The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-12-01

/ NldN MN pll W AloNuS lupSt AZ
! fairs of their own world which in
terested them both. The great paws
were there stretched out, powerful,
| heavy, but they remained immoyable
! to the terriers widest efforts. They
required the controlling will of their
owner to lift one of them to strike
the blow that would break the back
of the tormentor
From the time of Guys first ad.
mission after Mary's Illness other
meetings occurred in swift success
sion. In her first angry Qique she
took a painful pleasu, in hi CO.,
ing. eln though; 90 force Fer nan
into active protest. II was all she
wanCci. once re shcVel his halI
she woald know where she was,
and it would be simple enough lor
her to put things straight
But time went on, and the desire j
change did not come All it bro ght
her vas a nervous apprehension Of
e"cry,iinC, and to others a general
understanding that an intrigue WIS
1eu 3 carried on under her hls
baEG nose. Tanta vas dNresse- :;
Emily Nerricker grew angry, and all
the white fox in the district were
disgusted at what was going on,
ana wondered what Elwood coull be
tAialing about to allow his wife TO
Lehave as she was doing.
Then came the inevitable tine
when fear made Mary wish to draw
back, but she found it was easier
to step into the mire than to step
out of it.
l. was about this time she found
herself one afternoon sitting on he
stoep with Guy. Ferman was away.
She made up her mind to give this
man his dismissal. The farce she
had begun out of pque was threat
ening to overwhelm her, and draw
her into a vortex or shame from
which there would be no escape.
Guy was sitting on the wooden
floor of the stoep with his back
against one of the posts, tapping
the leg of a neat riding-boot with
his rawhide sjambok. Mary was fur
ther within the shade of the thatch-
roof lounging in a basket chair. She
still looked delicate; her recent i'll
ness had left its mark upon her.
Always slight, she now looked al
most ethereal in her simple white
cotton dress. The shadows round her
eyes were quite pronounceh and
every vestige of her healthy sunburn
had vanished. Perhaps her beauty
had increased, but it was the beau
ty of flower reared in the hot
house rather than that which comes
from the open air and healthy eXer
else. Truth to tell, she had lost
that delight she once had for the
sunlight: she had grown almost to
fear it; the stoep had practically
become her only exercise ground.
Guy was looking up at her with
eyes that made no attempt to dis
guise their boldness. 1t was a look |
which indexeb his whole attitude
now.
why do you steadily refuse to
ride with me now?" he asked her
after long and vain attempt to
draw her into talking more init
mately.
Il don't think I could stand the
exercise or the ,heat-yet'
1T is the way to get your strength
back. Besides, We needn't go too
far"
The woman shook her head
Il know. But I don't want to ride"
The sjambok fell sharply on the
soft leg of the mans boot.
It's a pity. | want to show you
the Wondergat," he laughej, his
black eyes likhting with malice.
why do you laugh?'
Guy shrugged.
"A happy thought" he replied in
He did not tel her that his mirth |
was provoked by the recollection of |
the compact, and the part the Won
dereat was to play in it.
THE Wondergat is a weird place,
and ought to be accounted another
wonder of the world he went on
lightly. "It will certainly interest
YOU. Can't / even persuade you to
-ide my 'trirler'? He wouldn't shake
. pea Of the saddle"
Mary vas silent for awhile. Here
vas a chance TO thrust in he thin
md OF the wedge. She wanted 10
'ism SIS him easily. Somehow the
ii ding semed 10 have fallen from
rim. Pcrhap. she regarded MIN from