River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1925-01-08
Peter
By cRITTENDEN MARRIOTT
q BY Western Newspaper Union. )

TN HOT but helpless rebellion In her
4 heart Alice Dorrance sat listening
for the tinkle Of the door bell that
i would herald the coming of Peter
Smith-the coming that would con-
denim her to a life of secret misery.
1t must be secret, she told herself. If
she had to make the sacrifice, she
would make it brNely. The world
should never know what 1t cost her.
She would flaunt her chains until the
world envied her, believing her happy.
/ Happy! Happy!
The bell tinkled; she ran to the
glass to powder her face, lest the flame
in it should betray to Peter how she
loathed him.
Then, abruptly, for the first time
since she had promised her brother
Fred that she would save him and had
| telephoned to Peter to come to her at
once, she remembered that she had to-
do more than merely to accept Peters
proposal. She had to ask him toto
Heavens! How could she ask him such
a thing?
Peter might guess that she was sell
Ing herself and might refuse.-Oh!
No! No! He would never refuse for
such cause as that. If he refused at
all it would be because he was too
stingy to-
Abruptly the stairs seemed to fly up
and repel her, stumblingly she took a
step forward, then Peter caught her,
and she realized that she had reached
the bottom of the stairs.
"Tha-thank you'll" she gasped.
But Peter ignored this. you're not
hurt?" he gasped.
"Nol No! Thanks to youl You're
awfully kind" she went on.
"Kindl I'd spend my life lin being
kind to you if you'd only let mel Say
you will. Say you will. Oh, say you
will"
Promptly she twisted in Peters arms
and looked up rougishly into his face.
"Let you be kind to mel" she dubbed.
"Of course will. Please lend me five
hundred dollars"
Peter laughed back. give hundred?
OuTG IHluk3 Hc pEOIHiScu. AlON a JOu
have it? In gold7 Right away7"
His tone frightened Alice. Abruptly
she stiffened "I'm not joking" she
said, coldly.
"Not joking?" The smile vanished
from Peters lips. The clutch of his
arms slackened.
mol I'm not Joking she replied.
"Tm in earnest. What's five hundred
dollars? I'm worth a lot more than
that. I'm worth all you've got"
Peters face cleared slightly; from
his pocket he took a checkbook and a
pen.
MAKE 1t to your he inquired, pois-
ing the pen.
Eyes! Pleasey' The words came
family. Alice had won, but she was
not happy.
Peter filled in the name slowly. Then
suddenly he looked up. His puzzlement
had vanished.
"Who Is this money really fOr?" he
asked quietly. "Of course it's not for
yourself. Is it perhaps for that broth
er of yours?'
mol MOI"
Evidently 1t is" Deliberately Peter
put checkbook and pen back into his
pocket you gave me bad scare"
he went on, in tones that Alice had
never heard him use before. What's
Fred been doing? ] wouldn't have be-
LEVIED him capable Of putting you up
to this. What's he done? Robbed the
bank?' Peters voice was kindly but
compelling
Somehow Alice knew that she was
seeing the real Peter for the first time
and that he was very different from
what she had thought. Slowly she
nodded.
They've found him out?-given him
a chance to gay back the money" de-
manded Peter. "They would Of course
! Well Don't trouble yourself about 1t
any more. I'll straighten things out at
the bank Send Fred to my office to-
morrow morning, and I'll see that he
gets a chance to earn and pay back
the money. He'll want to do that, Of
course" Peter bowed. "Good eve
ming" he said.
i Alice's eyes widened and her lips
! parted. "You--you're not golng?' she
| quavered. II" uncertainty she
stepped toward him
But he held up his hand ut isn't
necessary, dear he said. with a smile
/ that was just a little bit twisted
There's nothing for you to pay Fred's
worth saving. for his own sake"
"But--but-"
Forget it The rest is between Fred
and me. So far as you are concerned,
It's over. Put the whole thing out Of
your thoughts?"
"ve-very WELL" Allce's voice was
barely audible.
Then then-if what you said wasn't
all pretense-"
The front door flew open. and Fred
Dorrance bounded in 'It's all right"
nc gasped. "rhe bank has-Oh! Well |!
You--dont need toto" He saw
| Peter and broke off. Then "Oh.