The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1913-06-20

IuOuSy-udu USou ISlIluS hCiSSiA o"OA
upon the delights of possible posses.
sion-when at the Sunday dinner that
afternoon Josh McCrae threw her
back into the state Of incensed rejec
| ton with which she had met the flrst
offer. With his face wreathed in JOY
Gus grins, he had appraised her Of the
fact that only an hour earlier, while
walking on Telegraph Hill, he had
| seen Dominick there talking with Miss
| Cannon.
She was quiet for the rest Of the
| afternoon, but it was not till she had
reached her own home, silent in its
| untenanted desertion, that she had
an opportunity to turn the full vigor
of her mind on what she had heard.
She put from her mind all intention
of ever taking the money. She want
ed it desperately, terribly.
She knew that the interview for
| which Bill Cannon had asked was for
| a last, deciding conversation. He was
to make his final offer. 1t was mo-
| ment of torture to her when she won
| dered what 1t would be, and her mind
| lowered in distracted temptation over
| the certain two hundred thousand dol.
| lars and the possible quarter of q
million.
She was in this state of feverish dis
tractedness when she went to Bill
| Cannon's Office.
Nothing could be more disarmingly
friendly than the old mans greeting
What asked you to come here for
to-day was to talk about this matter
to talk further, to thresh it out some
more. I've seen Mrs. Ryan since ouI
last meeting. She doubles her offer
to you. She'll give you two hundred
thousand dollars to leave her son."
well / won't" said Berry, drawing
herself to the edge Of the chair. "She
can keep her two hundred thousand
| dollars"
Don't be in such hurry; I've not
| finished yet. This Is just between
you and me-" he went on slowly, his
voice lowered, dropped to the key OF
condolences. 'Ill give you another
hundred thousand. I'll put it with
Mrs. Ryan's pile, and it'll run your
fortune up well past a quarter Of a
million"
"You think that l don't know why
you're offering me this money. Well
old man, l do. You want to get my
husband for your own daughter, Rose
Cannon"
| 1t was Cannon's turn to be speech
less. He had not for years received
so unexpected and violent blow. He
sat in the same attitude, not moving
or uttering sound, and looking al
Berry with pair of eyes that each
second grew colder and more steely
| Come" he said with sudden author
ity, II can't waste my time this way
Are you going to take. the money OF
not?"
His manner, as IL by magic, had
changed. Every suggestion of defer
ence or consideration had gone from
| it.
"Will you take the money!"
| mol" she said loudly. Don't ask
me that again!"
| "All right" he answered quietly
that ends our business. Do you know
your way out, or shall 1 ring for Gran
ger to see you to the door,"
| 1t was late, almost dark, that eve
ming when Cannon left his Office. As
he walked down Montgomery Street
to the car, he pondered on Berry
| wonderingly and with a sort of be
| grudging, astonished admiration Of q
courage that he could not but admire
| How she had found out about Rose
he could not imagine, only it was very
engaging that she should have done
SO. 1t was the last, and most detest
able fact In the whole disagreeable
business.
| 1t was the first of May. By the
/ mornings mail he had received a let
| ter from Gene announcing, with the
playful blitheness which marked all
the young mans illusions to the
transfer of the Santa Trinidad ranch
that the year Of probation was up and
he would shortly arrive in San Fran
cisco to claim his own.
| Genes father had read this missive
in grim-visaged silence. The sense
Of self-approval that he might have
experienced was not his; he only felt
that he had been done" Two months
before, thinking that the ranch was
slipping too easily from his grasp, that
he was making too little effort to re
tain his own, he had hired detective
to go to San Luis Obispo and watch
the career Of Gene for signs Of his old
waywardness. On the thirtieth OF
| April the man had reported that
Genes course had been marked by an
abstinence as genuine and complete