Show IJIII fff I k c J I filE DELUGL GT IIAN PIiILLm5 4uhar of 7N CQyy lc CtYfiB2sflT JbtZS dydlr 49a 51Z cU W j CIIUTEH XX Continued should bed Gibing disagreeable 11 anythlnj this evening here she done d or to promise me that I want you d nnd not say or yourself i restrain u Jo those things that make mo any You understand Ism I t jar always on me nlysolr replied I 1 else I 11 bo anybody areseveral different Yon But she insisted And of self ithls evening dont bo that St Its coming Into your eyes and D DOII looked < lifted mY head and ltd P In much like tho leader Sid probably horned herd at tho scent of dan r said I trying to lii tbls bettor 11 the thoughts I had no difficulty jetting to tho fore whenever my her I 11 were on I rewarded me But it dls to smile geared gave place to a look of ner alarm of terror even at the rather bustling of skirts I Hog or the hall theie was war in the very nd and I felt U Mrs Ellersly aped ap-ed bearing her husband as a de d trailer Invisibly but firmly pled She acknowledged my salu bn with a stiff noeked nod Ignored i extended hand I saw that she r lied to Impress upon me that slid a vorv grand lady Indeed but constitutes a a i4 wy Ideas of what Tip tf < at that tlmo somewhat be jr my snobbishness she failed I ut She looked just what she s a mean badtempered woman towering rage 11 I Ion hao forced me Mr Black 11 L 1 said she and then I knew for a what t purpose that voice of hers e best adaptedto say to you i It tl should have preferred to write Ellersly has had brought to his matters In connection with your t Mate life that mao It imperative itjon l discontinue your calls hero I th f lIJ1 private life maam 1 repeat ilia i 7 vas not awaro that I had a he we I inc 7 Anita leave us alone with Mr Icilock commanded her mother he girl hesitated bent her head t frith a cowed look went slowly tad tar ta-d tho door There she paused utr I rltb what seemed a great effort d her head and gazed at me How Il 1 fet came rightly to interpret her 0 It dont know but I said MissIve pts r < J 1h Miss-Ive the right to Insist that r slap 5 saw sho was going to r me and bofore Mrs Ellersly en Id repeat her order I said Now fn lap If any one accuses me of have hav-e done anything that would cause i to exclude a man from yours ba e s I am ready for the liar and his fl t I I spoke I was searching the e 0 k bad old face of her husband for Si explanation Their pretense of out 1 1 morality I rejected at onceIt yb < absurd Neither up town nor on n nor anywhere else had I done I thing that any one could regard as each of tho code of a man of the it < M It Then reasoned I they must r Bon r e found some one else to help B-on til i out of their financial troubles chrui Bone who perhaps has made this ono ft I to me the price or part of the id his generosity Who Who ivaL mo1 In instant answer up bo t tw my mind Hashed a picture of > d Langdon and Sam Elloraly arms arm-s entering Lewis office Tom I I don and wishes to marry her felt oL parents wish it too ho is the J sold 1 she was confessing to mo about ID J le11 i r ese were my swift conclusions edo not caro to discuss < ae mat led Hi sir Mrs Ellersly was replying nel taie Indicating that it was not lit ense bt Iseuss And this was tho woman ice bas j hardly been ablo to treat civilly te beSt seating were her fawnlngs and oslng wings vltn I said Ignoring Uor and open til tbo s Dr batteries full upon tho old use You are taking orders from h a bray Langdon Why I spoke I wis conscious that had been sOnic change in Anita img pll ked at her with startled eyes ton tbe Ups apart she was advancing ton to-n RD me erDlCel ti leave tho room cried Mrs rttJ I ly 1 harshly panic under the com begin IJ w her tones ml eJtb1 l tdt rather than saw my advan liS ud 0 and pressed It and M see what they are doing Miss nlon rl onli 11y r said 1 t 18 1h bo por passed her hand over her eyes nd Is F wee appear again In it then III energy IIf repulsion that ought ° Te seemed exaggerated to mo S wowing really nothing of tho slt tuation i understand now by car inc OI1lt loathsome htr eyes blazed upon her mother C < th ome I echoed dashing at deter Pportunlty it you are not more rlk thattel and a decoy If there la l Oll1anhoOII any selfrespect In j You 1 Will keep faith with mel ittal l cued Go m mire Mrs Kllorsly r our room I art < d d onco or twice before heard Ito toe as repulsive female dlvo vsf er hecto Iii her wretchd whll t looked at Anita I expect ed to see her erect detlnnt Instead she was again wearing that cowed look Dont judge me too harshly she said pleadingly to me i know what Is right and decent God planted that too deep In me for them to be able to uproot it lIutoh they have broken my will They have broken my will They have made mo a coward a thing And she hid her face in her hands and Bobbed Mrs Elicisly vos about to speak I could not offer better proof of my own strength of will than tho fact that I with a look and a gesture nut linr down Then I said to tho girl You must choose now I Woman or thingwhich shall it bo If I it is woman then you havo me behind you and In front of yon and around you if it is thing God have mercy on you Your selfrespect your pride arc gonefor ever You will be UKO the carpet under his feet to tho man whoso creature you become She camo and stood by me with her back to them If you will take me with you now sho said I will go If I delay I am lost I shall not havo the courage And I am sick sick to death of this life here of this hideous wait for the highest bidder I think I must be out of my mind said Anita Hut if you tty to keep 1 mo hero I shall tell him all all Her voice suggested that sho was about to go Into hysterics I gently I urged her forward Then was some Mil ut woman wrap in tho hall t put It around her Ilefore shoor I realized it glue was in my waiting electric Ip town I said to my man Sho tried to gut out un whirl Have I done what am I doing she cried her courage oozing awa Let me out please You are going with me said I entering en-tering and cloning the door I saw tin door of the Ellorsly mansion opening open-ing saw old ICllersly bareheaded and dlatiarted scuttling down tho stops Go ahead fast I called to my man And the electric was limbing up the avunne with the bell ringing for i cursings Incessantly She huddled away from me Into tho corner of the seat Bobbins hjstcilcaily I knew that to touch her would b3 fatalor to speak So I waited XXI MOST UNGENTLEMANLY As we neared the upper end of tho park I told my chauffeur through tho tube to enter and go slowly When over a lamp lushed In at us I had a I glimpse of her progress toward composure com-posure now she was drying her oyos with the bit of lace sho called a handkerchief hand-kerchief now her bare arms wore up and with graceful fingers sho was arranging ar-ranging her hair now she was straight and still and soft Huffy ma tonal with which her wrap was edged drawn close about her throat I shifted to theoppoHlto seat for my neives warned mo that I could not long control myself If I stayed on where her garments wero touching mo I looked away from her fur tho pleasure of looking at her again of realizing that my overwrought senses were not cheating me Yes there she was in all the luster of that magnetic beauty Icnn not think ot even now i I P fn r f Ir u I tau 1 a I o sR i I j fed r I ri r 1lp I f I l I 1IIII i 1 I r I I I i 7 y I GENTLY URGED HER FORWARD strength and her voice gained Her she spoke at tho courage as manner meeting her mothers ond she was had without flinching Sly I eyes gaze taking hers and my look was followed her father I and I her mother In both them jet 1 measured had long since continuation credit tho could scarcely smooth of judgment Had < lifo been my couplo for that old and comfortable acquaint i for most of their as It was and friends they would 1 have ances themselves regarding and died lived wellbred kindly peo regarded as and Instincts and tastes plo of tho finest to the test putting Hut calamity was which they had molded the system on elegant graceful their apparently ripped off the had storm Tho lives tho framework covering attractive was revealed reality of that system tho and frightful naked vealed room almost to your Anita go woman her fury old tho screamed her last shreds of tearing away tho cloak of manners Is of age madam daughter Your where sho will go Sho said I that you are I warn you pleases And I am not Langdons deceived by tho have her andhero I let powerless furnaces redhot look Into my a full nothing In pursuing at of wrathI I atop oppose JUeat noth ing those who ing mothers aw ingAnita at her staring Anita shrinking and trembling ful face was tho wicked iloyellow as if before outstretched tentacles l eyes and quivering Clinging to my doviltlsh tacles l oa her to the door arm sho mother lot mo guide recovered speech Her What oro you Anita uhe criednlt doing Are you njmi without an upblazing of tho fIre which is to a Is to the heart what the sun blind man dreaming of sight There side of the chasm that she was on my had separated us alone with me mine mine And my heart dilated with pride But a moment later came a pup sense of humility Her beauty intoxicated in-toxicated me but her youth her fineness fine-ness BO fragile for such tough hands as mine awed and humbled me gentle said I to I must be very promised that she myself I have shall never regret God help me to keop my promise Sho is mine but only to preserve aid protect of responsibility In And that idea was to possession was new to mewas Now consequences have far reachhig that I think of It I believe It changed tho wholo course of my life She was leaning forward her elbow the casement of tho open window on of the brougham her cheek against her hand tho moonlight was glisten firm forearm and on ing on her round her serious face How far far away Iranieverything it seems hero Bier said uv her voice tuned to that soft clear how beautiful lsThen and light addressing tho moon and the shadows than mo I wish rather of tho trees and onand never re I could 1 go on tarn to tbo world I wish wo could said I My tone was low but she started tho brougham be I back Into drew an outline In tho deep shadow carno m another mood that might have nn lered me Just then It hurt mo so gored III that to remember It today Ocuply ache In tho scar of the faint feel a IonS 5ed wound My taco was not I hldde + Dr was hors Sl > porhap3 she saw At any rate her Trace tried to bo friendly us RO said 0111 have crossed the Rubicon And I dont regret It was silly of mo o cry I thought I had been throtii so much that I was blond such weakness Hut yen will Hud mo calm from now on and reasonable Not = too uuisonable please said I with an attempt at her lightness A reasonable woman IB as trying as an unreasonable man Hut We are going to be sensible with cash other she urged llko two friends Aient woe wo-e are going to be what wo nro going to lie said I Well havo to take II to aa It cornea Thnt clumsy reminder sot her to thinking stirred her vaguo uneasiness In those strange circumstances to active ac-tive alarm For presently sho said In a torso that was not so matterof course as she burl tried to mako It Well go now to my Uncle Franks Hes a brother of my ftisra 1 11 ways used to like him best nnd still do Hut ho married a woman mamma thought queer They hadnt much so ho lives away up or tho West Sldo Ono Hundred and Twentyseventh street The wise plan tho only wlso plan said I not so calm as sho must havo thought mo Is to go to my partners house and wend for a minister Not tonight she replied nervously nervous-ly I Take mo to Uncle Franks and tomorrow wo can discuss what to do and how to do It Tonight I persisted Wo must bo married tonight No moro uncertainty uncer-tainty and Indecision and weakness Let us begin bravely Anita Tomoriow she said Hut not tonight to-night I must think It over Tonight I repeated Tomorrow will be full of Its own problems This is tonights She shook her head and I saw that the struggle between us had begun the strugglo against her timidity and conventionality No not tonight This In her tono for finality To arguo with any woman In such circumstances would bo dangerous to arguo with her would havo been fatal To reason with a woman is to Hatter her Into suspecting you of sand s-and herself of strength I told tho chauffeur to turn about andgo slowly up town Sho settled back into her Neither of corner of the brougham us spoke until wo wore passing Grants tomb Then sho started out of her secure confidence in my obedience obed-ience and exclaimed This Is not tho way And her voice had in It the hasty calltoarms No replied determined to push tho panic Into a rout As I told you our future shall bo settled tonight That in my tono for finality A pause then It has been set tied sho said like a child that reels yet denies its Impotence as it struggles strug-gles In the compelling arms ot its father I thought until a few minutes min-utes ago that I really intended to marry you Now I see that I didnt Another reason why were not going to your uncles said I She leaned forward so that I could see her face I can not marry you sho said I feol humble toward you for having misled voU But It is bet 1VI U m tel that you and Ishould have found out now than too late It Is too latetoo lato to go back Would you wish to marry a woman who does not love you who loves some one else and who tells you so and refuses to marry you Sho had tried to concentrato enough scorn Into her voice to hide her fear I would said I And I shall Ill not desert you Anita when your courage cour-age and strength shall fall I will L carry you on to safety I toll you I can not marry you sho cried between appeal and command com-mand There aro reasons I may not tell you But if I might you would would lake mo to my uncles I can not marry you That Is what conventionality bids you say now I replied And then I gathered myself together and In a tono that made mo hato myself as I heard It I added slowly each word sharp and distinct But what will conventionality bid you say tomorrow morning as we drive down crowded L L Fifth avenue after a night m this brougham I could not see her for she fell back Into the darkness as sharply as If I had struck her with all my force full In the face But I could feel the ef feet of mv words upon her Full fifteen minutes of that frightful fright-ful silence before she said I will said it go where you wish And sho In a tone that makes mo wlnco as I recall It I called my partners address up through the tube Again that frightful fright-ful silence then she was trying to choke back tho sobs A few words I caught They have broken my will they have broken my will My partner lived in a big gray stone hour that stood apart and commanded com-manded a noblo view of tho Hudson and tho Palisades It was In tho main a reproduction of a French cba teau and such changes as tho arch l acct had made In his model wtro not positively disfiguring though amusing amus-ing To be Continued |