The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1911-08-25
CHAPTER XVII.

| "A glittering eye were visible
| now in the crack OF the door
4 - The apparition which con.
fronted him proved TO be Lillian Freed
slender but exquisiteiy rounded In the
silk kimono which revealed her white
throat and her shapely forearms. warm
against the soft crimson fabric. Her
dainty feet were incased In fur edged
slippers of red felt. Her hair and her
eyes seemed blacker than ever. Her
face, a perfect oval. was warmed by
the rich color of abundant blood. Her
pointed chin was dimpled. and her
scarlet lips were curved In smile.
half Of mischief and half OF delight.
"Lillian." gasped Kelvin.
Her eyes sparkling. she put her fin
gers upon her lips and noiselessly clos
ed her own door. then Phillips. behind
her, then advanced to him with out
stretched hands. He took them In his
own as matter of course. but held
her at arms length.
| what are you doing here?" he de-
manded. Have you gone mad?
mot at ALL" she laughed gayly. I'm
quite sane and sensible. thank you. 1t
was lonesome at Forest Lakes, so I
brought Mrs. Rensselaer, up to chap
eron me for weeks shopping. and just
now, after making sure that you would
be quite alone for the rest of the even
ing. have merely dropped in to have
a chat with my old friend"
Mrs. Rensselaer,? Where is she?"
asked Phillip.
sSound asleep and snoring in her
own apartment. which is on the other
side Of mine. with the bathroom be-
tween and my door locked. attend
ed to that all right, you may be sure.
You don't seem at all glad to see me,
though" and she pouted with much
coQuetry.
"Pm not" answered Phillip. push
ing her away almost roughly. This
is the utmost folly. You must return
to your own room. and in the morn.
ing you must move to some other
floor or shall. No; you must go to
some other hotel"
II shan't move from the hotel" she
said. looking up into his eyes and
laughing as she shook her head. IL
shan't move from these apartments
l shan't move from this room even
until | get ready to go. Phillip,
have been ordered around like a child
ever since | can remember. and now
I'm going TO revolt. I'm going to have
the things l want. right or wrong. and
among them I'm going to have your
"Lillian." he gasped and drew back
from her. And yet he could not look
down uron her flushed cheeks. upon
her moist. red lips. upon the rounded
column Of her throat. with revolt.
"You are conQueror." Lillian went
on, drawing closer. your hand is
the hand Of might. the hand that could
grasp and WELD with relentless pow
er either sword or scepter. You do
not know how l. too. love power and
all that represents power. love 1t
SO much that could worship it even
while 1t crushed and destroyed me-
The very strength of these arms
want for NINE"
( Her own arm had slipped up and
she had clasped both Of them about
him and chung to him. For a moment
longer he resisted, and then he sud-
denly crushed her to him and rained
kisses upon her smooth brow, her
silken eyelids, her burning cheeks, her
soft lips.
Kelvin met Mrs. Rensselaer, and Lii
liam at breakfast, and they talked of
the opera and gowns, Of automobiles
and an international wedding. After
breakfast he bought the political con-
troll Of an entire state with the litiga-
tive clientage of a thousand miles of
railroad. He met in the hall of his
guish it gave his soul to meet now
this girl who had loved him. and loved
him yet, in all purity and tenderness.
he talked calmly with her, chatting
pleasantly about her fathers garden
at Forest Lakes. He let contract
for $1.0O0,0O0 worth Of grading and
cement sidewalks. He saw Sam and
Lucy laughing in the servants eleva-
tor. understood Sans hilarity Of the
night before and had an inkling of
how his door had come to be unlock
ed. He went to the theater at night |
with Mrs. Rensselaer, and Lillian, and |
after they had returned and Mrs.
Rensselaer, had retired soft footed
mailman listened to the low voices in |
Phillips apartments and sent cipher |
message to George Blagg. who was
hollow eyed and pale with suffering
and murderous!
On the following day Phillip. alone |
with Sam in the wilderness Of Long |
EN