Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-06-29
CHAPTER xxx.
An Interrupted Appeal.

An Interrupted Appeal.
!: J !
OR long time, Lucille did not
~ ~ trust herself to speak. Her eyes
Il A& 4 fearfully sought the room which
VGu ~ 4 had started to press down upon
- i her and still suspended mid
\ way of ceiling and basement floor
NT~ Then she looked at the outstretched
palm of the who stood, so
W cooy smoking there In the door
W way. She casped the packet of
papers to her breast her eyes dart
ing defiance to him, defiance which he at
fected to ignore entirely.
'The papers, Miss Lucille, If You please"
Again that insistent, mildness of tone which she
knew there was no successful resisting
For the feeting second she wondered what
would happen did she refuse, wondered what
diaboical thing might enter his brain when he
found himself defed. A glance at the room
which had started to descend upon her drove
the thought away quickly as it brought
shudder through her slender frame Slowly, re-
luctantly, she held out the packet to him, watch
ing him furtively as, with the utmost courtesy,
he bowed and placed it in his breast pocket
Slowly he conducted her up the stairs. In
his private he motioned her to chair,
seating himself at the desk.
81 not going to threaten you again" he
said quietly. 81 wish you to know that this is
the last time you can interfere with my plans.
Also I wish to congratulate you on your perse-
verance and cleverness in the art of disguise
You have,' he added with smile, made it
necessary for the servants to place the sign re-
garding agents and beggars the back
trance. But, Miss Lucille I stood and watched
you from this very window, hoping that you
would gain to the house because j knew
exactly what has happened would inevitably
cur did you succeed. Child, you not be made
to see what folly it is-this fight against me?"
"Mr. Loubeque" she said SOFTLY "have you
never grieved that it is impossible for the finer
feelings you continually suppressing to be re-
turned because your ambitions cruel and
base? I do not like to wage this constant
with you; do not like to battle with the man
" hn hnc ind n mo in hiQ NUN
that could love him another father. But you
would take from me; for whom you were will
ing to give up life itself to spare pang
of physical anguish, everything that life holds
dear You would ruin my father; you would
wreck my sweetheart's life. You would keep me
apart from perfect happiness, after have mere
ly peeked through the door of that happiness
only to have it slammed shut in my face. Can't
you see that it is you who must go down to de-
feat? Can't you see that Love such supports
frail girl to battle with you as I have done
will not be downed by the most powerful man?
Can't you see that ] cannot stop if I do
sometimes grow very tired and sick at heart
and pray to this soul of mine to let me lie down
for a little while and rest? Rest-Rest-" She
broke off with sob of the most acute distress.
"rhere is no such word as rest for me. Always
it is go on-go on-constantly go until it
seems ! must fall along the wayside But I do
not fall, L have never fallen and, If you will
honestly retrace the path of conflicts since
first they started, you will find, will see that
what l have said is true because-though the
papers are in your possession now-I have won
from you constantly. 7 have always won and I
shall always continue TO win. And you know it,
Mr.. Loubeque, for l it on your face
now"
Like one inspired she was as the halting
tones of her plea changed to those of passionate
conviction, certainty that expressed itself in
words tumbling from the tongue with utter
abandon, words that seemed to come from other
Ups than her own. And Loubeque looked
back at the beautiful figure of the girl, he was
shp IN
have changed, that the slip of a child who had
come on board the Empress from the hydroplane
OF the army aviator and whom he had always
recalled as the veriest child, whom he disiked
to war with. felt ridiculous allowing her to OBJ
trude upon his plans for instant had sud-
denly become a woman of such capacity for love
and hate as even he himself did not have. He
read it in the gorgeously glowing eyes, the
mantllng cheeks, the quivering lines of her
countenance as well as her form.
AS swiftly she changed, the mood melting
back to the one he had always associated with
the memory of her mother, the girl he had loved
and whom he still loved fondly as IN the old
days of Filtration Walk at the Point from which
he had been expelled. Swiftly she came to his
side, placing her hand upon his shoulder her
voice low and tender again, like the sighinp of
an April breeze through the greening baby
leaves.
"You think you are working for Hate and
all the time you are working for the same rea
son that am-you are working because of Love-
You cannot deny it even to yourself. You know
IT. You are working to revenge your elf upon
the one who won the woman you loved from YOU
You know love and still you would take it out
of the heart of the child of that woman Can
you not see what frightful wrong YOU are do
ing. Can you not what perversion of love
is this thing you constantly seek to do? Can you
not"
Lucille could feel the mans shoulders tremb-
ling, could mark the tremendous effort he made
at self control. She almost ready to plead
with him for return of the papers, to give up
his entire life work and count it failure con-
hdent that he was well along the road to doing
SO, when rap sounded the door
For some reason which she could not define
a shudder ran through her at the sound She
seemed to recognize a sinister presence close by
There was something individual about the light
tapping sound that she could almost identify.
She glanced at Loubeque. and her heart sank as
she saw the wave of emotion she had bred with
in him had passed. that he was again the lev
indefatigabe international spy
"Come in" he called briskly.
CHAPTER XXxX.
Lonbeqae Loses His Ten,per.