The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1922-07-19

man0eQ OF MN c0iQly, and ~ q
sign of an attempt to free herself.
IF you don't" She did not COM
plete the sentence, but he seemed to
know what she would have said.
81 won't let go until / have finished
with what / meant to say when |
turned back from the door, just now,
he told her. It's this: You seem to
be the only person of my acquaint-
ance who has the power to exasper-
ata me to the limit of endurance.
You are the only person alive who
car madden me to the point of losing
my temper. who never lose it!
And | dSn't know whether it is be-
| love you or because | hate
you. l."
She Interrupted him.
ut is neither" she said coolly.
moi" He chuckled again, still
holding her hands.
"No," Roberta repeated after him.
1T is solely because you know that
you are not my master. 1t is because
| defy you-because you cannot make
me your slave-because there is an
element within me that is so utterly
beyond YOUR control That you are
mystified. But, after all is said, G..
B., those r only side reasons. The
real reason why / exasperate and
madden you at times is"
She stopped, gazing frankly into his
eyes; and while she did so he slowly
released her hands and stepped back
ward, away from her-and it was no
ticeable Tor would have been so if
another could have seen Roberta
Just then; Katherine did not dare to
lift her head above the top of the
chair back that she did not move
away from him. She had forced him
to become the one who put more dis
lance between them.
When she paused in her speech, he
demanded:
"Well, what is the real reason? ]
would like to know it."
She replied to him slowly, and with
quiet emphasis:
Because, deep down in your heart
you are afraid of me. Because l an
the only person in the world that you
are afraid of; and because the ex
perlence is so strange to you-so en-
tirely apart from your regular
scheme of things-that although you
know it to be true, you will not per
NIT yourself to believe it. You won
admit it it's So"
Belknap laughed softly, showing
his teeth wolfishly.
"You are afraid of me-" Robert;
said again. "You know that | carr,
around with me the bower to kill yol
as surely and quickly as the light
ming strikes and kills. You know
that | carry with me wherever l g,
: the means of ending my own life a
suddenly, and you know that 1 hav
the will to use that means-agains
you or myself. You know, too tina
l there is only one thing that keep
me from using it-that makes IN
withhold my hand, and it all resolve
2 itself to the n fact that you ar
afraid of me. You are in constan
; and deadly fear lest you go a ste
too far, and So" she stopped.
: He had withdrawn as far as TIL
door; Katherine realized that whe
he spoke again. His voice was nov
his speech deliberate and filled wit
{ menace.
"Some time," he said, you wi
take the step too far. Some time yo
will force me to take the step whic
will compel you to act; but, when
. do take it-don't forget this littl
II fact, Berta-you will be the victim
not l. You will take your own lif
4 not mine.'
d Katherine heard Tie dick of tt
Ir lock as he turned the kcy. H lie
d the door partly ajar, end closed
is again. His cool suavity OF mann,
g had returned when he said:
J. ut is Sunday morning now. T.
g morrow will he Monday, and l shs
e see to it that an occasion is made Fl
70 you to make use of your skill
d cards. Do you get that, Berta 2"
eyes"
re Il will keep the letter that y
~ wrote Tor Lady Kate to read in ca
you did not return. / have found
interesting"
:" You can do what you please wi
:, it; | can easily write another one,
need be-"
"You will not write another one
he retorted, carelessly. "There W
I'd be no need of one. Our useful frier
MI vi WAOAA JOG cCAO W NOAAC nCACs I
: will not. You will see to that no
rk not make his appearance; and
in If he does, you will regret it; and
he will others whom you have a mi
in to champion"
ne He pulled the door open, pass
%. out, and closed it after him.
ar Katherine kept very still in /
en- hiding place IN the big chair, but S
IT, peeped around tbs side of it a
no could see Roberta standing with l
back toward her, with her face turn
70 toward the door.
20 Her attitude, now that Belkn
had gone, was one of detection.
as Katherine's impulse was to ma
I her presence known at once; a
yet her police training assured
nd uhat it was much better that s
he SHOULD not do SO. She kept very st
1t withdrawing into the chair. S
ne. knew that it was quite likely Il
Ter Roberta would presently discover h
Ier and just as likely that she would a
yua In the one casa uho intaudad 10