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Show ' lUEEN COPHETUA AND THE BEGGARMAN j : BY KEITH GORDON. . (Copyright, 1904, by Keith Gordon.) 2 i concluded Askew, regarding Intently with JuHt Uiat touch - 1 . -jsierr In 1,18 e1'1"00 UuiL " her wonder if tho telltalo a ' S rising In Icr checks, and which $ P rUnt moment caused hor somc- ' titfhty e'c3 t0 avold lllm' 1)ke " ''it cornered animals. "A man's S'jj a proatcr thing cvon than . And tho poor man who aska a 5 to marry him is liko tho h , 5 1,19 blrthr,ellt or a mcS3 3 S?& a h,P" VftIuo upon l0VC'" gUrtJ; and, despite her efforts, a ns i lUUe catch in Jior breath. 5. 'jthlak' I do." ho resumed Im- - . "So high a valuo, in fact, Ttcuii plo it abovo all suspicion 1 $TW tho suspicion of suspicion." MledMQ emphatic tone. Ixfderiif that 11,0 tw0 woro P,aton,c lli ot savcral years' standing, the , XRv0 jMyvlnp-room seemed curlous-HtUijeJ curlous-HtUijeJ ,th meaning. Though ' ftit in sllsnce. with their eyes fixed 9 "Vi cxn Ire, for some time after J 5J7. fit remork. each was fully il'iiho other's thoughts, and each (ii i lo the regular ticking of tho - Fr'th a vague Impression that tho tit cmlnous with lovo and hcart- ?i.tm a man of 30, with a squaro .Lj'rir cut features and that pro-Ifr pro-Ifr of masculinity that caused 11 ivlice to realize with a thrill that Wr Li i manhood, as he hod said, must i ni 5. It could not possibly bo othcr-7. othcr-7. 1 m down In his heart of hearts ' tT a'fbt rolgn. loved with tho ; feikit only such natures can feel, ' artr rwDy dominating his life, i nri b would be complote master . i iVd!-flr.d of her He would lovo W , tenderness strong and deep, i rfrridom&in aho would bo aupromo. -l iti! dMaln would never be co-ex-Hi tairt! his own larger life. And i e lie tips of hor fingers sho felt fa would rather be loved by him ib uu other man In the world, nr the W3 loved by him. Sho rB, though he had never by so '4 kuitrord admitted It. Sho was as la ehe was of her own lovo u kfe ud at tho mere thought the il (isd riotously through her veins to toltii Involuntarily wont up. No ?' cetaW be prouder, no mero woman It ilsatle than that thought modo si id tcr asaoclates would havo rec-pflhe rec-pflhe expression that softoncd and id tie face of the "haughty Miss u he was called behind her u ihe turned more fully toward ii hittv and demanded softly: ijwzwan to ea that ,lf you hnp-i hnp-i u (flJl In love with a rloh woman Interrogated. -r d iii loved you or you had rca- w Bliick that Hhc did " Siisitcend time sho paused with a ti bprfsslon that tho air of the Wt tu suddenly exhausted, and that fX ab by no moans the simple, pCntter It had always Hcomcd. ijMKdn to say," sho blurted out tixVtfrllsh ImpetuoHlty, "that you l Htittfll her that yoq loved her?" y TMr to the world," was tho dellber- n.U' "Ply; never!" Thon ho added, coolly; But I should bo careful not to do anything any-thing so aslnlno as to fall in lovo with a rich girl in the first pluoe, knowing, na I do, that tho money-maklnir tnVcnt Is not One to which I cun lay clulm." I' or a moment her heart turned to Ice. Then tho blood Mowed back warm and strong, nnd sho undorstood. Ho was taking tak-ing this Htund In tho hope of throwing her off tho track, becauso hln fantastic sonso of honor put him out of tho running run-ning and he wished to divest himself ovon of tho 'Interest that an undeclared love might arouso In her. She could have laughed for very Joy at his dissembling. "what would you do, assuming that, in splto of yourself, you should fall in lovo with an heiress?" aho persisted. lie fencod manfully. "Well. I think I fihould clear out. It would bo tho best thing to do In a caso like that." Miss Vance tho haughty MIhh Vanco tho holross of tho Vanco millions regarded re-garded him dcmuroly. She was a person who was accustomed to having hor "Poor thing," sighed Askew, mockingly. mock-ingly. "What a pity she can't divide with me," wishes compiled with. She wondered vaguely what it was about the man before be-fore her that mado her ready, eager even, to step down from tho regal position she had always "occupied and suo for his favorwhy fa-vorwhy in her eyes he should seem tho king. And when at laut she spoko her volco was almost wistful. "But what about the woman the poor rich woman? perhaps perhaps sho might hate her riches sho might Just loathe them. But what could sho do? Perhaps they camo to her and she could not got rid of them any moro than sho could chango the color of her eyes or tho ahapo of her nose! And what if in splto of It all alio loved you? Shouldn't you con slder her at all?" "Great Scott!" exclnlned Askew wjtl mock dismay. "How did we owr get lnt( such a sentimental discussion two goot comrados like you and me? By tho wav,' he wont on quickly, "have I happened" t mention to you that I'm going off fo awhile possibly for good? "It's .in excellent business offer, but I lakes mo to tho other aldo of the conll ncnt. I have not actually decided, but shall doubtless accept It. Indeod, I car scarcely afford not to for sovornl rea sons." Ho did not look at her and sho wa: thankful for oven that small sign of per turbatlon on his part. A quick rcsolutlor adzed her. It was leap year blossec thought and why should not a woman once in a thousand years or so, stand ur nnd demand her own ne fearlessly and directly di-rectly as a man would do? Hud she not, by uvury wllo that a woman may use tried to mako him acknowledge his love for her? Never no vtrnevor would ht oak her to marry him because of hor millions, mil-lions, Well, then, she would ask him I Tho ilrat tumult of hor resolution over, ahc folt n strangn exhilaration. Even tht thought that intruded Itself llko a apectei between them tho possibility that ahc might have mistaken his foollngs toward hor did not deter her. If she wero rejected? "Well, sho had rejected re-jected a number of men In her day. and there would bo a cortaln poetical Justice in hla meting out to nor what sho had meted out to thorn 1 Whllo theso thoughts wero racing through hor mind sho had touched tho bell. "Remember, Smlthson, I am not to be disturbed," aho threw over her shoulder to th butler. "You might light a cigar If you havo one about you," cho Buggcsicd whimsically. whimsi-cally. "It would be a favor to mo If you would. Men aro alwayn more approachable approach-able when they're smoking, aren't thcy7" Askow amlled nssent stjid complied with I her request. Tnen ho paused with thu lighted cigar between his lingers and gnvo her a long look, which sho returned un-llinchlngly. un-llinchlngly. "With an effort she began lo speak. 'Duncan," sho aaJd bravely, "I have something to tell you. Perhaps not another woman In tho world would do It nnd perhaps per-haps you'll halo mo for It" "Hato you!" he Interrupted In a volco whoso derisive incredulity was music to her oars. "Hato you! I can Imaglno n good many things, but not that" "Well," her volco was slightly uncertain, uncer-tain, but her eyes looked Into his without wavering, "you sec, there Is a poor rich girl a girl that haa loads of money and who Just hates it boeauso It Is always cutting cut-ting hor off from all tho things and people peo-ple sho cares for" "Poor tiling!" sighed Askew mockingly. ' What a pity she can't dlvldo with me!" "That a Just what she wants to do!" leaped from her lips. "Sho wonts to glvo It all to you1 You sec 1 I'm speaking for her. She Isn't In tho habit of saying things like this to men, nnd ahe doesn't know exactly how to do It'" "But aho wants you to know that sho thinks you the one man In tho world that her faith In you Is so great that she oven dares to toll you that she loves you Donald because sho knows that If sho has made a mistake and you do not enro for her, you will be an truthful with her as aho has been with you." Donald Askew aat as If stuplfled, whllo tho struggle between prldo and lovo went on within him. To bo pointed out as tho man who married tho rich Mlas Vnnce-to havo It said that ho had feathered his nest well these aud kindred possibilities roso up in his mind and galled hl3 spirit beyond be-yond endurance. Then hla vision cleared and he saw nothing was conscious of nothing In tho world but a proud, sonatlvo faco covered with womanly Bhame. Before that vision his prldo went down, and leaning forward, he burled hla faco In her lap, A moment later her lips touched his hair. "Im a brute a porfect brutol" ho groaned, "to havo mado vou do It'" "You'ro tho bruto I love, though," was the whispered nnswor. |
