Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1923-11-01


face, missed it, struck again, and hit.
With one pull, almost drawing her
from the saddle, he tore the whip from
her hands, 1t was not that action on
his part, or the sudden strong master
fulness of his look, so much as the
liyid mark on his face where the whip
had dashed that quieted, if it 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 finer, gentler man
she had helped to bring into being.
The piercing dark eyes he bent upon
her burned her, went through her as
II he were looking into her soul. Then
lfadeline's quick sight caught fleet
ing doubt, a usefulness, a surprised
and saddened certainty in his eyes,
saw it shade and pass away. Her
woman's intuition, as keen as her
sight, told her Stewart in that moment
had sustained shock of bitter, final
truth.
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, passionately.
'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
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 ST.
lence and loneliness? Who could teach
you the actual truth-that a 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 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 heaven?'
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.
mo; but you think l kept Bonita
| up in the mountains, that I went Sc
cretly to meet her, that all the while
| 1 served you I was Oh, / know
what you think! I know now.
never knew till made you slook at
me. Now, say it! Speak!'
White-hot blinded, utterly in the
fiery grasp Of passion, powerless to
stem the rush Of a word both shame
| full 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 dishonor in
which she held him. Dropping her
arm. he shrank back, strange action
for the savage and crude man she
judged him to be.
But that day at Chiricahua you
spoke of faith" he burst out. you
said the greatest thing in the world
was faith in human nature. You said
you had faith in mel You made me
have faith in myself"
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 could tell you
His passionate utterance ceased
with snap of his teeth. His lips set
in thin, bitter line. The agitation
of his face preceded conclusive
4 wrestling of his shoulders.
mo, mol" he painted. Was it his
answer to some mighty temptation
Then, like bent sapling released, he
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 hel
sliding half out Of the saddle Into his
arms. She fell with ner breast against
his, not wholly free of stirrups OF
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 see his face
That almost paralyzed her. Did he
mean to kill her? Then he wrapped
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