, 1923-04-01

put u IN ner neart TO enjoy Deing
overpowered. overpersuaded. cap
tured. Women had been earning
their own !ivings in various ways
from most ancient antiquity and had
never yet vercom their eternal
tendency to play their part in the
immortal duet.
II Mr.. C1aymore should propose
marriage. that would make his ca
resses OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES to some
%canons. though not to all. She did
not want to marry anybody Just now.
She was a free woma in q free
country.
She was not free. however, from
the witchery OF this night. this dream.
the vast yearning Of this mountainous
beauty. She was not FREQ OF the dis
aster OF desire. the hunger to be en-
braced and kissed Ind whispered to.
tho need to be kept warm in the
cold loneliness of the world.
But her training kept telling her
that only n wicked man OF wicked
aims could have brought here here for
the damnation OF her soul. the temp
tation of her flesh. and all the in
fernal risks involved.
Still. she could not hate him v
in her Imagination. though she tried.
She could not denounce him for
what he had o yet attempted, and
she could not quite despise herself
for not beng unwilling that he
should show n little courage.
Besides what a hypocrite she would
be TO protest and rebuke him for sui.
lying her honor when she had none!
Who was she to DO indignant be-
a man asked her for a kiss?
How could she honestly deceive him
by pretending innocence How
could she undeceive him by confess
ing her wicked past7
Her thoughts spun giddily in her
mind, all e~ntangled with a skein OF
romantic threads. She was young and
pretty and time was wasting her
flowery graces. Some one ought TO
Gull them while they bloomed.
While she debatil with herself,
as doubtless innumerable women
have debated with themselves in like
plights. Clnymore's own mind was a
chaos OF equally ancient p!atituCe s
CT n mans philosophy.
Al length he found the courage
or the cruelty to slip his arm about
Mems waist and 10 draw her close
to him. He was almost more
alarmed than delighted to find TINT
she hardly resisted at all.
He took her hands in his and whis-
pered. 'Your poor little hands are
cold.' Then he kissed them with
cold lips that he lifted at once to
hers and found them warm and
strangely like a rose against his
mouth.
He vas as much amazed as IL hers
were the first lips he hal ever kissed
as II no had just invented kiss
ing. Then in n frenzy OF wonder he
closed her in his arms with all his
power. lie did not know that the
wheel bruised her side. and neither
did she. But she forgot to debate her
duty or to think OF her soul. She
thought only of the rapture of this
communion, and her arms stole
round his neck and clenched hin
with all the power OF her arms.
AS fire drives out fire. so evil evil
There was an evil flourishing theI
with an u~nheard-of fury% wave, ,
titnl wave of crime, of murder, theft
] violence OF every SOTl.
The highways and tho houses o
tho world were gone mad with tbs
enterprises of robbery. Nobody wal
safe al home or abroad. In palace o.
hovel, shop or mail car. Millions CO
millions OF treasure were being car
riod off by thieves. Theft was ubi
quitous. On one of the roads of Los
Angeles. a month or two before. 9
couple locked in each others arm:
had bee challenged by a thug with
a gun. He had robbed both mar
IND girl. then carried the girl off in
his car and later flung her outraged
body down at the side OF the road
and left her. When the police had
traced him and jailed him he had
fought with such fury that they had
to kill him after he had killed one
guard and wounded another.
It was a sorry time when thieves
did not respect thieves and when ever
Illicit love was not safe from criminal
interference.
where or whittier, was awakened
from her mad rapture by a low voice
across her shoulder:
Sorry TO interrupt you. folks. bu,
I need your money"
She turned and found herself blind
ed by the glare from a motor halted
at a little distance. Dazz,ed as she
was. she could SEQ the gaunt hand
hat held before her a black pistol
with a CLINT outlining it's ugly mug
gle.
She whirled and stared into the
staring eyes of Claymore. It was not
fear, but an infinite disgust, that
she saw there. as his arms left off,
embracing her and rose slowly into
the shameful posture OF abtrct sur,
render.
CHAPTER XII
Claymore was san enough to at.
tempt no resistance, though he al
most persisted OF chagrin. He en-.
dured the insoience OF the masked
stranger who thrust his free hand
into every pocket. twisted the watch
from the chain. stole the chain and a
wallet and the loose silver. and ours.
ed because there was no more to
steal.
Claymore had next to witness the
rifling OF Mems person. the olutching
for earrings that were not there. the
cropping about her bosom for a brooch.
tho wrenching of her one poor per