River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-12-02
possible to the buffers wooden voice.

| coat on his arm and his hat in hi.
hand, strobe to the doorway Of the
music room, followed Immediately by
! the butler, who locked as if his hair
had been peeled a little bit at the
edges Allison had apparently brushed
| roughly past him, and had disturbed
| his eQuanimity for the balance OF his
life.
Gail was on her feet almost instan-
taneously with the apparition in the
doorway, and she still held the sheet
Of music which she had been about to
deposit on one of the piles. Allison's
eyes had a queer effect of being
sunken, and there was strange nerv-
Gus tension in him. Gail dismissed
the butler with a nod
'You were informed that / am not
at home" she said.
81 meant to see you," he replied
with a certain determined insolence in
his tone which she could not escape.
There was triumph in it, too, as IL
his having swept the butler aside
were only part OF his imperious in
rention. Il have some things to say
to you to which you must listen"
"You had better say them all, then.
because this is your last opportunity"
she told him, pale with anger. and
with quaver in her voice which she
would have given much to suppress.
He cast look on her which blazed
He had not slept since he had seen
her last. He smiled, and the smile
was snarl, displaying his teeth.
Something more than anger crept into
Calls pallor.
Il have come to ask you again to
marry me, Gail. The matter is too
vital to be let pass without the most
serious effort of which I am capable
/ cannot do without you. | have
need for you which is greater than
anything of which you could conceive.
! come to you humbly. Gail, to ask
you to marry me-"
For just g. moment his eyes had
softened, and Gail felt a slight trace
of pity for him; but in the pity itself
there was revulsion.
Il cannot" she told him.
"You must!" he Immediately re-
joined. "As I would build up an en-
pire to win you, / would destroy one
to win you. You spoke last night of
what you called the cruelty and trick
cry of the building up of my big trans
pOrtatiOn monopoly. If it is that which
stands between us, it shall not do so
for moment longer. Marry me, and
I will stop it just where it is. Why,
l only built this for you, and if you
don't like it, shall have nothing to
do with it." In that he lied, and con-
sciously. He knew that the moment
he had made sure of her his ambition
to conquer would come uppermost
again, and that he would pursue his
dream of conquest with even more ar
dor than before, because he had been
refreshed.
THAT would make no difference, Mr.
Allison" she replied. II told you last
night that | would not marry you be-
cause do not, and could not, love you.
There does not need to be any other
reason" There was in her an inexpIi-
cable tension, reflex of his own, but,
though her face was still pale, she
stood very calmly before him.
The savageness which was in him,
held too long in leash, sprang into his
face, his eyes, his lips, the set of his
jaws. He advanced a step towards
her. His hands contracted.
II shall not again ask you to love
me-" he harshly stated; 'but you must
marry me. l have made up my mind
to that"
Impossible" Angry now and con-
temptuOus.
"I'll make you! There is no re-
source I will not use. I'll bankrupt
your family. I'll wipe it off the earth"
Calls nails were pressing in her
palms. She felt that her lips were
cold Her eyes were widening, as the
horror of him began to grow on her.
He was glaring at her now, and there
was no attempt to conceal the savage
cruelty on his face.
"I'll compromise you," he went on.
"I'll connect your name with mine In
such way that marriage with me will
be your only resource. I'll be an in
fuence you can't escape. There will
not be step you can take in which
you will not feel that l am the mas
ter of it. Marry you? I'll have you
if it takes ten years! I'll have no
other end in life. I'll put into that one
purpose all the strength and all the
will that l have put into the accom-
plishment of everything which have
done; and the longer you delay me
the sooner I'll break you when l do
get you"
Out Of her very weakness had come
strength; out of her overwhelming hui
initiation had come pride, and though
the blood had left her face waxen and
cold, something within her discovered
will which was as strong in resist
ance as his was in attack She knew
it, and trembled in the knowledge