The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1940-02-08
CHAPTER X-Continued

y
probably not my place to speak, Mr..
Dean" she ventured, ''but the whole
affair was quite accidental and we
regret If quite as much as you do.
We probably regret it more, since
II was we who had to sleep out. On
the other hand, young people are
quite capable of taking care Of
themselves nowadays"
Autumn was amazed at Linda's
sudden garrulity. At the quick glare
of the old mans eyes, however, the
girl ceased abruptly, and biting her
lip, looked rather hopelessly toward
Autumn.
I'm not have my daughters name
banded about the country as though
she were a common strumpet!" the
Laird roared, and brought his hands
down resoundingly upon the arms
of his chair.
Linda got TO her feet with char
acterlstic languor, and begging to
be excused, left the room and went
upstairs. Autumn surmised, with
cynical affection for the girl, that it
was the desire for a cigarette that
sent her off, rather than any marked
distaste for the scene.
You are carrying on quite IN
necessarily, Father" Autumn OBJ
served quietly when Linda had gone.
1T isn't good for you-and I'm sur
prised that you should treat such a
simple situation so seriously"
Simple? Simpler" Jarvis was al
most inarticulate. Have you no
sense Of decency, girl? You put
yourself in a position where men en-
gage in brawl over you in a gam
bling dive-and you call that SIM
ple!"
81 have tried to explain to you,
Father, that it was an accident"
Autumn persisted. I'VE were miles
from anywhere. What on earth
were we to do, at three o'clock in
the morning."
The Laird drew himself I'D and
his nostrils hared in the magnif-
cence Of his indignation. "You had
no business being Thereon any,
where else but in your bed at three
o'clock in the morning. And III
have no more Of It!
Autumn's eyes narrowed. She
glanced sharply at Hector, who was
slumped YEARLY in his chair. what
do you propose to do, Father?" she
asked finally in a cold voice. Keep
me under lock and key?"
A dull flush lay like a sultry shad-
ow on the old mans cheekbones.
Autumn knew that her words had
started the ripples of an old and
cruel memory in the depths of his
consciousness, and for moment
she was sorry for what she had
said.
For some moments Jarvis did not
reply to her question. Then, his
mouth grinIy set, he pronounced
his ultimatum. You will conduct
yourself from now on like a lady
or back you 60 to where you came
FRONT III not have the Dean name
made the cause Of drunken brawls
In public divesl"
Autumn got angrily to her feet. In
that moment, all the wretchedness
of those long summer weeks came
back upon her, those weeks of striv-
ing to tear the love of Bruce Lander
from her heart, and instantly her
regret for the pain she was causing
her father retreated.
She confronted him now with
wide, blazing eyes. ''The Dean
namel" she said. That's what's be-
hind al thisl It isn't what viii hap
pen to me that you are thinking
about. You know can look after
myself. I've done it for years with
out giving you anything to worry
about. But the Dean name must be
defended It hurts your pride to see
II defended by Bruce Lander. You
have been living In the past so long
that it's more real to you and more
important to you than your own
daughter. Well, let me tell you, Da
II don't give a damn for a name
that needs defending. I've suffered
what you will never now-ever
since I came Notwithstanding the
Dean name. I can't go OIL won't
go on Let the name of Dean
The Laird was on his feet instant
", his huge frame trembling with
emotion. "Stop it," he cried. ''Stop
it, You've gone far enough. You've
gone-far-enough!"
Autumn stood for an instant star
ing at him. He seemed to have
gone suddenly feeble, defeated. He
turned away from her and stretched
his hand out to support himself by
the mantelpiece. His body appeared
to crumple forward, to sag and
dwindle as though shrinking from a
blow. In that moment Autumn's
compassion for him rose again, and
her impulse was to 60 to him and
throw her arms about him IN an eff
fort to make peace between them.
But Hector was already beside him
and was waving her away. She
turned silently and left the room.
Long after Linda was asleep IN the
room next her own, and the house
stood In its dark silence, Autumn
lay awake, turning over and over
In her mind the FESTIVE thoughts
that had had their incipience IN that
disconcerting clash with her father.
At last, unable to bear any longer
the confning darkness of her own
room where thinking had become
torment, she got up and put on a
dressing-gown and slippers.
Noiselessly, Autumn went out into
the hall Her fathers hound, Saint
Pat, who slept on a mat outside the
Laird's door, rose at her approach,
but she caresSed him reassuringiy,
and he flung himself down again and
Autumn continued on down the
stairs and out of the house.
She stole quietly to a secluded