Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1909-10-14
By
HAROLD
MAC GRATH
Copyright. 1908. by the Bobbs.
Merrill Co.

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But. II you are not money mad. why
these great fortunesw obviously.
AT a certain age a fortune In this
country doubles itself without any eff.
fort on the part Of the owner. Few Of
us marry for money. and when we do
we at least have the manhood to keep
the letter Of our bargain"
"And when you marryY she queried
"Well. it is generally the woman we
love. Dowries are not considered
There is no social law which forbids
a dowerless girl to marry a dowerless
man." laughing. But over there 1t is
always and eternally business con-
tract simply. You know that"
"Yes. a business contract" listlessly.
"But they talk Of nobility on the
other side. That is 1T; they talk. talk
Italy. France. Germany! Why. | had
rather be the son Of an English farm
er than a prince on the continent And
l had rather be what l am than the
greatest nobleman in England"
go on. go on! like 1t. What do
you call it-jingo" she laughed.
"Call It what you will Look at the
men we produce. Three or four hun
dred years ago Europe gave US great
poets. great artists. great soldiers
great churchmen and great rascals. I
admire great rascal when he IL q
Napoleon. Talleyrand. a Machiavelli
But a petty one! We have no art. NO
music. no antiquity. but we have a
race Of gentlemen. The old country Ii
not breeding them nowadays"
"Signora. dinner is served" the maid
announced.
"Signora" thought Hillard.
after you. oMr. Hillard." she said.
He bowed and passed on before her.
but not till he had passed did he un-
derstand the maneuver. To follow her
would have been nothing less than the
temptation to pluck at the strings of
her mask. Would he have touched TT
He could not say.
That dinner! Was he In New York;
Was 1t not Bagdad. the bottle and the
genii? Had he ever. even In bis most
romantic dreams. expected to turn a
page SO charming. 30 enchanting or 90
dangerous to his peace of mind. a
game of magical hide and seek?
And she? A within. fantastic. un-
accountable whim-the within of a wo-
man seeking forgetfulness. not count
ing the cost nor caring, simply a
within.
On the little table was Tuscany
brass lamp of three wicks, fed by olive
OIL It was sufficient to light the ia
BILE. but the rest of the room was sunk
In darkness. He half understood that
there was definite purpose in this
emi-illumination. She had no wish
! that he should by chance recognize
anything familiar In this house.
May l ask you one question:" he
asked. --sssa.nas.aaespa sSkfaN0N4
NO" promptly. There was some
thing in his eyes that made her grow
wary Of sudden.
Then l shan't ask 1t. shall not
ask you II you are married"
And l shall not say one way or the
other"
She smiled. and he laughed quietly.
A running conversations a fencing
match with words and phrases; time
after time she touched him. but with
all his skill he could not break through
her guard
And that interesting dissertation on
the American gentleman" she said
icily.
THAT'S the trouble with posing as a
moralist. One must live up to the
precepts. Would you believe me II
told you that at the age of three and
thirty am still heart whole?"
She parted. II trust you will not
spoil that excellent record by making
love to me- She reached for the
matches. touched off one. watched II
burn for a moment. extinguished II
and then deliberately drew line
across the center Of the tablecloth.
Now. what might that representa-
he asked curiously
"A line. Mr. Hillard. The moment
you cross that line that moment you
leave this house. On guard"
Come, that is not brave. You can
|
mat. but l must stand this side of the
line. unable to reach you. And you
have the advantage of the mask be
sides. You are not fair fencer.'
THE odds should be in my favor.
am a woman. My wrist is not sc
strong as yours"
physically, of course. | may pass
the line to reach the salt for instance
VIII that be against the rules? You
have put temptation in my path"
IBID Satan get behind thee"
Il wish | knew the color of YOU
eyes. Behind those holes | see nothing
but points of fire, no Color
.'They are blue. But supposing
wear this mask because my face Ii