The Paonia newspaper., 1911-03-31
IN EXTREM E
MON EN- rs y
By Martha McCulloch : William.
Copyright. 1871. by Associated Literary Press.l

WISH Dallas tegan, half turn
ing away his eyes.
"A woman sighs: I wish!' man
should say. I WILL" Helen May
quoted. mischievously, yet with a faint
flush.
Dallas laughed uneasily. IF could
will. would have no need to WISH" he
said.
Indeed! Can't you tell me the won
derful wish?" Helen, asked. He shook
his head, but irresolutely.
You wouldn't understand he muir
INJURED. signing family after the last
word.
be-" Helen laughed. pretending to
pout afterward.
Dallas got up and walked the length
of the room. At the fireplace he said
abruptly over his shoulder:
Il wish had never seen you or else
could marry you"
Whether or no?" Helen countered.
her eyes dancing.
He turned short about. Mock mel
All you likei" he said. You knew
from the beginning l wasn't free to
choose. Marcia's father made me-but
for him l should never have got a
start I've paid the money-insisted
on 1t the first minute could But
gratitude, Heavens. All am or ever
shall be. won't begin to pay that And
he has set his heart on having me In
the family-Marcia herself acquiesces
Il doubt II she greatly cares"
You are wrong. She does care.
Helen said. also rising. You are as
much an outward and visible sign OF
her fathers wealth and consequence
as her motor or her tiara"
And nothing more? Lord' II !
thought So" Dallas began
Helen put up her hand imperatively
for silence. That was a horrid
speech-truth generally is" she said.
Forget 1t. please-it makes no diff
ference-and remembering will only
hurt
Notwithstanding shall remem-
ber." Dallas said. his voice low and
hoarse.
Helen went a pace toward him.
"A wise man would marry Marcia out
of hand" she said. She is SO hand
some. her bridegroom cannot fail to be
fond of her"
Il am fond of her-so fond !
thought / loved her-untii you came
into my iife." Dallas said. a little
shake In his voice
Helen's eyes met his long gaze
steadily. Are you sure you know
what love is?" she asked clearly.
IF l loved. neither heights nor
depths. nor principaiities nor pow
ers. nor any earthly things could
come between me and my beloved"
Il see you despise me now as COW
ard" Dallas said. half turning away.
"No-nothing more than wise.
a very wise person." she answered. a
little bitterly. Prove the wisdom by
leaving me at once"
Dallas would have caught her to
his breast-she pushed him away,
pointing silently to the door.
AS II closed behind him she sank
down. shaken with gusty sobs. She
had hoped he would stay in spite OF
everything-here as everywhere. Fate
stood Marcia's friend.
II was hard. Marcia was her
cousin once removed - big. slow.
splendid. phlegmatic. Helen herself
was a bit OF human quicksilver-she
had not meant to let herself really
love Dallas. The affair had begun.
indeed. in her determination to show
that once. IL no more. she could tri-
umph over Marcia. Marcia had
everything-money, friends. the love
of a real man, even though sho was
not going to marry him. And as the
wife OF Dallas she would have hon
ors-perhaps almost the highest in
the land. Already men spoke OF him
as a darling OF the gods. Things
came to him. unasked. apparently.
that other men sought through toll
some years. yet never found. He
was rising. 35-it was part of
the situation that, disregarding all
temptations. he had waited to match
himself with his benefactors daugh-
ter. He had played with her. a
dimpled. rather heavy creature. had
watched her grow into an ugly big
girl. and later a magnificent woman.
She had accepted him as part of the
picture-since she was ten she had
said placidly to all talk of her fu-
ture:
Il am going to marry Eugene. so
he can really belong to daddy"
Then had come the episode OF
Doctor Ware-the last man In the
world one would have thought to go