Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-03-17
CHAPTER XIII.
The Quest of the Hermit.

they say. 1 got II for you
The eyes of the girl glowed happi-
". She was beaming.
I'm so glad" she said. But why
why didn't you give it to me last
night? 1t would have meant so much
if you had
THAT" said Mr.. Magee, lis what
I'm coming to-very reluctantly. Dio
Won note any spirit of caution in the
fellow who set forth on your quest
and dropped over the balcony rail!
You did not. l waited on the porch
and saw Max tap the safe. saw MIN
and Cargan come out. waited lor
them. Just as 1 was about TO Jump
on them somebody-the man with the
seventh key, 1 gIess-did 1t Tor me-
There was a scuffle. l Jolned.
emerged with the package everybody
seems so interested in"
Yes" said the girl breathlessiy'
And them
II started to bring it to you, went
on Magee, glancing over his shoui-
der at Max. II was all aglow with
romance and battle and all that sort
of thing. 1 pictured the thrill OF
handing you the thing you had asked
ran upstairs. At the head OF the
stairs-I saw her.
The girl died in her eyes. Reproach
entered there.
Yes" continued Magee, your
knight errant lost his nerve he
ceased to run on schedule. She, too,
asked me for that package of mon
ey."
And you gave it to her." said the
girl, scornfully.
"Oh, no." answered Magee quickly.
Not so bad as that. l simply sat
down on the steps and thought. got
cautious. 1 decided to wait until to-
day. II did wait
He paused. The girl strobe on
looking straight ahead.
II know" he said, what you
think, I'm a fine specimen Of man
to send on a hunt like that-a weak
kneed mollycoddle who passes into
a state of coma at the crucial moment.
But-Tm going to give you that pack
age yet"
The girl turned her head. Mr.. Ma
gee saw that her eyes were misty with
tears.
You're playing with me-" she said
brokenly. II might have known.
And 1 trusted you. You're in the
game with the others-and l thought
YOU weren't. l stacked my whole
chance of success on you. Now you're
making sport of me. You never in
tended to give me that money You
don't intend to now
"On my word" cried Magee, Il do
intend to give it to you--the minute
we get back to the inn! 1 have it safe
in my ROOM
"Give it to her." said the girl, bit
terly. why don't you give it to her.
Oh, the perversity of women!
It's you 1 want to give it to- re-
piled Magee warmly. II don't know
what was the matter with me last
night / was a fool. You don't be-
lieve in me, 1 know Her face was
cold and expressionless.
And 1 wanted to believe in you
so much" she said.
why did you want to-" cried Ma
gee. Why"
She plodded on through the snow.
You must believe" he pleaded. Il
don't know what all this is about-on
my word of honor. But l want to
give YOU that money, and l will-the
minute we get back to the inn. Will
you believe then? Will you?"
Il hate you" said the girl simply.
She should not have said that. AS
far back as he could remember such
opposition had stirred Mr.. Magee to
wild deeds He opened his mouth,
and words flowed forth. What were
the words?
II love you! 1 love you! Ever
since that moment in the station ]
have loved you! l love you!"
Family he heard himself saying it
over anu over. DS lIlC SOdS, "sto
proposing-inanely in words of one
syllable. as the butchers boy might
have told his love to the second kitch-
en- maid.
II love you" he continued Idiot!
often Mr.. Magee had thought of
the moment when he would tell his
love to a woman. 1t was a moment
of dim lights. music perhaps in the
distance, two souls caught up in the
magic of the mOonlit night-a pretty
graceful speech from him, a sweet,
gracious surrender from the girl. And
thiS-inStead.
Il love you" In heavens name, was
he never going to stop saying il? Il
want you to believe"
Good lord! He recalled that a fell
low novelist. whose love scenes were
regarded as models by young people
suffering the tender passion. had once
confessed that he proposed to his wife
on a street car and was accepted just
as the conductor handed him his
transfers.
The girl deliberately stopped. There
was never less of sweet gracious sur
render in suffragette hurting a stone
through d shOpkeeper's window. She
stood until Mr.. Max caught up with
them.
so that's the hermit's shack" said
Max. indicating the little wooden hut
at which they had arrived. "A funny
place for a guy to bury himself. |
should think he'd get to longing for
the white lights and the table d'ho-
tells with red wine
"A very unromantic speech" re-
proved the girl. You shold be deep
" thrilled at the thought of pene-
trating the secrets of the hermitage.
Lam. Are you, Mr.. Magee?"
She smiled up at Magee, and he was
in that state where he thought that