Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-08-16

Of his youth, that ready service Il
Iforestall the merited rod.
Ryanne counted out ten sovereigni
and put the pendant in Fortunes
hand. And the pleasure IN his hear
Twas such as he had not known ii
many days. The merchant wisely hur
ried back to his shop.
But :" she began protest
, ingly.a '.s
"Tut, tut! / have known you since
you wore short dresses and tam-o
shanters."
81 really cannot accept It as a gift
let me borr0% the ten pounds"
a "And why can't you accept'a lfttle
gift from me?"
She had no ready answer She
gazed steadily at the dull pearls and
the haky emeralds She could not ask
9 MIN where he had got those soVer
f0gns. She could not possibly be SO
cruel. She. could not dissemble in
words ike her mother. That gold she
knew to be part of a dishonest bar
gain whose forester had been theft
more, sacrilege. Her. honesty was
like pure eOld, unalloyed, unmixed
win sophistic subterfuges. That the
young man who had purchased the rug
might be mildly peccable had not yet
occurred 70 her.
WHY not, Fortune% Ryanne was
very earnest, and there was pinch al
his heart.
becaoSo
Don't you like me Just a hitler
why, I do Ike you, HORACE. But
do not like any man well enough to
accept expensive gifts from him.
do not wish to hurt you, but It is i'm.
possible. The. only concession fql
make Is to borrow the money" a..
well, then, let it go at that" He
was too wise to press her.
d And can you afford to throw away
ten pOunds?" with assumed lightness.
my one permanent impression Of you
ID the young man who was always
forced to borrow carfare whenever he
returned from Monte Carlo"
"A fool and his money. But I'm q
rich man now" he volunteered. And
briefly be sketched the exploit Of the
'Yhiordes rug.
1T was very brave Of you. But has
It ever occurred to you that It wasn't
tonest?" 70
"Honest?" frankly astonished that
she should question the ethics. "Oh,
cay, Fortune; you don't call it dishon.
est to get the best of a pagan! Aren't
they always getting the best of us?"
If you had bargained with him and
beaten him down, it would have been
different: But, Horace, you stole it;
you admit that you did"
Il took my life in my hands.
think that evened up things"
mo. And you. sold it to Mr.. JONES'"
YES and Mr.. Jones was only too
glad to buy it. / told him the facts.
He wasn't particularly eager to bring
up the ethics Of the. case. Why, child,
what the deuce is a Turk? l shouldn't
cry out if some one stole my Bible"
"Goodogracious! do you carry one?"
well, there's always one on the
room-ssand;ip the hotels l patronize. "
Il suppose it all depends upon how
we look at things"
That's it. A different pair Of spec
tacles for every pair Of eyes,"
II only he weren't in love with her!
thought the girl. He would then be
an amusing comrade. But whenever
he met her he quietly pressed his suit.
He had never spoken openly of love,
for which she. was grateful, but his at
tentions, his little kindnesses, his un-
9btfusive protection when those other
men were at the villa, made the read
ing between the lines no difficult mat.
ter. q - .Cs
What shall you do II this Mahomed
you speak OF comes7"
%Turn him loose upon our friend
Jones" with a laugh. o
And what will he do to him?"
Cary him of to Bagdad and chop
on his head" Ryanne TESTED.
a Tell me, is there any possibility Of
Mr.. Jones' coming to harm% :.
Cant say."9 Her concern for PEREZ.
oval annoyed him, o
q. SIS It fair, when he paid you gem
erouslyr o
He dld.not look into the grave eyes.
They were the only pair that ever dis.
concerted him. my dear Fortune, it's
q question which is the more valuable
10 me my skin Or Percival's."
ct isn't fair"
S"From my point of view it's fair
enough. l warned him; I told him the
necessary facts; the eventual dangers.
He. accepted them all with the Yhior.
des. / see nothing unfair in the deal,
since risked my life in the first
place" e.
. And why must you do these des-
perate thingsi"
."0h. l love excitement. Ny one. idea
In life is to avoid. the humdrum."
Us it necessary to risk your life for
these excitements? Is yoas life moth.
ing more to you than something 70 ex.
pertinent Eith%
Truth. sometimes. 10 don't know,
fortune. Sometimes I don't care.