden dreams of a secure place within
the inner charmed circle of Granite So
ciety! The only road of ingress had
been through marriage with daughter
of that circle. Preferably with Lefty
Standish. Now all that was out Of the
question. Desiree herself was popular
But he knew she could not drag up to
social prominence a man like himself
She had not family nor other prestige
for such tremendous uplift. Nor. as
she herself had said. did she value such
position.
Had she married Hawarden. Caine OF
any of half dozen other eligible Granite
men Desirees own place in society would
straightway have become more than as
sured. With Conover as a husband she
must take rank-or lack of rank-with
him. Nothing higher could be in store
for her. Forever Caleb must assail the
circle In vain or else sink back content
with his own lot far outside it's radius.
The very fact that he was married
and married to an outsider who would
not second his attack-would render the
walls of society impregnable against him
AS a single man-with money and with
the power 10 use the money as a batter
ing ram-he had already knocked great
breaches in the fortifications. Now he
could never pass triumphant through
those gaps.
CTo be continued tomorrow.)