The Argosy, Vol. 90 No. 1 — page 178: what you’re looking at

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

172 implacably into her unwavering eyes. ‘You refused to meet me half-way, and now you shall hear my ultimatum: You will produce Tia Juana or take me to her within three days, or I shall tell all!” “Mr. Wiley.” Willa drew herself up very straight and tall. ‘I have no state- ment to make about Tia Juana, save that I cannot and will not take you to her. I have listened to your threats and innuen- dos until my patience is exhausted, and I warm you not to approach me again on this or any other matter. What you know is immaterial to me. You may tell it to whom you please. Will you leave me now, or permit me to depart without a further scene?” He bowed and stepped back. ‘“As you desire. Remember you have three days. Think it over well, my dear Billie. It is your present position, the Murdaugh money, a brilliant future and a name against the Pool of the Lost Souls!” CHAPTER XVII. ANGIE SCORES. | was sorry to have missed you at my sister’s, although I do not think you would have welcomed my appearance!” laughed Kearn Thode. ‘I was striped with plaster like a savage in war-paint.” ‘“T had the pleasure of seeing the other victim of that motor accident,” Willa re- marked demurely. ‘ He was even less prepossessing than usual. JI—I knew something of what occurred, as I think you could understand from my note. I think that I have again to thank you for your championship.” They were sitting out a dance in the Al- lardyce’s conservatory at their first meet- ing since the night of the Erskine dinner, and for some reason speech was difficult to them both. Willa’s eyes, usually so can- did, were veiled from him; but Thode swept her with a hungrily wistful gaze. “You are mistaken. You have nothing to thank me for. I am sorry that any idle gossip reached your ears; but believe me, no other course was open to me. No man could have helped himself—” ~ THE ARGOSY. “Oh, I understand, of course.” Willa blundered helplessly in her haste. ‘ You would have done as much, under the same circumstances, for any other girl; but it is good to feel that there are real men in the world who will protect the name of a friend as though it were that of a sister.” “Tt wasn’t exactly that, Willa.” His voice was very low. “A man would naturally resent any insinuation against a good woman, whether she were his sister or not. But there is only one woman in the world for whom a man fights with the primitive blind rage of a human creature for his mate; only, fool that he is, he does not always recognize the feeling which con- sumes him for what it really is.” He paused, and Willa, too, was silent, but she feared that the very beating of her heart would be audible to his ears. The dreamy waltz had given way to the syn- copation of a fox-trot, yet neither were aware of the passing nnnutes. “IT was blind in Limasito!”’ he went on. “No woman has come deeply into my life except my sister, and I did not know, I did not realize what you had come to mean to me in our few meetings until you were going away imto this new existence which was awaiting you, and then I could not speak. “TY did not follow you then because I had nothing to offer, but I made up my mind to succeed in what I had set out to do, if honest endeavor and the hardest kind of work could achieve it, and then, if I were not too late, I meant to come to you and ask you to be my wife.” Willa stirred tremulously, but still her lips were dumb. Thode misinterpreted her silence. “Please don’t be afraid!” he assured her bitterly. ‘I am not going to ask you that now, for I have failed! I’m not even going to ask you to wait for me, to give me any hope, for I am losing faith in my- self; not in my love for you, Willa, but in the success which alone would make it pos- sible for me to approach you. I only want- ed you to know that I had awakened to the truth. No girl was ever yet displeased at one more victim bound to her chariot- wheels.” comicbool< CO