Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-10-03

CARELESS of him, you were getting far
ther and farther away from me. |
had long time to realize that fully
You had grudge against life. and It
was sort Of crystallizng on me- You
never kissed me once in all those two
years as you kissed me just now"
She pulled his head down and kissed
him again.
CHAPTER XIX
Home Again.
roo that l wasn't restraining you
y with any hope for my own adj
vantage" Fyfe went on. There
was the kid, and there was you.
wanted to put a brake on you to make
you 80 slow. You're complex indi.
,idnal, Stella. Along with certain fixed,
fundamental principles. you've got q
streak Of divine madness in you, q
capacity for reckless undertakings
! You'd never have married me if you
hadn't. trusted you absolutely, but
] was afraid in spite Of my faith. You
had draped such an idealistic mantle
around Monohan, l wanted to rend
that before 1t came to final separa-
ton between us. 1t worked out, be-
cause he couldn't resist trying to take
a crack mt me when the notion seized
T, him.
80" he continued after pause,
you aren't responsible, and I've never
considered you responsible, for any OF
this. It's between him and me- and
It's been shaping for years. Whenever
our trails crossed there was bound to
be clash. There's always been nat
ural personal antagonism between us.
1t began to show when we were kids,
( you might say. Monohan's nature Is
such that he can't acknowledge defeat.
lie can't deny himself a qualification.
He's supreme egotist He's always
had plenty Of money, he's always had
whatever he wanted, and 1t never mat
tered to him how he gratified his de-
sires
\ Pie FIRST time we locked horns was
In my last year at high school. Mono
han was star athlete. l beat him in
a pole vault That irked him so that
he sulked and sneered and generally
made himself so insulting that slap
! ped him. We fought. and l whipped
him. had temper that | hadn't
learned to keep in hand those days,
and nearly killed him. had nothing
but contempt for him. anyway, be.
cause even then, when he wasn't quite
twenty, he was woman hunter, prey
Ing on silly girls. | don't know what
his magic with wsmen is, but It works
until they find him out.
We'll. from that time on he hated
me, always laid for chance TO sting
me. We went to Princeton the same
year We colli0ed there, 50 hard that
when word of It got to my fathers ears
he called me home and read the riot
act SO strong that flarcd up and left.
Then | came to the coast here and got
a job In the woods. got to be logging
boss and went into business on roy
own hook eventually. I'd just got
nicely started when | ran into Mono
han again. He'd got into timber him
self. | was hand logging up the coast,
and I'd hate to tell you the tricks he
tried. He kept 1t up until | got too
big to be harassed In petty way.
Then he Lett me alone. But he never
forgot his grudge. The stage was all
set for this act long before you gave
him his cue, Stella. You weren't to
blame for that, or If you were in part
it doesn't matter now. I'm satisfied.
ParadoXicnlly | feel rich even though
it's long shot that I'm broke fat.
I've got something money doesn't bug.
And he has overreached himself 1T
last. All Lis money and pull won't
help him ont Of this jack pot. Arson
and attempted murder IS serious bust.
ness"
"They caught him." Stella said 1.-THE
constables took him down the Jake to-
night. ! saw him on their launch as
they passed the Waterbury,"
"Ycs?" Fyfe said quick work. |
didn't even know about the shooting
till | came In here tonight about dark
Well" he snapped his fingers, exit
Monohan. He's dead issue so far as
we're concerned. Wouldn't you like
something to eat, Stella? I'm hungry.
and | was dog tired when landed
here. Say, yon can't guess what was
thinking about, lady, standing there
when you came in
She shook her head.
II had crazy notion of touching n
match to the house" he said soberly,
letting II 90 up in smoke with the
rest. Yes. that's what was thinking
| would do. Then Id take the Panther
and what gear | have on the scows
and pull of Roaring lake. 1t didn't
seem as If could stay. I'd laid the
foundation Of n fortune hero and tried
to make n home and lost it ALL every
filing that was worth having. And
then all ut once there YOU were. like
Il vision IN the door. Miracles do hap
pen!'
Her arms frightened involuntnrily
about him
Oh" she cried hrcahcssly. "our
little white house,
without YOU he replied softly. at
was Just m empty shell Of boards ard |
Dlustar something ia ituEp mo nphn |