The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1915-02-26

course I shall accept the decision" he
answered. quietly.
We'll, we'll soon see about that"
screamed the woman. She touched
the bell and the butler appeared.
Upon his face was sheer hardly dis
guised. 1t was evident that he had
been listening to the conversation at
the door. Tell Miss Agnes. to come
here at once" she said.
Agnes Mclaughlin came in and her
mother turned to her with a furious
gesture.
This man is a pauper, Aggie," she
said. "And he thinks he is going to
marry you. He won't take the truth
from me. Tell him what you have
just told me, Aggie."
The girl turned to Halsey. 81 can
not marry YOU" she said. please un-
derstand that finally. I never loved
YOU"
"Then you-you only wanted my
money!" demanded Jim.
"Not for myself" cried the girl with
sudden vehement outburst. For
my mother. have been on sale three
years. Everybody has known it but
you"
"Aggie! What are you talking
about?" cried her mother in amaze
ment.
81 will speak now" answered th,
girl. II have been taken round ths
otrtv aI hAD 90
and America for three years. My
mother has spent nearly a million dol.
lars on me, in the expectation Of get
ting It back, and more. You were ths
last chance. for our money is nearly
gone"
How dare you speak like that"
cried Mrs Mclaughlin furiously.
Because it is the TRUTH" replied the
daughter. did I love you, Jim?
never thought Of love. I only thought
OF doing my duty and repaying the
money that had been advanced on me.
We don't love, we of the fashionably
rich class. We marry to sell our
selves to the men we can infatuate.
That was why I accepted YOU"
"The girl has gone mad" exclaimed
Mrs. Mclaughlin, with appraised hands.
"Timmons!"
But If Timmons was listening dis
creetly at the door, he evidently
judged this an unpropitious moment
to enter in answer to the call.
THAT was why I became engaged
to you, JIM" continued Agnes Nc
Laughlin. And thought was doing
my duty. All, but" her voice
softened involuntarily-'it was only
when l found that you were different,
Jim, that 1 realized, that began to
realize my wrong. I was ready to
break the heart of an honest man
for you would have found me out after
marriage, Jim. I was ready to do you
the greatest wrong woman can do a
man. l realized that when saw that
yours was not the veneer Of courtesy,
to which I have grown accustomed.
but the love of a good man. And
many and many time I was half
tempted TO confess to you, and re-
Trained Now you know all, and there
is no more to say"
She turned toward the door and
Jim, ignoring the mother, who stood,
apparently paralyZed, beside the table.
followed her and caught her by the
wrists.
And now-you will sell yourself to
some other MANI" he demanded
fiercely.
"Oh, I suppose So" she answered,
YEARLY. "That is, if the money
she gave hysterical little laugh-if
the money does not give out before
mother can find one"
Jim Halsey suddenly laughed, and 1t
was at that moment that he showed
best the qualities which had given
him success. For in his laughter there
was the challenge Of strong man
who refuses to accept the buffet OF
fate, and rises supreme, to dominate
it.
"You poor child" he said tenderly.
"Do you suppose that am going to let
this happen to you? am going to
marry you-do you understand that.
Agnes? I am going to marry you.
and am going to save you from
yourself.
"I came here tonight with the In
tention of offering to release you. And,
not believing that your love, In which
I believed, was fair-weather love, l
planned to tell you that In two or
three years could come back to New
York with another fortune. / was go
ing to ask you to wait two years, Now
I am going to take you away with me.
if"
"Timmons! Timmons!" exclaimed
the mother feebly, as she chung to the
table. But Timmons did not come;
in fact, he was not even at the door.
The discreet butler was, instead, re-
the incident in the servants
apartments.
ere what?" whispered the girl rails |