Marion Marlowe in Salt Lake City — page 25: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

She touched the handle of the door as she _ spoke, and then hesitated for an instant. The _ carriage turned a sharp corner, and then fairly bounded ahead; before she could open the door it had come to a sudden standstill, and, in the darkness, the young girl’s eye ~ caught the outlines of the monstrous taber- - nacle. _ With a determined wrénch, she threw open the door. | _ where I am!” she began; then a rang out in the darkness. _ They were inside of the great inclosure which held the Mormon sanctuaries - but, as Marion uttered her cry of fright, two men § prang from the shadows of the sacred edifice and fairly dragged her from the carriage. _ Another desperate shriek passed the young -girl’s white lips, then a hand was placed over startled cry thesinclosure, _ A moment later a bandage was drawn tightly over her eyes, then she could feel that they were carrying her into one of the great buildings. . 2 _ A click of a monstrous key and the creak of a heavy hinge followed; then she was thrust violently forward and the great doors closed upon her. ah _ Marion tore at her bandages and shrieked terror, but the echo of her voice came back to her so mockingly that, for a moment, her I eart almost stopped beating. Then the faint glimmer of. light came slowly to her eyes irom a distance—so great that at first it Seemed interminable. She struegled to her teet and groped about with her hands. _ There was a bench of some sort near her, and she dropped upon it with every fibre in her body quivering with horror, _ What place was this? Was it the Mormon Temple? She tried to peer through-the darkness to- ward that faintly glimmering light, but, al- though she beheld weird outlines of objects all about her, she could see nothing distinctly. _ Suddenly it occurred to her that it might be the Endowment House, the “Holy of Holies,” that Artemas Canton had promised fo show her. + Pg MY QUEEN. _ man. “Thank Heaven, this building tells me . her mouth and she was borne on a few stepss into the impenetrable darkness that shadowed ° 23 “And now it is my prison,” she cried, in- voluntarily, “Il have been trapped by that I am to be his victim!” ® There was another faint creak of the mon- strous door’and Marion sprang to her feet, her breath almost leaving her body. Had he come, Artemas Canton, or was it her friends?’ She gave a halting cry, and the next mo- ment Canton stood beside her, and _ the strange edifice seemed to suddenly grow a trifle lighter. “Marion, my beloved one!” began a mel- low voice in her ear; “I have come to love you, my angel—to adore, to worship you! to tell you that you are one of the chosen ones, and that the great Mormon Church is waiting to receive you!” There was a gasp of horror as Marion drew away. “How dare you—hypocrite! liar!’ she cried out furiously. “How dare you defile the sanctuary of your faith! You are infamous, sir, and I demand that you release me! Open that door at once and give me my liberty!” She drew herself up in the gloom of the awful building, and her voice vibrated with fury at the words he had uttered. “Shame on you for your treachery—your baseness!”” she went on, sharply. “T knew that there were men in the world who ig- nored honor and law; but to trample them under your feet in the very sanctuary! Oh, it is horrible, Mr. Canton! It is utterly hor- rible !”’ : , “But you don’t understand,” murmured the treacherous voice, as she paused for breath. “Is it wrong to love, my dear little Marion? Is it wicked to adore or to worship, my beauty? Oh, no! it is not wrong, it is man’s holy nature! Let me teach you to love—to love me, Marion!’ Fle drew nearer as he spoke, and his finger tips touched her shoulder, but the young girl recoiled with 4 cry of horror. : “Never! Love you? Never! never! Mr. Canton! You are contemptible in my eyes! I loathe you, you traitor !” (See She had moved backward as she spoke until now the heavy wall was behind her, and, as she crouched against it, the man came - nearer and nearer. econnicloooks.co©