Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 4 — page 168: what you’re looking at

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

674 because you think that I believe you helped your father. Well, I don’t. I don’t believe you had -anything to do with it at all.” She did not answer at once, but looked at me queerly. “And suppose that you did believe that I had helped him? Would you still want to marry me?” “Yes,” I answered stoutly. She laughed mirthlessly. “You make a poor liar, Carlos, and you are also not very complimentary to my intellect. Do you suppose that I can’t see -why you are doing this, that you don’t really believe me innocent? “You are very chivalrous and magnani- mous, but I don’t intend to be the subject of either. No doubt now, as things are, you _will get your heart’s desire and be made the heir, but / don’t intend to play the part of beggar-maid to your Cophetua.” Her words stung me, as she had intended they should, but the very injustice of them held me speechless. Before I could get my voice, she had slipped past me and into the room with a little sound that resembled a dry sob. I let her go. What was. there I could say or do, after all, when she held such an opinion of me?— She had practically an- swered my question; if she could think that I was doing this merely as a sop to my conscience she didn’t really love me, and the wisest thing would be for me to forget her. But, I had never wanted her so much at any time as I did at that moment, when she had just left me in scorn. I doubt if any one ever carried a heavier _ heart than mine to bed, and of all the nights in that house, this was the most disturbed and wakeful. It ditin’t console me to realize that I had put my case in the most tactless way possible; and-that any one with Shir- ley’s hair-trigger pride would be apt to mis- understand me. . It was too late now to go back and do it over agam—even if my own pride would have let me. Along about early morning, I had almost persuaded myself I didn’t care« a rap for Shirley, and that I intended to leave that very day, after first informing my uncle that I would have nothing to do with his money. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. This somewhat relieved me, so I fell into a sleep at last. CHAPTER XXVIII. GREGORY DEANE’S DECISION. Y the next day Uncle Gregory was very B much improved; he looked well, ate heartily, and declared that his en- forced fast had been good for him, after all. He really seemed to enjoy having us with him, and I felt almost a pang at having to tell him what I had decided the night before. He was certainly the only happy per- son in the house that day, for Shirley was pale and quiet, and after my sleepless night lb must have looked anything but cheerful. Evidently Uncle Gregory noticed it, for as I was sitting beside him making a pretense of reading, he asked abruptly: “Has anything happened, Carlos, that you are not telling me?” “Why, no, sir,” I answered. everything is going on well.” “Are you getting restless here? It is rather stupid to have to sit around with an old man like me, but I thought that you and Shirley would be company for each other.” “No, we're not,” I blurted out, and was instantly sorry for-the remark. I realized that I couldn’t possibly tell Uncle Gregory just why Shirley and I had quarreled, for it would make him suspect her, which up till now, he had not shown any signs of doing. ° ~ He looked at me keenly. e “Have you quarreled? I hope it is not on account of—the money.” I seized gladly at this loop-hole his words gave me. “I’m afraid that’s it. This rivalry is bound to make some feeling between us, and I have been wanting to tell you as soon as you got well enough, that I would like to relinquish all my claim in favor of Shirley.” . A little dry expression crept over my uncle’s mouth, making him look less genial, and more like his nephew. “Indeed, and what makes you think I intend to leave you my money?” (