Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-03-27
CHAPTER xv-Continued

he tried to seize her in his arms again,
she drew away suddenly, stopped
and then he saw that she had d hunt
ing knife in her hand.
Listen to me now, James Rath-
way," she said, still speaking in the
same strained, monotonous tone. Il
shall never be yours. | shall kill my
self first. / would have fulfilled my
compact in the spirit and the letter,
had you fulfilled yours. But l didn't
trust you. l suspected that you were
tricking meas you We're"
That's a lie. l didn't trick you.
Put down that knife !"
TITS not a lie. You tricked me
twice. The first time you forced me
into marriage with you by the threat
that unless l consented you would be-
tray my father to the police. married
you, and still you betrayed him."
"I did not. Someone else must have
done so. Why should / have be-
trayed him? He was my friend"
"You were the only man who knew
his secret. Then the second time,
knowing that l would never live with
you, you sent me lying message to
lure me up here, saying that you held
my father in your power. You knew
that nothing else on earth would bring
me up to you. And 1t was a lie, be-
cause my father has been dead for
months past"
Railways face blanched. II don't
believe that story. How do you known"
"He died in his mine. His body lies
at the bottom of it, where he was
stricken. If you did not know that
he was dead, at least you were lying
when you said he was in your power"
HE lies-at the bottom-the bottom
of the miner" Railway stammered.
I'll didn't know" He seemed to
shake off sort of stupor. He tried
to take her hand.
"Joyce, if l did lie to you, 1t was
only because l love you. God, think
of the years I've loved you, Joyce
I've given all my life to the hope OF
winning you. Isn't a woman touched
by the thought of that? All that I've
ever done, since that day when l first
saw you In your fathers house, has
been for you. And now I've got you,
and you tell me you will never"
He was pressing toward her, but she
held the dagger pointed at him, and
he stopped, afraid of the look in her
eyes.
Joyce, don't be foolish. Put that
knife away. What do you mean to
dor
"Kill you and then myself, If you
lay hand on me again. I've told you
/ shall never live with you"
''By heaven, I'll kill him If you go to
hint"
II shall not go to him. That is why
sent him away. l shall go away
alone"
"Joyce, listen to sense. Do you
realize that you are my wife? That
can hold you by force, and there is
no law in the dominion to prohibit
me, and no man who would not APP
prove? Joyce, be sensible. If you're
still in love with this man, Anderson,
I'm willing to wait till you've forgot
ten him a little. Lord, I've waited
long enough for you! But I'll wait
longer If I have to.
Don't you see how foollshly you're
acting" he pleaded. Don't you realize
how much better off you're going to be
with husband who is rich and de-
voted to you? Your father never took
a penny out of that mine all these
years. There must be a hundred thou
sand dollars worth of gold dust there
perhaps a million. Can't you see
the old boy working night after night
like a beaver, to make you and me
rich?"
And he threw back his head and ut
tered his hyena laugh again. But
Joyce said nothing at ALL and he
added:
81 suppose you know it all belongs
TO me, as your husband, under the law,
and that if you leave me you don't get
a penny of it?'
"Well?"
well? / thought you mightn't I'M
derstand How far from here is the
miner"
81 don't know"
He burst into spasm of fury. "By
heaven, I'm going to make you know
DO you think you're going to keep the
secret of my own mine from me?
tell you I meant to have 1t from the
first moment that your father began
dropping his hints, the old fool. 1t
was to find out about it that l stayed
on with him year after year"
"Tve always known that"
Railway stared at her. He was
staggered by the quiet, Indifferent
manner of her speaking. He had
not believed her before. He had been
so confident when he sent for her
under the pretext of having her father
at his mercy, that she could solve the
secret which he had never been able
20 solve himself
Yet now it began to occur to him