Show serba EH I 1 STORY TOR Z A FOOL FOR F P LOVE O 0 E by FRANCIS FRANC S LYD LYNDE E Autho A of the r aaers f et etc w b baj J P lipp t co CHAPTER IX continued bit it another member of the hose rose mary group had more courage or fewer feer scruples Bc when miss carteret let I 1 ersele out of the rear door jastrow disappeared in the opposite direction passing through the for ward vard vestibule and dropping catlike from the step to inch his way silent ly over the treacherous snow crust to a convenient soying spying place at the other end of the ca unfortunate f tor for the spying pur pose the shades were drawn behind the two great windows and the glass door b it the starlight sufficed to show the watcher a shadowy miss virginia standing motionless on the side which gave her an outlook down the canyan leaning ait oit it it might be to anticipate the upcoming of some one from the construction camp below the secretary shivering in the knifelike wind slipping down from the bald peaks had not long to wait B the time his eyes were fitted to the darkness he heard a man coming up the track the snow crunching frostily under his steady stride jastrow ducked under the platform t and gained a view point on the other side of the car the crunching foot falls had ceased and a man was swinging himself up to the forward step of the rosemary at the instant a voice just above the spy a head called softly mr win on and the newcomer dropped back into the snow and came tramping to the rear the secretary saw him tal e her hand and heard her exclamation half indignant wholly reproachful you had my note I 1 told you not to come I 1 be go you did and yet you were ex pecking me be asserted he was still holding her hand an I 1 she could not or did not withdraw it was I 1 indeed there was a touch of the old time raillery in the words but it was gone when she slip added oh why thy will you keep on coming and coming when you known know so well what it means to you and your work I 1 think you the answer to that better than anyone he re joined his voice matching hers for earnestness it Is because I 1 love you because I 1 could not stay away it I 1 should try forgive me dear 1 I did not mean to speak so soon but you said in lour our note that you would be leaving argentine immediately that I 1 should not see you age again so I 1 to come wont ou on give me a worn wore virginia a iN waiting alting wor word d it if it must be that jastrow held his breath hope dying within him and sullen ferocity crouch ing for the spring if her answer should sic it on but when she spoke the secretary a anger cooled and be he breathed again no a thousand thu usand times no she burst out passionately and winton staggered as it if the suddenly treed freed hand had dealt him a blow CHAPTER X for a little time after virginias virginia s passionate rejection of him winton strod abashed and confounded weighed in the balances of 0 the after thought his sudden and bated declaration could plead little ex cuse in encouragement and yet she bad had been exceedingly and to him I 1 have no right to expect a better answer be he said finally when he could trust himself to speak but I 1 an am like other men I 1 should like to know why you can ask that she retorted you say sou you have no right what have o 0 done to expect a better an awer ewers he shrugged nothing I 1 suppose but you knew that before I 1 only know m what hat you have shown me during the past three weeks and it has proved that you are what mr adams said you were thou though gh he N was as only jesting and that A a dilettante a man wi with th all the god given ability to do as he will and to succeed and yet who will not take the trouble to perse vere winton smiled a grim little smile you are not quite like any other woman I 1 have ever known not like any other in the world I 1 believe your sisters most of them would take it as the sincerest homage that a man should neglect his work for his love do you care so much tor for success then for the thing itself nothing less than nothing but but one may care a little for the man who wins or loses he tried to take her hand again u tried and failed io virginia is that my word of hope no will you never see the corn com mon place effrontery of it mr win ton tona day after day you have come here idling away the precious hours that meant everything lo 10 0 o you ou and now you come once ag in n to offer me a share in what you have lost Is that your idea of chivalry of true man hood again the grim smile came and went an unprejudiced onlooker might 1 say flit you ou lave I 1 a e acacia me very iery wel come mr air winton Is thai that ene no perhaps it is haray bar ily just be cause I 1 co anted the cost and have paid the price open copeney ey d 1 ou may remember that I 1 toll you that first evening I 1 should come as often as I 1 dared I 1 knew ahen hen what I 1 have known all along that it was a part of your uncle s plan to delay my work his and mine vou you mean only you are too kind or not quite brave enough to say so never if I 1 could believe you capable of such a thing you may believe it she broke in it was I 1 who suggested it he drew a deep breath and she heard his teeth come together with a click it was enough to try the faith of the loyalist loya lest lover it tried his sorely yet he scarcely needed her low voiced don t j ou despise me as I 1 deserve nowa now to make him love her the more indeed I 1 don t resentment and love can hardly find room in the same heart at the same time and I 1 have said that I 1 love you ou he rejoined quickly she went silent at that and when she spoke again the listening jastrow tuned his ear afresh to lose no word As I 1 have confessed I 1 suggested it it was just after I 1 had seen your men and the sheriffs ready to fly at each others throats I 1 was miserably afraid and I 1 asked uncle somerville it if he could not make terms with you in some other way I 1 didn dian t mean he made haste to help her please don t try to defend your motive to me it is wholly unnecessary it Is more than enough for me to know that you were anxious about my safety but she would not let him have haie the crumb of comfort undisputed there were other lives involved besides yours I 1 t say iwas J was dally afraid for you did 19 no but you meant it and I 1 thought afterwards that I 1 should have given you a hint in some way though the way didn dian t offer at the time there was nas no danger of bloodshed I 1 knew we all kne knew that deckert needa t tell me I 1 am not worthy ot ol yo ir confidence lou ou are you hae ha e just proved it but there isn t any an tl ing to be done the next thing in order Is the exi ext of one john winton win on in disgrace that spur track and engine means a cross ing fight which can be prolonged po longed in definitely with alth due vigilance ilg ilance on the part of mr darrah s mercenaries I 1 in smashed miss carteret carefully and permanently ah ali well it its a only one more fool for love hadn haan t we better go in ina okiu i ou 11 take cold stand ing out here she drew herself up and put hu hands behind her Is that the way you take it mr winter winton the acid laugh came again would you hae lime me tear a passion to tatters 7 my ancestors were not french trying as the moment was she could not miss her opportunity how can you tell when you don t know your grandfather a middle she said half crying hia his laugh at this was less acrid adams my grandfather had no middle name but I 1 austn t keep you out here in the cold talking genealogies his hand was on the door to open it tor for her like a flash she came between and her findeis closed over bis his on the doorknob walt wait she said have I 1 done all this humbled myself into the very dust to no purpose 7 9 not it if you will give me the one priceless nord word I 1 am thirsting tor for oh how shameless you are she cried will nothing serve to arouse the better part of you youa there la Is no better part of any man than his love for a woman you have aroused that then prove it by going and b belld gilld ing your railroad mr winton when you have done that he caught at the word as a drown ing man catches at a straw when I 1 have won the fight vir ginia let me see your eyes when I 1 have won I 1 may come back to you youa I 1 jike like men who do things good night and before he could reply she had made him open the door for fi J 4 T J 4 aej well it s only one more fool for love t go to extremities miff the small force he had then it was only a a A bluff he said supplying the word ord if I 1 had believed there was the slightest possibility of a fight I 1 should hae haie made my men take to the woods rather than let you witness it you t hae haie let me waste my sympathy she protested re fully I 1 in sorry truly I 1 am and yoi yo i have been wasting it in another diorec tion as well tonight to night might will see the shale slide conquered definitely I 1 hope and three other days of good weather will send us into carbonate yards she broke in upon him with a lit tie tle cry of impatient despair that shows how unwary you have been tell me Is there not a lit tie tle i alley just abbie here an open place where your railroad and uncle somerville s run side by side yes it Is a mile this side of the canyon head what about ita how long Is it since you have haie been up therea she queried winton stopped to think I 1 don t know a week meek possibly yet if you had not been coming here every evening you or mr adams would have found time to go to watch every eiery possible chance of inter ference t aou oua perhaps that was nas one of the risks I 1 tool a part of 0 the price paying I 1 spoke of it if anything had happened I 1 should still be unrepentant something has happened while you have b en taking things for grant ed uncle somerville has been at work day and night he has built a track right across yours in that attle val ley and there is a train of cars or something filled with ormid men kept standing there all the time winton gave a low whistle then he laughed mirthlessly you are q bite sure of this there is no possibility of your being mis taken none at all and I 1 can only de fend myself by saying that I 1 didn dian t know about it until a few minutes ago what Is to be done but stop her and he ams as left alone on the quare railed platform in the gathering room of the private car virginia found an atmosphere sur charged mith ath electrical possibilities felt it and inhaled it though there was nothing visible to indicate it the rajah was buried in the depths of his particular easy chair puffing his cigar bessie dessle had the reverend billy in the tete a tete vance and mrs carteret carteret was reading under the pintsch drop light at the table it was the chaperon who applied the firing spark to the electrical bill ties didn dian t I 1 hear you talking to some one out on the platform virginia 9 she asked les les it was mr winton he came to mike his excuses mr air somerville darrah awoke 0 of his tobacco reverie with a start hah he said fiercely then in his most courteous phrase did I 1 understand you to say that masteb anton would not fadieh us tonight my deah virginia 7 he could not hot he has come upon upon some other difficulty I 1 be lieve she stammered steering a peril ous course among the rocks of equino cation emph said the rajah rising ah where is jastrow 7 the obsequious one appeared imp like at the mention of his name and received a curt order go and find engineer mcgrath and his fireman tell him I 1 want nant the en gine instantly move seh virginia retreated to her stateroom in a few minutes she heard her uncle go out and shortly afterwards the th rub Ku marys amary s engine shook itself fret of the car an ambled away west ward at that virginia went back to the others and found fouad a book but it waiting Inac tI e were N ere di me I 1 lit it read ing was blankly impossible goodness she exclaimed hov hot hot you people keep it in here cousin billy won t yo i take a turn with me on the station platform 7 i 1 can t breathe TO BE CONTIL rD A 4 |