Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-01-30

ward movement of her hand.
AS though by a carefully rehearsed
arrangement, the audience rose to it's
feet, band boys and all. Such a shout
Such waving Of hats and handker-
chiefsl Such ~unabashed sobs! Such
inarticulateness-such ~graspings of
n~eighboring hands! The spectators
had gone mad with joyful relief.
Fran leaped upon the table. and
mounted Samson.
Now, I'm a rough rideri" she
shouted, burying her hands in the
name, and lying along the lions back
in true cowboy fashion. She plunged,
she shouted loudly, but Samson only
closed his eyes and seemed to sleep.
After that, making the lions return
to their cramped side cages was a
mere detail. The show was ended.
Fran, remaining in the empty cage.
stood at the front, projecting her hand
through the bars to receive the greet
ings of the crowd. Almost every one
wanted to shake hands with her.
Look, look!" Simon Jefferson sud
denly grasped Robert Clinton's hand,
and pointed toward the tent-roof.
There they arei"
Something very strange had hap
pened up there, but 1t was lost to
Clinton's keen jealous gaze-one of
those happenings in the soul, which,
however ~momentous, passes unob-
served in the midst of the throng.
mot SO fasti" Grace cautioned
Gregory. I'VE must wait up here till
the very last-don't you see Mr.. Clin-
ton? And Simon Jefferson Is now
pointing us out. We can't go down
that way"
"We!" Gregory harshly echoed.
1--WE! I have nothing to do with you,
Grace Noir. Go to him, If you will"
Grace turned ashen pale. What do
you mean?" she stammered. you tell
me to go to Mr.. Clinton?"
Il tell you to go where you please.
That girl yonder is my daughter, do
you understand? Don't hold me back!
| shall go to her and proclaim her as
my child to the world. Do you hear
me? That's my Franz"
Grace shrank back in the suspicion
that Hamilton Gregory had gone mad
like the rest of the crowd. do you
mean that you never want to see me
again? Do you mean that you want
me to marry Mr.. Clinton?"
Il do not care what you do" he
said, still more roughly.
"You do not carer" she stammered,
bewildered. What has happened?
Won do MT q for M 9O
She looked deep into his eyes, but
found no incense burning there. The
shrine was cold.
"Mr. Gregory! And after all that
has passed between us? After | have
given you my-myself-"
Gregory seized her arm. as if to hold
her off. His eyes were burning dam
%gerously: Il saw murder in your heart
while you were watching Fran he
whispered fiercely. That's my daugh-
ter, do you understand? / know you
now, | know you now. :" He
stumbled down the steps, pushing out
of his way those who opposed his
progress.
Grace stared after him with blood
less cheeks and %smoldering eyes.
Clearly, she decided, the sight of
Fran's fearful danger had unbalanced
his mind. But how could he care SO
much about that Fran? And how
could he leave her. knowing that Rob
ert Clinton was beginning to climb
upward with eyes fastened upon her
face?
But it was not the sight of Fran's
danger that had for vel ~alienated
Gregory from Grace Noir. In an in
slant, she had stood revealed to him
as an ~unlovely monster. His sensitive
nature, always Informally alive to out
ward impressions, had thrilled re-
| sponsively to the exultation of the au-
dience. He had endured the agony of
suspense, he had shared the universal
enthusiasm. If, in a sense, he was a
series of moods, each the result of
blind impulse, it SO happened that
Grace's hiss-"It's the hand of God"
turned his love to aversion; she was
appealing as a justification Of person
al hatred, to the God they were both
~betraying.
Grace began to tremble as she
watched Robert Clinton coming up,
and Hamilton Gregory descending.
She had trusted foolishly to a broken
reed, but it was not too late to pre-
serve the good name she had been
about to besmirch. The f~urnace-heat
in which rash resolves are forged, was
cooled. Gregory had deserted F'ran's
mother; he was false to Mrs. Gregory;
he would perhaps have betrayed Grace
in the end; but Clinton vas at hand.
and his alteration would endure.
In the meantime, the voice of Fran
was to be heard above that of the
happy crowd: 81 love you all. You
helped me do 1t. 7 should certainly
have been mangled but for you per
feet heroes. Yes, thank you. {.
Yes, l feel fine. And, oh. men