New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1919-06-13
CHAPTER IIi-Continued.

i ucllcNt i uIu hcdi NNoo HP
her father Wesley"
well, I'd like to help Yves out. |
suppose | might take a chanc DO
you think you can pay for h ring IN
ninety daysf'
Easily"
Wimburn would have promised to
tear down the world and rebuild 1t In
ninety days.
Il shall have to add a little to the
price for the risk and the accommoda-
tlon."
Anything you like" said Clay mng-
efficiently.
"Call 1t two hundred dollars"
"Certalnlyl One could hardly
haggle over an engagement ring.
I'm tex you 10 sign "A little docu-
ment."
with pleasure
He would have signed ar agreement
10 surrender a pound of his flesh.
Clay hurried out to find Daphne and
fasten on her the glittering gyye.
He might have taken further alarm
from the immense and greedy rapture
Daphne revealed at the sight of the
petrihed' dewdrop set in the golden
circlet. Women are all misers when
1t comes to diamonds.
Wimburn noted only the Joy the
hauble gave To isIphne. and h pretty
Submisslvenc~s with which h poked
out her slender finger and slid it into
the fetter. lie felt shat the kiss of
alliance was worth years IF hard labor.
1t was hard and bitter II rend their
cemented hearts in twain, but he had
TO 90 ut last. She tloated him to the
station In the little ii and wave him
through the iron pallng. h was I'M
;maginably precious and pitiful as she
stood there, and he wanted To- blubber
when the vestibnle was slammed shut
sand the train slia 5ut of the station
like Il mercilesS Smike,
lie vowed that lac would work with
the strength of ten and pile up IA for
tune in the bank for her. But first
he must pile up enough to pay for that
solitaire.
Clay WrOtt Daphne a lat letter eV-
cry day. lie usually sneaked it In
among his business correspondence
and took. great pains that it should
never miss the Lake Shore limited at
~five-thirty in the afternoon. A spe-
cial-delivery stamp put the letter in
Daphne's hands every next forenoon.
But after the letter had gone he
usually remembered that he had omit
ted to include some message of fright
fully important urgence. SO he had
to send her every night n night letter.
and frequently Of mornings he must
fire off II day letter. These cost only
sixty cents apiece, but often he had
TO send them In double or triple
length.
For occasions where time was yet
more uncomfortable there was the tele-
phone-a pittance of three dollars and
twenty-five cents for the first three
minutes. and Il dollar and five cents
for each additional minute or fraction
thereof would bring his lips to Daph-
mes ear.
IiblH ~ AAAif thiH'Ni iFhth VI u
receiver her voice came To him as
from II distant star by interplanetary
communication. The sense of remote
ness was unhcarahle. She seemed to
be dead and wailing across eternity.
Clay Wimburn was in complete dis
tress. His health wavered and his Of
flee work suffered till il won rebukes
and threats from his chiefs and com
mcnt even from Bayard Kip, who
never suspected and was never told Of
Wimburn'S ~infatuatiun for his sister.
With lovers logic Wimburn per
suaIed himself that the only one who
could save him from destruction was
Daphne. With her married and all.
and ~cnSconced In Il little nest in New
York. he could take up his office tasks
with a whole heart. So he began to
write. and to telegraph. and To groan
rercSs the living wire wilder and
~1lder cries for help.
Iaphne war: back and repaid his
gongings In kind and suffered heart
rendi1g ecstasies of yearning. And
finally she promised frantically to
marry him without further delay.
With a desire to economic in pain
she broke the double news to her two
at the same time. telling them
both that she was engaged and that
she was Ssopt 30 wed.
They were stunned. They had never
experienced a suspicion of the acute
state of Daphne's heart affairs. 1t is
really astounding how blind parents
are to their children's activities and
how much can go on under their noses
without catching their heavy eyes.
Daphne easily browbeat her father
and mother into %consenting to her
early marriage. Her father groaned
at the thought of the wedding ex-
penses, but consoled himself with a
Pisgah-sight of the Canaan when the
last of his dear children should be
living at another mans cost.
Mrs. Kip made one stipulation; 81
won't let Daphne sneak away to New
York and be married by q justice of
the peace or a coroner or whoever
does such things in New York. She
must have a church wedding and a
h,me reception" u
Daphne accepted this unanimously.
with one amendment.
81 must 60 TO New York to get my
1foGsseau."