The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1917-10-11

mercy an0 seems iOSt 70 shame. j hAvN
never met a man quite like him. Do
you know what he feels at this mo-
ment? Chagrin. Yes, modification
raised to the highest pitch, and a sort
Of stupefaction that you should prefer
another man to him. He can't under.
stand your lack Of taste" Father
O'Malley smiled family.
Connected idiot" Dave growied.
"His humiliation tils him. When /
saw that 1t was useless to appeal to
him On moral grounds, and that threats
were unavailing. I took another course.
Something gave me insight into his
mind, and the power to talk as / have
never talked before. All in a flash !
saw the mans soul laid bare before me,
and-I think I played upon 1t with
some cunning. / don't remember al I
said, for l was inspired, but / appealed
to his vanity and to his c~onceit, and as
I went along / impressed upon him,
over and over, the fact that the world
knows We are here and that ii trusts
him. He aspires to the presidency; he
believes he is destined to be Mexico's
dictator; so / painted a picture that
surpassed his own imaginings. He
would have been suspicious of nero
fattery, so l went far beyond that and
infiamed him with such e~xtravagant
visions as only q child or an unblushing
egotist like him could accept. /
swelled his vanity; / Undated his con-
ceit. For a moment, at least, / lifted
him out of himself and raised him to
the heights"
From beyond the closed door came
Longorlo's voice, issuing some COM
nand to his men. A moment passed;
then he appeared before the three
Americans. He seemed taller, thinner.
more erect and hawklike than v
His head was held more proudly and
his chest was fuller. A set, disdainful
smile was craven upon his face.
He began by addressing his words
directly to Alaire. Sonora" he said,
II am a man of deep feeling and I
scorn deceit. Therefore / offer no
apology for my recent display of emo
ton. If l have seemed to press my adj
vances with undue fervor, it is because,
at heart. l am as great a lover as l am
& statesman or a soldier. But there
are other things than love. Nature
constituted me a leader, and he who
climbs high must climb alone. / offered
Chapultepec as a shrine for your
beauty. / offered to share Mexico with
you, and I told you that l would not
be content with less than all of you.
Well, / meant it. Otherwise would
take you now" His voice throbbed
with a sudden fierce desire, and his
long, lean hands closed convulsively.
"You must realize that / have the our
age and the power to defy the world,
ehr' He seemed to challenge denial
of this statement. but. receiving none,
he went on. fixing his brilliant, fever
ish eyes once more upon Alaire. "As a
man of sentiment / am unique; / am
different from any yoG have ever
known. | would not possess a flower
! without its fragrance. You did not be-
lieve me when l told you that, but /
am going to prove it. All your life you
are going to think of me as heroic.
Perhaps no patriot in history ever
made a more splendid sacrifice for his
country than l make now. Some day
the world will wonder how l had the
strength to put aside love and follow
the path Of duty"
Alaire trusted herself to ask. ''Then
we are free to goT
The generals face was swept by a
grimace intended for a smile. II have
ordered your horses to be s~addled.".
Dave. who had with difficulty re.
strained his anger at the fellows bonn
bast. was upon the point of speaking
when Father 0,siaiiey took the words
out of his mouth:
would you send this woman out of
her house into a country like
like this? Remember the fortune In
cattle you have already taken
ITO RE CONTINJTEDl