The Raymer enterprise., 1923-09-06

HE pdIl, VI tHe suUueu STRONG mdBIets
fulness of his look, 20 much a. the
livid mark on his face where the whip
had lashed that quieted. II 1t did not
check. her fury.
THAT'S nothing" he said, with some
thing Of his old audacity. THAT'S
nothing to how you've hurt me-"
Madeline battled with herself for
control. This man would not be de-
MED. About him now there was only
the ghost Of that nner. gentler man
she had helped to bring into being.
The piercing dark eyes be bent upon
her burned her. went through her a.
II he were looking into her soul Then
Madeline's quick sight caught a feet.
ing doubt, a wistfulness. a surprised
and saddened certainty In his eyes,
saw It shade and pass away. Her
woman's intuition. as keen a. her
sight. told her Stewart In that moment
had sustained q shock Of bitter, final
truth. 4
For the third time he repeated his
question to her. Madeline did not an
swer; she could not speak.
you don't know love you, do
you" he continued, passlonateiy.
THAT ever since you stood before me
In that hole at Chiricahua I've loved
you? You can't see I've been another
man, loving you. working for you, liv-
ing for you? You won't believe I've
turned my back on the old wild life,
that I've been decent and honorable
and happy and useful-your kind Of
a cowboy? You couldn't tell, though
l loved you. that never wanted you
to know It. that / never dared to
think Of you except as my angel, my
holy Virgin? What do you know Of
a mans heart and soul? How could
you tell of the love. the salvation of
man who's lived his life In the 81.
lence and loneliness7 Who could teach
you the actual truth-that wild COW.
boy. faithless to mother and sister, ex-
cept In memory, riding hard, drunk.
en- trail straight to hell. had looked
into the face, the eyes of a beautiful
woman Infinitely beyond him, above
him. and had so loved her that he was
saved-that he became faithful again
that he saw her face In every flow.
er and her eyes In the blue heaven1
Madeline was mute. She heard her
heart laundering In her ears.
Stewart leaped at her. His power.
full hand closed on her arm. She
trembled. His action presaged the
old instructive violence.
"No; but you think I kept Bonita
up In the mountains, that went se.
cretly to meet her, that all the while
I served you was Oh, know
what you think! l know now. I.
never knew till l made you look at
me. Now, say 1t! Speak,"
White-hot, blinded. utterly In the
fiery grasp Of passion, powerless to
stem the rush Of 4 word both shame
ful and revealing and fatal, Madeline
cried:
"Yes!"
He had wrenched that word from
her but he was not subtle enough, not
versed In the mystery of woman's
motive enough, to divine the deep
significance Of her reply.
For him the word had only literal
meaning confirming the dlshonor in
which she held him. Dropping her
arm, he shrank back, a strange action
for the savage and crude man she
Judged him to be.
But that day at Chiricahua you
spoke Of falth." he burst out. "You
said the greatest thing in the world
was faith In human nature. You said
you had faith in me! You made me
have faith in myselfw
His reproach, without bitterness or
scorn, was lash to her old egoIstic
belief In her fairness. She had
preached a beautiful principle that
she had failed to live up to.
You think am vile" he said. "You
think that about Bonita! And all the
time I've been could make
you ashamed-I could tell you"
His passionate utterance ceased
with a snap Of his teeth. His lips set
In a thin, bitter line. The agitation
of his face preceded a conclusive
wrestling Of his shoulders.
mo, mol" he painted. Was It his
answer to some mighty temptatloni
Then, like q bent sapling released, hs
sprang erect. "But I'll be the man
the dog-you think mel.
He laid hold Of her arm with rude
powerful clutch. One pull drew her
aiding half out Of tho saddle into his
arms. She fell with nsr breast against
his, not wholly free Of stirrups or
horse. and there she hung, utterly
powerless. Maddened. writhing, she
tore to release herself. All she could
accomplish was to twist herself. raise
herself high enough to zee his face
That almost paralyzed her. Did hs
mean to kill herr Then he wrapped
his arms around her and crushed her
tighter. close to him. She felt ths
pound Of his heart: her own seemed
to have frozen. Then he pressed his
burning lips to hers. It was a long.
terrible kiss. She felt him shake.
"Oh. Stewart! I-implore-you-