Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1911-11-02
CHAPTER XVII.
Confessional.

But the cab was there and within
it the girl was waiting for him.
The driver, after taking up his fare,
had at her direction drawn over to
the further curb, out of the fringe of
the rabble which besieged the st.
Luke building in constantly growing
numbers, and through which Maitland,
too impatient to think of leaving by
the basement exit, had ebowed and
fought his way in an agony of appre-
hension that brooled no hindrance,
needed no difficulty.
He dashed round the corner, stopped
short with a sinking heart, then as
the cabby's signaling whip across the
street caught his eye, fairly hurled
himself to the other curb, pausing at
the wheel, breathless, lifted out of
himself with joy to find her faithful
in this ultimate instance.
She was recovering, whose high spir-
it and recuperative powers were to
him then and always remained mar
velous thing; and she was bending
forth from the body of the hanson to
welcome him with a smile that in a
| twinkling made radiant the world to
him who stood in a gloomy side street
of New York at three o'clock
of summers morning. good
hour and a half before the dawn.
| For up there in the tower OF the
| sky-scraper he had as much as
| told her of his love; and she had
waited; and now-and now he had
been blind indeed had he failed to read
| the promise in her eyes. Weary she
| was and spent and overweight; but
| there is no tonic in all the world like
the consciousness that where one has
placed ones love, there love has bur-
geoned in response. And despite all
that she had suffered and endured, the
happiness that ran like soft fire in her
veins, wrapping her being with its
benefcont rapture, had deepened the
color in her cheeks and heightened
the glamour in her eyes.
And he stood and stared knowing
that in all time to no man had ever
woman seemed more lovely than this
girl to him; knowledge that robbed
his mind of all other thought and his
tongue of words, so that to her fell
the task of rousing him.
Please" she said gently-"please
tell the cabby to take me home, Mr..
Maitland"
He came to and in confusion STAN
mered: Yes, he would. And he
climbed up on the step with no other
thought than to seat himself at her
side and drive away forever. But
this time the cabby brought him to
his senses, forcing him to remember
that some measure of conference was
demanded even of man in love.
Where to, sir?"
"Eh, what? OH" And bending to
the girl: Home, you said-?"
She told him the address, num-
Der on Park avenue above Thirty
fourth street, below Forty-second. He
repeated it mechanically, unaware
that it would remain stamped forever
on his memory, indelibly-the first
personal detail that she had granted
him; the first barrier down.
He sat down. The cab began to
move, and halted again. A face an
peared at the apron-Hickey's. red
and moon-like and not lacking in COM |
placency; for the man counted on |
profiting variously by this nights |
work.
Excuse me, Mr.. Maitland, ND
touching the rim of his derby-"yeh,
too, ma'am, f'r buttin' in
Hickey" demanded Maitland. sud- |
denly, in tone of smodering wrath. |
what the-what do you want?"
'fYeh told me tub call round to-mor-
row, yeh know. Whenll yeh be in?" |
I'm leave a note for you with |
O'Hagan. Is that all?"
''Yep-that is, there's somethin
else
"Well?''
Excuse me for mentionin' 1t, but |
didn't know-it amt generally known. |
yeh know, nd one uh tn boys might |
We heard me speak tub yer lady by |
name nd might pass it on to re- |
porter. What I means this" hastily, |
as the Maitland temper showed dan
gerous indications of going into active |
eruption: Il s'pose yeh don't want me |
tub mention t yeh're married, jes |
yet? Mrs. Maitland here" with nod |
to her, didn't seem tub take kindly |
tub the notion of it's bein known"
Hickey"
"Ah, excuse met
Drive on, enthusiastically Do |
you hear?"
Hickey backed suddenly away and |
the cab sprang into motion: while |
Maitland with face of fire sat back |
and ragged and wondered.
Across broadway toward Fourth /