Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-19

Copyright 1909. by Agency.
to have peculiarly supple body all her actions
easy and elegant-with her elbows on her knees, she
took her chin in her hand.
You must go tonight, she said, deliberately, and
with a kind of sweet authority, "when you reach
home to your father and tell him this tale Tell him
straight out; make clean breast of everything, as
you have done to me. Tonight. Do you hearg''
"DeadY To your mother then. Look here! She
will be in bed when you get home. Go to her room;
sit on her bed tell her. Promise me you will -
81 would die sooner
Because I would rather kill myself than my
mother"
my dear boy, it would not kill her. Women do
not die easily
''It would be worse to her than DEATH 1 will not
do it."
els there one ese9"
"There is my uncle-my fathers brother. He is a
rich and influential man."
'well, go to him. Ask him to help you, for your
"Ive been to him to-day. I am just coming from
"And hef'
"Won t..
''No one elsel Think well. Are you sureq''
90 Not a single earthly soul. ~
The red-brown eyes, the light from the lamp
head shining into them, remained fixed in moment s
silence on mine. 1t was period of absolute conf
dence. My soul barred to hers / wished it to be-
I told her nothing with reluctance. longed for her
to know all.
:" Heaven won help me, either burst out.
had been carefully and religiously brought up. The
fact that my frantic prayer for help had not been
answered had surprised as much as defeated me.
"Don t say that-yet," she said, with certain
reluctance, and dropped her eyes and looked away.
''My poor boyl What you going to dot"
"This'' / answered. and pulling out the hand
which had rested in the deep pocket of my greatcoat
/ showed her what it held
vaguely expected-such horror mine of that
last expedient-a cry of alarm, wild remonstrance.
She made none did not even speak; looked for min
ute with grave eyes, then nodded permission to me to
restore to my pocket that which it had concealed
How old are youR' she asked, and l told her l
twentyone.
Then she lay back in her of the carriage, and
looked at each other gazing straight into each
others eyes, with embarrassment than If we
had been two dsemboded spirits encountering in
space.
Presently she made motion towards the Russia
leather bag above her head. Its odor family filed the
carriage. Although | not conscious of noticing
il then the SUBTLE sweet scent of the leather always
brings back to me the scene. / can feel the numb
despair lying as a load upon my heart / see
myself, the pale, lanky boy, with hands and feet as
chill if the death sought, yet dreaded, had begun
already at my extremities with the dampness of fear
and sickness upon my brow; my eyes hanging desper
ately upon the heavy eyes in the face opposite
mine, asking of her wdly-the perfect stranger-I
cannot tell what. | the grace of her supple
body wrapped in its sumptuous furs the charm of her
featured face with its thin, crimson lips its
redbrown eyes, the dark red of its luxuriant shadow
ing hair.
She pointed to the handbag above her head Get
it down for me, will youi" she said and, rising
stifHy, reached it and placed it in her lap.
She opened the bag with key which hung
gold and onyx chain about her neck, taking from it
purse. This she studied, looking into all its
partments then held across to me. There were in it
couple of soveregns and good deal of loose silver
'That is all have she said, with her smile-her
adorable her-ah do not know by what adjective
to express it, but it unforgettable- in my
face at is all have" she said ''I'd give it to
you willingly, poor boy but it wouldn t helpS"
shook my head
She put her hand into the bag, lifted from it,
wrapped loosely in ragged sheet of tissue paper only
diamond necket-I saw the sparkle of the stones
through the rents of the package she laid it aside
With it she placed bracelet two unknotting the