Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-09-05
the things away, and don't want


them to hear what l say"
Tell the servants to go to hell,
said the old man, who, relieved by
Genes departure, was becoming more
cheerful.
mo, this is something-something
serious. I'll go into the sitting-room
and wait for you. When you've I'm
ished your coffee, come in."
She rose from her chair and walked
to the door. He noticed that she was
unusually unsmiling and 1t occurred
to him that she had been SO all
through dinner.
What is it. honey" he said. extend
ing his hand toward her, Short on
your allowance?"
"oh. no. it's 1ust-just something"
she said. lifting the portiere. Come
when you're ready, I'll be there"
She walked up the hall to the sit
ting-room and there sat down in low
chair before the chimney-piece. The
chill Of the fog had penetrated the
house and fire had been kindled In
the crate. On its quivering fiuctuation
of flame she fixed her eyes. With her
hands pressed between her knees she
sat immovable, thinking of what she
was going to say, and SO nervous that
the blood sang in her ears and the
palms of her hands, clasped tight to-
gether. were damp. She had never in
her life shrunk SO before an allotted
task. 1t sickened her and she was de-
termined to do 1t. to thresh 1t out to
the end. When she heard her fathers
step in the passage her heart began
to beat like woman's waiting for her
lover. She Strengthened herself and
drew an inspiration from the bottom
of her lungs to try to give herself
breath wherewith to speak.
The old man flung himself into an
armchair at one side of the fireplace,
jerked a small table to his elbow,
reached crealringly for an ash tray,
and, having made himself comfortable,
took his cigar from his mouth and
said:
well, let's hear about this serious
matter that's making you look like
tragedy queen"
1T is serious" she said slowly. Its
something that you won't like to hear
about"
Hit me with It," he said. wonder
ing little what it could be. Genes
gone and a child could eat out of my
hand now"
Looking into the fire. Rose said:
81 was out walking this afternoon
and down in the Union Street plaza a
woman stopped me. I'd never seen
her before. She was Mrs. Dominick
Ryan"
The old mans face became a study.
A certain whimsical tenderness that
was generally in it when he spoke to
his daughter vanished as II by magic.
1t was as II a light had gone out. He
continued to look at her with some
thing of blankness In his countenance,
as II. for the first moment of shock,
every faculty was held in suspense,
waiting for the next words. He held
his cigar. nipped between a pair OF
stumpy fingers, out away from him
over the arm of the chair.
Well" he said quietly. "and what
had she to say to your"
THE most disagreeabls things l
think any one ever said to me in my
life. II they're true. they're Just too
dreadful" she stopped, baking from
the final disclosure.
Suppose you tell me what they
were?" he said with the same almost
hushed quietness.
she said that you and Mrs. Ryan
were offering her money! good deal
Of money. three hundred thousand dol
lars was the amount, think-to leave
her husband SO that he could get a
divorce from her. and then" she
swallowed as IL to swallow down this
last unbearable indignity-"and then
be free to marry me-"
So Berny had told all. II deep. un-
spoken curses could have killed her
she would have died that moment
rs 1t true?" Rose asked.
well. yes," said the old man in a
perfectly natural tone of dubious con-
sideration. Its a fairly accurate state
ment."
"Oh. papa" cried his daughter,
how could you have done It? How
could you have done such thing?
Such a hateful, horrible thing"
Horrible thing?" he repeated with
an air of almost naive astonishment.
whats horrible about it?"
You know. / don't have to tell
you; you know. Don't say to me that
you don't think it's horrible. Don't
make me feel as If we were suddenly
thousands of miles apart"
The Bonanza King knew that in
many matters. in most matters involv-
ing questions of ethics. they were
more thousands of miles apart than
she even now suspected. That was
one of the reasons why he would have
liked to kill Berry, who. for the first
time, had brought this dissimilarity in
their points of view to his daughters
unwilling consideration. He spoke
slowly and vaguely to gain time. He
knew 1T was critical rnoment In the