Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1917-10-27

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Now that the speaker had dropped
all pretense, he answered Dawes ques-
lions, without evasion and told what
he knew. 1t was not much, to Dawes
way of thinking, but it was enough to
give cause for thought, and when the
men finally parted it was with the un-
derstanding that Strange would
promptly communicate any further in
telligence on this subject that came
his way.
On the following day Dawes duties
called him to Brownsville, where court
was in session. He had planned to
leave by the morning train; but as he
continued to mediate over Strange's
words, he decided that, before going,
he ought to advise Aaire of the fell
lows suspicious In order that she
| might discharge Jose Sanchez and in
other ways protect herself against his
possible spite. Since the matter was
one that could not we'll be talked over
by telephone, Dave determined to go
in person to Las Palmas that evening.
Truth to say, he was hungry to see
Alaire. BY this time he had almost
ceased to combat the feeling she
aroused In him, and it was in obedience
to an impulse far stronger than friend
ly anxiety that he hired a machine and.
shortly after dark, took the river road.
The Fates are malicious jades. They
delight in playing ill-natured FRANKS
upon us. Not content with spinning
and measuring and cutting the threads |
OF our lives to suit themselves, they
must also tangle the skein, causing us
to cut capers to satisfy their whims.
At no time since meeting Alaire had
Dave Law been more certain of his
moral strength than on this evening:
at no time had his grip upon himself
seemed firmer. Nor had Alaire the
least reason to doubt her self-control.
Dave, to be sure, had appealed to her
fancy and her interest; in fact, he so
dominated her thoughts that the i'm
aginary creature whom she called her
had gradually taken on
his physical likeness. But the idea
that she was in any Way enamored
of him had never entered his mind In
such wise do the Fates amuse them
selves.
Alaire had gone to her favorite after
dinner refuge, nook on one of the
side galleries, where there was a wide.
swinging wicker couch; and there, in
L restful obscurity fragrant with flow
ers, she had prepared to spend the
evening with her dreams.
She did not hear Dawes automobile
arrive. Her first intimation of his
presence came with the sound of his ,
leel upon the porch. When he ap-
Deared, it was almost like the nate \
'ialization of her uppermost thought
quite as If figure from her fancy had +
stepped forth full-clad.
She rose and met him, smiling, GLOW :
lid you know wanted to see your"
he inquired. =
Dave took her hand and looked down +
It her, framing a commonplace reply. h
SUIT for some reason the words lay I'M E
poken upon his tongue. Alaire's in. n
ormal greeting, her parted lips, the +
9elcoming light in her eyes, had sent n
hem flying. 1t seemed to him that the 4
i'm half-light which illumined this
ook emanated from her face and her .
erson, that the fragrance which came
his nostrils was the perfume of her ~
reath, and at the prompting of these g
loughts all his smothered longings o
1se as If at signal. AS mutinous n
risoners In Jail delivery overpower a.
leir guards, so did Dawes long-re- :.
ressed emotions gain the upper hand +,
MIN now, and so swift was their @,
prlslng that he could not summon =,
ore than feeble, panicky resistance. II
The awkwardness of the pause which
'iloWed Alaire's inquiry strengthened IS
e rebellious impulses within him, and
lite unconsciously his friendly grasp
Don her fingers frightened. For her
lrt, as she saw this sudden change
weep over him, her own face altered
Id she felt something within her y
east leap into life. No woman could
I'VE FAILED to read the meaning of his
dden agitation, and, strange to say,
worked a similar state of feeling
Ala1re. She strove to control her ne
IL ana to draw away, but instead --
und that her hand had answered
s, and that her eyes were flashing
cognition of his look. All In an in
ant she realized how deathly tired
her own struggle she had become,
q experienced reckless impulse to
st away all restraint and blindly
eet his first advance. She had no
ne to question her yearnings; she
emed to understand only that this
IN offered her rest and security that \
his arms lay sanctuary.
10 both 1t seemed that they stood
ere silently, hand in hand, ior a
~ long time, though in reality there
s scarcely a moment of hesitation
the part of either. A drunken.
eathless instant of uncertainty, then
IRE was on Dawes breast. and his
ength, his ardor, his desire, was
oDbing through her. Her bare arms II
re about his neck; sigh, the token
utter surrender, fluttered from her
oat' She raised her face to his and II