River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-06-19
chAPTER x.-contlnued.

Il do; 1t made a great impression
on me. I shall hope for our further
acquaintance, she said. We have
one very strong interest in common.
And If ever human face spoke elo'
Quently, it was hers at that moment.
/ thought 1t sprang from personal In
terest, and it gave me courage to pur-
sue the intention which had taken
the place Of every other feeling and
ambition by which I had hitherto been
moved. If she could ignore the social
gulf between US, / felt free to take
the leap. Cowardice had never been
a fault of mine. / realized that
must first let her see the manner OF
man / was and what life meant to
me and must mean to her If the union
/ contemplated should become an &C
tual fact. wrote letters to her, but
did not give her my address or even
request a reply. l was not ready fol
any word from her. l am not like
other men and / could wait. And
did, for weeks, then suddenly ap
peared at her hotel"
This was when?" put in DR.. Heath
anxious TO bridge the pause which
must have been very painful to the
listening father.
1.-THE week after Thanksgiving.
did not see her the first day, and only
casually the second. But she knew
was in the building, and when / came
upon her one evening at the very desl
in the mezzanine which we all have
such bitter cause to remember,
could not forbear expressing myself ii
a way she could not misunderstood
The result was of O kind to drive {
man like myself to an extremity o.
self-denunciation and rage. She rose
sentence and one sentence only before
she hailed the elevator and left my
presence. A cur could not have beer
dismissed with less ceremony"
THAT Is not like my daughter
What was the sentence you allude to
Let me hear the very words" Mr.
Challoner had come forward and nov
stood awaiting his reply, dignifiet
but pathetic figure, which all mus
view with respect.
II hate the memory of them, bu
since you demand 1t, I will repea
them just as they fell from her lips,
was Mr.. Brotherson's bitter retort
"She said, You of all men should rec
ognize the unseemliness of thes,
proposals. Had your letters givel
me any hint of the feelings you hav,
just expressed, you would never hav'
had this opportunity of approachin;
me- That was all; but her indigna
supped exclusively of silver, show
fine scorn for the common ware o
the cottager."
The assertive boldness-some woul
call 1t bravado-with which he thu
finished the story of his relation
with the dead heiress, seemed to b
more than Mr.. Challoner could stand
With look of extreme pain and pei
plextty he vanished from the doorway
and it fell to DR.. Heath to inquire:
is this letter-a letter of threa
you will remember-the only commit
nication which passed between 20
and Miss Challoner after this unfol
tunate passage of arms at the Clel
month
Yes. had no wish to address he
again. l had exhausted in this on
outburst whatever humiliation / felt.
And she? Did she give no sigr
make you no answer"
None whatever" Then, as IL b
found it impossible to hide this hun
to his pride, "she did not even seer
to consider me worthy the honor G
an added remark. Such arrogance Il
no doubt, commemorate in a Challor
err"
This time his bitterness did no
pass unrebuked by the coroner: "R.
member the gray hairs of the onl
Challoner who can hear you, and II
spect his grief"
Mr.. Brotherson bowed.
''I have finished" said he. 'T sha'
have nothing more to say on the sui
ject." And he drew himself up in e,
pectation of the dismissal he eviden
ly thought pending.
But the coroner was not done wit
him by any means. He had theor
in regard to this lamentable suicid
which he hoped to establish by TIL