Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1932-10-27

haggard his mouth was set and hard.
and she, when he came back
with an arm-load of wood, looked
straight into each others eyes,, long
and soherly. searchingly and hopeless
". After that they did not again look
into each others faces.
Out of a nights graphing with
chimeras. King had come TO one and
only one determination: he would go
slowly. he would hold an iron check
upon himself. he would throttle down
a temper which more than once In his
life. nj moments. of tempest. had blazed
VI uneontroilably. He had set a
guard in his W breast as he might
have set a guard we a camp Of
t~reaeherous enemies.
His n glimpse of Gloria's face
moved him deeply she was so white.
so pitifuIly ~sadlooking. She. too. had
suffered; God knew that she had bat
tied through hours of anguish. He
bit savagely at his lip and turned
away. And she. seeing his haggard
eyes, his drawn face, knew that she
fadf been unjust. He did net leek like
the Mark King of yesterday. He, too,
had lived through slow hours of tor
ture. He did love her--she could
never doubt that
Had he suddenly caught her to him
then. had he crushed her close In his
arms. had he cried out In %headlong
passion that she must love him, that
he would make her love him, that she
was his. that he would not give her
up-would she have wrenched away
from him, hot with anger-or would
she have crept close and known at last
whether or not she loved him1 But he
turned and went Off for his wood she
crouched ~shivering by the fire.
They breakfasted in silence, the fire
between them. Neither did much more
than drink the strong coffee He went
m~ethodically about camp work cleaned
the plates and cups and pans; remade
the two packs. All this time she did
not stir At last he anne back to her
and stood by the dying fire. ominously
silent.
There's q days work to be DONE
he said at last His voice, meant to
be im%personal. was Only stern. THAT
means an early start. You see, we
didn't come very far yesterday"
This, she supposed. was a fling at
her. and she stifrened under it. 1T
begins to be rather obvious that /
should not have ONE Doesn't itfs
she asked
4WellTt
Now. Ii / turn back
ITO the house?'
And then to mamm and papa, In
CoIoma. And then to San Francisco"
@And IT.
III you would 60 with me as far
as the house"
She saw how his body Strengthened.
how his broad shoulders squared.
Mark King, with no liberation OF a
clutter of side issues, came straight to
the main barrier, which must be swept
aside for good and all. or which must
be skirted and 70 passed and relegated
to the limbo of dead hopes.
do you love me, GloriaT he de-
manded. .As lovers lover As / have
loved ron? As u wife should love her
husband?"
Didn't / explain all of that last
night7" she said petulantly. Must we
60 over it all again7 I thought l made
you see how | was placed, how there
was but the n thing for me to
Marry Grafton or me7 And you
chose me?"
She hesitated. She knew that he
was angry, though he gave so little
outward sign Nor did she fail to rec
ugnizg that he mad grounds for anger.
But none the less she resented hts In
sistent ~questi0nings.
I intended" she began In q low,
strange voice, ito go to you. to. tell
you
Answer me- he said sternIy. 'Yes
or no Did you marry me without love
and just to save yourself from pos
sihle gossip of being alone all night
with 4 mani Is that why you mar
ried me7 Yes or MOI"
To Gloria as to King the Issue was
clear and not to be elouded; to her
credit be 1t said that she wasted no
time In fruitless evasion.
Eyes, she answered defiantly.
Then suddenly 1t was given her to
see u Mark King she had never
dreamed of, a Mark King OF blazing
wrath thrusting aside the man whom
| she knew and who had held himself In
check and throttled down his emo
ton until she spoke that quiet "Yes,'
The word was like q spark to q train
OF gunpowder. His few words scared
and scorched n place In her memary to
| endure always.
4You are utterly contemplate |" he
| shouted at her. "And / am done with
yout"
He turned and left her. Until the
| last second he had sought not to con
| denim too o Now, after his fash.
ion, he condemned sweepingly. For
the moment he held that she was less
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