The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-06-19

ness, and other formulas for break
ing the ice.
Virginia had ignored them on the
occasions they had penetrated her
consciousness. She. did not wish to
repeat the mistake she believed she
had made about him in the begin
ming and so she told herself that
Oliver was merely lonely and look
ing for a sympathy she had no in
tention of giving him.
Generally she failed to notice his
thinIy-veiled efforts to inject q
wedge of personal interest into their
meetings for the reason that she
was absorbed in her own problems.
Her mind was obsessed with the
idea of freeing herself from Fred
erick Deans clutches. She had
given little thought to anything else
when with Oliver.
She had not dared let herself
dwell on the cost of failure when
in NathaniePs company, because he
read trouble in her face and asked
questions.
At the office she resolutely put it
out of her mind to devote herself
TO work. But with Oliver she was
frankly consumed with anxiety
about the outcome of his efforts 70
help her.
1t was just this burning desire
each time they met to know if he
had made any gain that impressed
him with the importance of the
money to her.
She had not told him what it
meant to her, but he knew it con-
cerned Frederick Dean and con-
Guided that the man had some hold
on her.
Often he had seen a fash Of fear
and hatred in her eyes when Deans
name was mentioned, and his wish
to possess her was father to the
thought that she might listen to him
in a last despairing effort to frus-
trate Dean.
Cleverly and without a pang OF
remorse, he had let her believe that
he was succeeding in his specula-
lions for her and would have the
sum needed at the end Of the veal
she had given him to accumulate it.
Failing to win before that time, i
had been his intention to over
whelm her at the last moment with
his bombshell of disaster by telling
her he had lost the entire sum
in one gamble.
Then-well, he was prepared tc
part with 100000 if she wanted it
badly enough
But Frederick Deans disclosure
of his knowledge of their secret
meetings had changed his plans
making it necessary to tell Virginia
this lie prematurely.
Just how she had discovered that
it was a lie Oliver could not at the
moment guess, but he quickly made
up his mind that this would prob
ably be the last chance he would
have to regain any of his lost
ground and he determined to take
advantage Of it.
Virginia TOOK the chair, Steellng
herself to hear almost anything
from a man who had tricked her
so miserably. She wondered at
herself for coming back when she
was sure she knew why he had
done it.
But there was a chance that she
was wrong about his motive, and
if she were she felt she had a right
to demand that he tell her his real
reason for deceiving her.
Oliver did net leave her long In
uncertainty.
did you truly believe that I could
make 100000 from $500 in a years
time?" he asked, as though it were
the most inconceivable thing in the
world
But Virginia was not nonpulsed
as he had hoped she would be.
please remember that I have
doubted it many times" she replied
calmly, land you always assured me
you could do it,"
Oliver looked straight at her, sat