The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-09-04

my trunks ALI pdChcu ICauy-
tell you you've beaten me. You and
Mrs. Ryan are one too many for me-"
He again looked at her, his lips
pressed together, his eye coldly con-
sidering
I'll give you thirty thousand dol
lars and it's understood that you're
to leave the city tonight"
She demurred, but with less show
of vigor, and, for a space. they bag
gled over the sum till they finally
agreed upon thirty-five thousand dol
lars.
As the old man drew the check she
watched him with avid eagerness. re-
straining by force the hand that trem-
bled in its anxiety to become pos
sessed of the slip of paper. He no
tiCed. as she bent over the desk to
sign the receipt, that her fingers shook
so they could hardly direct the pen.
She remarked it herself, setting it
down TO her upset nerves. and laugh
ing at the sprawling signature.
With the check in her hand she
rose. something of the airy buoyancy
OF demeanor that had marked her on
her entrance returning to her.
Well" she said, opening her purse,
this is the real beginning of our bust
ness relations. l feel as If We were
partners"
The old man gave a short, dry
laugh. He could not rid his mind Of
suspicious of her and the whole pro-
ceedings, though he did not see just
how she could be deceiving him.
Wait till next year." he said.
When / see the divorce papers I'll
feel a lot surer of the partnership"
She snapped the clasp of her purse,
laughing and moving to the door. She
was wild to get away, to escape from
the dark room that held such unpleas-
ant memories, and the old man. whose
steely penetrating eye. fastened on
her, was full of unsatisf1ed query.
We'll, so long," she cried, opening
the door Next time we meet it will
be more sociable, / hope. We really
ought to be old friends by this time"
She hardly knew what she was say
ing, but she laughed with a natural
gaiety, and in the doorway turned
and bowed her jaunty good-bys to
him. He stood back and nodded good
humoredly at her, his face showing
puzzlement under its slight, ironic
smile
Once in the street her demeanor
again changed. Her step became
sharp and quick, her expression keen
ly absorbed and concentrated. A
clock showed her that it was nearly
half-past ten, and she walked, with a
speed that was as rapid a mode OF
progression as it could be without
! attracting attention, to the great bank
On which the check was drawn. On
the way down on the car she had
thought out all her movements, just
what she would do, and where she
would go. Her mind was as clear, her
movements as systematic as though
she were moved by mechanism.
She ran up the steps to the bank
and presented the check at the paying
teller's window.
'In one-thousand dollar bills, II you
please" she said, trying not to speak
breathlessly, "all but five hundred,
| and you can give me that in one-hun-
dreds."
The man knew her, made some
vaguely-polite remark, and took the
| slip of paper back into unseen regions.
Berry stood waiting, throbbing from
| head to foot with excitement. She
was not afraid they would refuse to
| cash the check Her sole fear was
that Cannon, as soon as she was gone,
might have regretted his action and
| telephoned from his office to stop the
payment on 1t. She knew that once
the money was hers he would not
make any attempt to get 1t back. His
own reputation and that Of his daugh-
| ter were too inextricably bound up
/. with the transaction for him to dare
to apprehend or punish Berry for her
| deception.
Her heart gave wild leap as she
saw the teller returning, and then
pause behind the netting of his golden
cage while he counted out the bills.
| She tried to speak lightly to him as
he laid them one by one on the glass
slab. She was hardly conscious of
what she said; all she realized was
that the crisp roll of paper in her
| fingers was her possession, II not of
great fortune, at least of something
to stand between her and the world.
When she left the bank she walked
| forward slowly, the excitement which
had carried her on to this point hav-
| ing suddenly left her feeling weak
and tired. She entered the railway
office and bought her ticket for New
York for that evenings train. Then
once more emerging into the SUM-
shine she directed her steps to the
car which would take her to her sis
tiers. She had decided to spend her
last day In San Francisco with them.
AS the car whisked her up the hills
she carefully pondered on how much
she would tell them, where truth was
| advisable and where fiction would
serve better purpose.