The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-03-18
By
Concordia Merrel
(copyright.)-wNU Service.

! of that. weren't you, Jim! ] under
stand 1t now. You were afraid of los.
ing this revenge of yours. Afraid
something might happen to upset your
scheme. And l thought you were
afraid OF losing me because you loved
me; in the way that lover Is afraid.
| because he loves so much and can
| hardly believe that such happiness can
last. thought that was what made
you afraid Jim. thought I
| understood 1t, because sometimes /
was almost afraid myself. :"
The dead voice went on. DINING
into his ears, beating on his nerves,
| till he almost gave way TO q sheerly
womanish desire 10 scream. But he
could only say:
Eyes, it's all true. Everything you
| say.
He wanted TO move his eyes from
hers, but somehow could not. Those
| big, blue eyes of hers, void of feeling
as that changed, terrible voice, just
looked straight up into his. and held
| them.
And your pride of conquest; your
triumph; your glory in that great, biz
| strength of yours, that could pick me
up and carry me off as easily as you
| had taken my love- Oh, big
triumph. Jiml big triumph. :"
"Well, it was the triumph I had
| been working for. Three years
hell takes some paying back" he said
sullenly.
"And ! was SO simple, wasn't I? So
unbelievably easy. You just looked
and-conquered, didn't you? Did you
laugh sometimes to yourself, Jim,
when you held me in your arms
| and.
NO" he said roughly. "rve never
laughed. Think what you like. =.
| But that, at least, isn't true. :"
Not that it m-tters much. And II
you had, it would be understandable,
for surely there was humor In 1t,
somewhere. :" She broke off,
turned away, looking round the room
as If she had been walking in her
sleep and had just awakened to won
|
her eyes came back to his.
land now, Jim, we are married"
she said, land you have told me that
you don't love me. Now, what are
we to dO?'
81 didn't mean to tell you" he
| cried.
"Then, why did your" she asked
YEARLY. "After setting your plans
so carefully, why should you do any,
thing you did not mean to do? That
was moi typical of you, was it?" 1t
was not bitterly said; neither was
there the least hint of irony in it. 1t
was as if she had suddenly seen him
in a new and terrible light, and quite
simply accepted that he we3 this new
and terrible thing.
"No," he answered abruptly, sit
isn't typical; but | did it. You'll not
believe me capable of a decent
impulse toward YOU after this Z.
but =. well. marriage is big
thing :. couldn't take all that It
means letting you think that
l. Oh, hang it all, some idiotic
weakness caught me and told
you'll" That came roughly, and he
flung away from her and strobe over
to the window, pulled back the cur
tains and stood breathing in the soft
| nigh, ali, as If the room had suddenly
become suffocating. She turned slow
| ly and looked after him.
"Well Jim, what are we to do?"
81 suppose you'll leave me, won't
your" he suggested. She paused,
| then:
''Tonight?"
"If you are not afraid to be in the
| house with a man who has been con-
victed of robbery with violence, per-
| haps you'd rather leave 1t till to-
morrow" The bitterness of that was
indescribable
"Oh, I'm not in the least afraid"
she answered. II wasn't afraid Of
your love and I'm not afraid of your
hate"
Then you'd better go to bed
There's nothing profitable in this" He
turned violently and flung himself
toward the door of his dressing room
as that your room, Jim?' her voice
came after him.
He turned in the doorway.
"Yes. But I'll go and sleep In one
of the spare rooms If you object to
my being so near you," he answered
bluntly.
"Oh, no." she said tiredly. sit doesn't
matter Good night, jim" The little
formality, coming with such lifeless
mechanicalnesS clutched at his heart
in the most extraordinary way. A
chaos Of impulses arose within him.
and died before he could get them
sorted out. But that last sight he had
of her, standing there looking after
him, suddenly brought something she
had said to his memory:
Rather a little girl. >"
And he found that he was saying the
words to himself as he closed the
door and shut out the sight of her.
Lucy sat on the edge Of the big
bed staring out helplessly before her.
trying vainly to get a hold on life
again Reality seemed to have slipped
from her grasp. and she felt that she
was struggling in the throes of night
mare. And yet she knew that the
nightmare was only the truth. 1t
had happened, that CHASTITY scene
| just now, with Jim. He had told
her all those terrible things. She
knew that they were true. and she
knew that they had changed everything
for her. Yesterday seemed centuries
past. Her love. her engagement, her