Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 13, 1919)
THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. r JO v v The RIVER & V V V V V V When the Colorado CHAPTER XXIII Continued. 11 Tlio veil of fear was torn from hor eyes. The trembling woman was gone, n vengeful wildcat In lier place. "Left mo, Mnldonndo? Loft Ills home, where ho traps tho Indian with one coin in his rockets? No, senor. He brought hor to our home, there; Lupo, the wife of Felipe, the Degulno. I told him not to fool with Felipe; the Indian was dangerous; ho had hot blood. Mnldonndo struck me he kicked me ho said I was Jealous and hit mo again. "Mnldonndo told me to get n big menl. I told him that It was for Fe lipe. When I snld I would not cook for tbnt trenchery ho cursed me, ho kicked mo again." She throw off tho rcboso, dragging her dress loose. "Don't," frowned Itlckard. He had seen n welt across her shoulder a creaming lino of pain. Sho wound the reboso around the dishonored shoulder. "I cooked hls dinner! Thcro was n lot of liquor Fcllpo -was drunk ; tho tequila made him mad, quite mad. II o seemed to know-something was wrong; he fought as Mnldonndo dragged him to the cell, tho senor remembers the cell? Tho next dny Mnldonndo sent for two ra mies. They started tho next day for Ensennda, taking Felipe; thnt dny Mnldonndo brought Lupc home. I said the could not stay and he laughed tn my face, senor. Ho put mo outside tho walls. I beat thnt gate until my lingers bled. I remem bered tho kind face of the senor, anil, then I ciimo here. You will help me, enor?" IMcknrd shook his hend. "I shall tnvo to look Into fills thing. If this la true It's prison for your husband. Tou won't have to fear Lupc." "When he gets out ho will kill me, ncnor." Tho terror was seizing her ngaln. Bcforo sho could begin her plendlng he called to MncLcun. "Ask Ling to find n tent for Scnora Mnldonndo. Tell him to glvo her n good menl." no must trap tho rogue. Thnt In- fernnl plnce must bo closed. Tho woman hnd come In tho nick of time. Those tribes wcro to be gunrded as restless children. CHAPTER XXIV. Rlckard Makes a New Enemy and New Friend. Tho coming of tho Indlnns gave tho impetus tho work hnd lacked. Under Jcnks of tho railroad compuny a largo forco was put on tho river; these, tho wenvers of tho brush mnttrcsscs thnt woro to lino tho river bed. On tho bnnks wero tho brush cutters; tons of wlllowa wero to bo cut to wenvo into fxrMi lomu "You Will Help Me, 8enor?" the forty miles of woven wire cnhlo waiting for tho cross strands. Dny by day tho piles of willow branches grow higher, tho brush cutters work lng abend of the inuttress workers In tho stream. In the denso undergrowth tho stolid Indians, Plmas and Mnrlco pns and Pnpngocs, struggled with the flerco thorn of tho mesqult nnd tho overpowering pmcll of the arrow wruul A a Immh na Mm lildtnrv lintiillpN thoy wielded, they fought a clearing hrnneh ilensn thlckotB In tho Intense tropic heat. Down stream tho Brobdlngnaglnn arm of tho dredge fell Into tho mud ,of tke by-puss, dropping its slimy burden on ' tho far bank. Down tho long Stretch of loveo tho "skinners" drovo ibolr mules and scrapers; two pllo drivers wcro setting In tho trencher oufl Btrcnm tho piles which wero to anchor tho steel-cabled muttresscs to ttin rlvar bed. It was a wcll-orcnnlzcd. -nHv BPflnn. Illckurd. In his office, ' dictating letters nnd telegrams to Mnc- Lenn. Jr.. felt his first sntlsfnctlon. ThlngBs.WQro beginning to Bhow tho ro- suit oC'monthB of plunnlng. Curs wero ry shine In from north and coat; every : Burst Its Banks and Copyright, quarry between Los Angeles and Tuc son requisitioned for their undertak ing. A Hliadow foil oit tho plno desk. Ling, In blue ticking shirt und white butcher apron, waited for the "boss" to look up. Ho stood wiping tho per spiration from his head, hairless ex- ccpt for the long silk-tapered queue. "Well, Ling?" "I go tnmale." His voice wna soft ns silk. "I no stny." It wns n thunderclap. Thero was no ono to replace Aiing, wno wns drawing down tho snlory of n private secretary. Lose Ling? It would bo more demoralizing to tho camp than to lose an engineer. "Money nil lite. Bossco all lite. No llkeo woman. Woman sho stay, Ling go." Mrs. Hardin 1" Itlckard woko up. ,"Sho all time mnkeo trouble. Sho clazy. Sho think woman vclleo fine cook. She show Ling cookeo pltines. Tonchee Ling cookeo plunesl I no stay that woman." Unutternblo final- lty In the leathern fnce. Itlckard and MacLcan, Jr., exchanged glances which deepened from concern Into perplexity. They could not afford to loso Ling. And offend Mrs. Hardin, tho camp nlrcndy Hnrdlncsquo? Itlckard grew plncntlng. He spent a half hour wheedling. They mot at the starting plnce. "Ling go tnmnle." "Oh, Lord," groaned the mnnagcr, capitulating. "All right, Ling." With tho dignity of an oriental prince, Ling pattered out of tho tent, Itlckard wus puckering his Hps nt his secretary. "I'd rather tnke enstor oil." A hnlf hour later, MacLcan saw his chief lcavo his tent, ne wns In fresh linens. "I wouldn't swap places with him this minute 1 She'll bo as mud ns a wet hen I" Mrs. Hnrdln, from her bed by her screen window, saw him coming. Sho slipped Into a semlncgllgce of alter nate rows of laco nnd swIss construct ed for such possible emergencies. Sho did not mnko tho mistake of smooth ing her hair; her Instinct told her that tho fluffy' disorder boro out the uso of tho negligee. Sho was sew ing In her rnmndn when Itlcknrd's knock sounded on tho screen door. Desplto his protests sho started wa ter boiling In her chafing dish. Ho lind not tlmo for tea, ho declared, but she Insisted on ranking this cull of a soclnl nnture. Sho opened a box of BUBnr wafers, her zeal that of n child with n toy kitchen; sho wns plnylng doll's house. Itlcknrd made several openings for his crrnnd, but her wits sped llko a gopher from his labored digging. Sho met his mood with womnnly dlg- nlty; sho tutored her coquetries, with held her nrchncss. Ho found ho would hnvo to discard diplomacy, blurt out his message; uso bludgeons for this scampering agility. 'My mission Is n llttlo awkward, Mrs. Hnrdln. I hopo you will tuko It all right, thnt you will not bo of feuded." "Offended?" Her fnco showed alarm. "It's about Ling. He's n queer fel low; they nil nre, you know." Ho wns blundering llko a schoolboy un der the growing shndow In Gorty's blue eyes. "They resent authority that Is, from women. Ho la a tyrant, Ling is." "Yes?" Ah, sho would not help him Let him flounder I "llo wants to bo let alone; he doesn't nppreclnto your kind help, Mrs. Hnrdln." "Oh I" Her eyes wero hot with tenrs nngry tenrs. Sho could not spenk or would not. Sho snt In her spoiled doll's house, nil her pleasure In hor toy dishes, her pretty llnory, ruined. He could not care If ho could humlllnto her so. It was tho most vivid moment of her life. Not even when Rlckard had left her, with his kisses still warm on her Hps, hnd sho felt so outraged, no wns trentlng her ns though sho wero n servant dls chnrglng her becnuso sho wns the wlfo of Hnrdln. Her eyes grew blnck with anger; sho hntcd them both; be tween them, their Jealousy, their rl vnlry, what hud they mndo of her life? She remembered Tho woman she hnd seen In his rumudn; sho hnd heard thnt tho Mcxlcnn was In enmp, em ployed by Rlcknrd. Her thoughts woro llko swnrmlng hornets. "no's nn ungrateful benst, Mrs, nnrdln. I told him I would not let 'ou y kindness ono Instant -iv Oh, sho understood 1 A bitter pleas ur to see him so confused. Rlcknrd beforo whose superior npprulsement sho had o often wilted I Sho would not help him out, never 1 Sho roso when ho paused, no thanked her for meeting hint half way,- nnd her smile was Inscrutable. "So I'm discharged?" "You can't be dlschnrgcd If you'v never been employed, can you? Tlmnl you onco nguln, and for your ten It wns delicious. I wish Llug would glvo us tea hko mui. Boorish, all of It, nnd blundering! Why wouldn't ho go? When ho had jiiurt nor hoi nuu mire nor sot Flooded the Imperial Valley of California Bobbs-Merrlll Company Her hand met his, but not her eyes. If he did not go quickly something would happen ; ho would sec her cry ing. The angels thnt guard blunderers got Itlckard out of the tent without suspicion of threatening tears. She threjv off her negllgeo nnd tho polo bluo slip; tho tears must wait for UiaL Then she flung herself on her bed nnd shook It with tho grief of wounded vnnlty. Thnt evening tho chief hnd n visi tor. Tho wife of Mnldonndo, some ofi the fenr pressed out of her eyes, brought In his laundered khakis, socks, darned nnd matched; all tho missing buttons replaced. "I hnven't worn n mntched sock," ho told her, "for months. That's great. senorn." no wanted to get to bed, but sho lin gered. She wanted to talk to him about her troubles; he hnd cnutloned her ngninst talking about them In camp, so she overflowed to him hencver she found a chnncc about Maldonndo, the children, Lupe. It was getting wenrylng, but ho could not shove tho poor thing out. Senoru Maldonado gave n shnrp In- tnke of breuth, nn nbnrtcd scream. Rlckard, too, saw a man's figure out side tho screen door. The Mexican omnn pressed a frightened hand to her henrt. Of course It was the veugc ful Mnldonndo he would kill her "If I nm Intruding," It wns tho olec of Hnrdln. '.'Come right In," welcomed Rlckard. Get along, senorn." Tho Mnldonndo slipped out Into the night, her hnnd still ngnlnst her henrt. nnrdln, n roll of mnps under his arm, entered with a rough sneer on his face. A dramatic scene, that, he hud Interrupted! And Rlckard, who did not like to have women In camp. AVhlto women! Itlcknrd, still sleepy, asked him to sit down. "I wnntcd to spenk to you about thoso concrete aprons. They tellrae you've given an order not to have them." Rlcknrd resigned himself to a long rgumcnt It wns three o'clock when Hnrdln let him turn in. When ho wns getting rendy for bed ho remembered the mclodrnmntlc scene nnrdln hnd entered upon. He stnred comprehendlngly nt tho screen door seeing with understanding nnr- dln's oarse sneer the Maldonado, breathing fust, her hnnd over her henrt. "Of course he'll think good lord, theso people will mnko mo Into nn old womnn I I don't enre what the wholo caboodle of them think 1" Five minutes after blowing out his cnndlo ho was deeply sleeping. CHAPTER XXV. Smudge. From her tent, where sho wns writ ing a letter thnt lngged somehow, In- nes nnrdln had seen 'Rlckard go to her sister's tent. She did not need to nnnlyzo the sickness of sight that wntched tho dancing step ncknowl- edge its intention. It mennt wretch edness, for Tom. At n tlmo when he most needed gentleness and sympathy rasped as ho wns by his humiliations nnd dlsnppolntments how could any womnn bo so cruel? As for Rlcknrd, ho wns beneuth contempt If it wcro true, Gerty's story, told In shrugs nnd dnshes. Sho had Jilted him for Tom ; nnd this his revenge? She had not known thnt sho had such feeling as tho thought roused In her. It proved what tho blood tie Is, this tigerish passion sweeping through her, ns her eyes wntched thnt closed tent It was for lovo for Tom, pity for Tom. Sox honor why, Gerty did not know tho meaning of the words I now long would It be beforo Tom would see what every ono else was seeing? What would ho do when he knew?- Hating Rlckard already, bitter as ho was Sho was not so biased ns he. Sho could see why. Marshall hnd had to re organize. Estrada had shown her; nnd MncLcan. Her enso of Justice hnd done the rest. Rlcknrd hnd proved his efficiency; the lovee, the camp, the military discipline all showed tho gen eral. Whether ho were anything of nn engineer, time would tell that. It was a long call ho was making! Sup- poso Tom wcro to como back? She must wntch for him mnko some cx cuso to pull him In If ho should come back beforo thnt other went Hnte- ful, such envcsdropplng! A prisoner to thnt man's gallivanting 1 For an Instant sho did not recognlzo tho flguro outside Gerty's tent. Her fenrs saw Tom. Sho reached the screen door In tlmo to seo Rlcknrd lift his hnt to n disappearing flurry of ruf lies. Angry eyes watched Rlckard's step swing him nwuy. From the leveo thnt dny, she hnd a gllmpso of the Mcxlcnn woman on her knees by tho river, rubbing clothes against n smooth stone. A pllo of tight-wrung socks lay on the bnnk. In- nes stood and wntched her. "I must remember to spenk of her to-Gerty, sho determined. "Sho prob nbly does not know thnt there Is a washerwoman In camp." It wns a week Inter beforo sho re membered to speak of the Mflxliyuj 1 By EDNAH AIKEN woman "who could wash." Tho two women wero on their way to their touts from tho mess breakfast Senorn Maldonado wus lenvlng MncLcnn's tent with n lnrge bundle of used clothes under her arm. "Sho washes for the men., I'm go ing to nsk her to do my khakis for mo. Perhaps this woman would be willing to do all our laundry?" jerty hnd been wondering what she v "xid say to InnoB. The speech which Angry Eyes Watched Rlckard. net-lied only nn Introduction wns stirred Into the open. "You must not," her voice trembled with unger, "you must not nsk thnt womnn. Sho is not to be spoken to." The girl asked her bluntly what she meant. "You must not give her your wash ing must not speak to her. I've not mentioned It before. I I hoped it would not be necessary. Tom told mo not to spenk of ly . "Tom told you not to spenk of it? Not to spenk of whnt?" "You must have observed Mr. Rlck nrd?" Tho girl's ear did not catch the short pnuse. "Observed Mr. Rlcknrd?" "The coolness between us. I senrce- ly spenk to him. I don't wish to spenk to him." When hnd nil this hnppened, Innei demnnded of herself? Had she been nsleep, throwing pity from outdated dreams? "I won't countennnce n common nf fnlr like thnt." Her eyes, spnrkllng with nnger, suggested Jealous wrath to Innes, who hud her first hint of tho story. Sho hnd- loarned never to take tho face vnluo of her sister's verbnl coin; it was only a symbol of value; It stood for something else. The yellow eyes wero on the dredge bucket as it swung across the channel, but they did not register. She was angry, outraged; she did not know with whom. With Gerty for felling her, with Rlcknrd, with Hfo thnt lets such things be. She Jumped up. "Oh, stop It!" Sho rushed out of the tent, fol lowed by n strange bitter smile thnt brought ago to tho face of Gerty Hnr dln. In her own tent, Innes found excuso for her lnck of self-control. She did not like the color of scnndnl; she huted smudge. Gerty hnd snld the wholo camp knew It; knew why tho Mexican womnn wns In camp! Sho did not trust Gerty In anything else; why should she trust her In thnt? Sho would forget Gerty's gossip. But she remembered It vividly thnt week ns sho wnshed her own khakis; as sho bent over tho Ironing board in Gerty's sweltering "kitchenette." Sho thought of It ns sho returned Rlck nrd's bow In the mess tent the next morning; ench tlmo they mot she thought at It. And It wns In her mind when sho met Senorn Mnldonndo by tho river ono dny, nnd made n sudden wide curve to avoid having to Bpenk to her. CHAPTER XXVI. Time the Umpired Tho river wns low; Its yellow wa ters boro the look of orlentnl duplicity. Ench dny was now showing Its prog' ress. The two ends of tho trcstlo were creoplng ncros3 the stream from their brush nprons. A few weeks of work nt the present rute, and the gap would bo closed, Hardin's big gate In It; tho by-pnss ready; tho trap set for the Colorado. The tensity of a last spurt wns In tho nlr. It wns Inspiring nctlvlty, this pitting of mnn'B cumulative skill ngnlnst nn elemental force. No Caucasian mind which did not tingle, feel tho prlvi leged thrill of It, To the stolid native this day of well-paid toll was his mil lennitim, tho fulfillment of tho prophecy, nis gods hnd so spoken Food for his stomnch, liquor for his stupefnctlcn ; the whlto ninn's money laid In a brown hand each Sunday 1 morning wns what tho grcut gods fore spoke. Tho completion of the work, the while man's victory, would be an end of the fnt time. Hasten? Why should they, nnd shorten their dny of opportunity? Between the two enmps osclllntcd Coroncl, silently squnttlng nenr the whites, Jabbering his primitive Es peranto to tho tribes. Ills friendship, with the whlto chiefs, bis ngo and nat ural leadership gnvo hlni n unique po sition lu both camps. Assiduously, Rlcknrd cultivated tho old Indian who crouched dayB through by tho bank of tho rivpr. Tho engineers felt the whip of ex citement. Never n mn'j left tho camp tn the morning who did not look to ward thnt spun crawling ncross the treacherous stream, measure thnt widened by-pnss. Would the gnte stand? Tho Hnrdln men hnlloed for the gate, but looked each morning to sec If It were still there. The Reclama tion Service men nnd the engineers of tho railroad were openly skeptical; Sisyphus outdone nt his own game! Estrndn nnd Rlcknrd looked furtively at the gate, with doubt nt each other. Hardin, himself, wns repressed, nn enger llvo wire. His days he spent on the river; his nights, long hours of them, open-eyed, on his back, watching the slow-wheeling, stnr-prlcked dome of desert sky. His wns tho suspense of the mnn on trial ; this wns his trial; Gerty, Rlckard, the valley, his- judge nnd jury. Tho gnte grow to bo u symbol with him of restored honor, nn obsession of desire. It must be nil right 1 Rlckard wns nil over the plnce. "Watching every piece of rock that's dumped In the river," complained Wooster. "Believe he marks them at night 1" They were nrennrlng for the final rush. In a week or two, the work would be continuous, night shifts to begin when the rock-pouring com menced. Large lamps were being sus pended ncross the channel, acetylene whose candelpower wns thnt of nn nrc light. Soon there would be no night at the brenk. When the time for the quick coup would come, the dam must bo closed without break or slip. One mat was down, dropped on the floor that had already swallowed two such gigantic mouthfuls; covered with rock ; pinned down to the slippery bot tom with piles. Another mat was ready to drop; rock was waiting to be poured over It; tho deepest place In the channel was reduced from fifteen to seven feet. Each day the overpour, anxiously measured, Increased. A third steam shovel had been added ; the rail road sent In several work trains fully equipped for service ; attracted by the excitement, the hoboes were commenc ing to come In. It was a battle of big numbers, a duel of grnt force where time wns the umpire. Any minute hot wenther might fall on thoso snowy penks up yonder, nnd the relensed wnters, rush ing down, would tear out tho defenses as a wave breaks over a child's fort made of sand. This wns n race, nnd nil knew It. A regulnr train djspntch system wns In forco thnt the Inrushlng enrs might drop their burden of rock nnd gravel and bo off after more. The Dragon was being fed rude meals, Its appetite whetted by the glut of pour ing rock. Tod Mnrshnll came down from Tuc son in his car. The coming of the Palmyra nnd Claudln rippled the so clnl waters at the front for days nhend. Gerty nnrdln, too proud to tell her nstonlshed fnmlly thnt she wnntcd to desert the mess tent, shook herself from her injury, nnd "did up" all her lingerie gowns. Mrs. Marshall was not going to patronize her, even if her husband had snubbed Tom. It wns hot, Ironing In her tent, tho doors closed. Everything cnrrled a sting those indoor hours. She was aflame with hot vanity. Twice, she had openly encouraged Rlckard; twice, he hnd flouted her. Thnt wns his kind! Men who prefer Mexlcnns 1 She would never forglvo him, never 1 She followed devious channels to In volve Tom's responsibility. Thero was n cabal against tho wife of nnrdln. Working llko n servnntl she cnlled It necessity. Everything, every one pun ished her for thnt ono act of folly, Life hnd caught her. Sho snw no way, as sho ironed hor mtill rufllespno way out of her cage. Her spirit beat wild wings against her bnrs. If she could seo a way outl Nothing to do but to stuy with Tom 1 Maddening, too, that nt tho mess table, sho cnught Rlcknrd's eyes turning toward, resting on, Innes Hardin. The girl herself did not seem to notice artful, subterranean, such stalking! Thnt was why she had como running bnck to the Heading I That the reason of her anger when she had hinted of the Mnldonndo. She learned to hate Innes. Bitterly sho hated Rlckard. "Tom," she snld ono dny. ne turned with a swift thrill of expectn tlon, for her voice sounded kind; llko tho Gerty of old. "I hnvo always heard that Mr. Marshall has terribly strict Ideas. I think ho ought to hear of that Mexican woman. It Is demor alizing In a enmp llko this." "I tell Mnrshnll nnythlng against his pet clerk?" Tho nnrdln lip shot out. "He'd throw mo out of tho compnny." The pretty scene wns spoiled. To his dismny, she hurst into n storm of tenrs, tenrs of self-pity, nor life lny In tntfers at her feet, the pretty fabric rent, torn between tho rude handling of those two men. She could not hnvo reasoned out her Injury, made It con vincing, built out of dreams as It was heartless, scheming dreams. Because sho could not tell It her sobbing wus the moro violent, her complaints Inco horent. Tom gathered enough frag ments to piece tho old - story. "Ashamed of him, llo hud drugged her down Into his humiliation." HI sweet moment had passed. He spent n few futllo momenta, try ing to comfort her. "Don't come near me." It burst from her; a cry of revulsion, He stnred nt her, the womnn meeting hla eyes In flushed defiance. The hatred which he snw, her bitterness, corroded his pride, scorched his self-love. Noth ing would kill his lovo for her; he knew thnt In thnt blackest of mo ments. He would never forget that look of dread, of hate. Ho left her tent. Thnt night, tho cot under the stars had no tenant. Hnrdln bad It out witli himself down the levee. Thnt vnlley might fulfill Estrnda'i vision and his Inbor; might yield the hurvest of happy homes; but his was not there. He hnd been the sacrifice. CHAPTER XXVII. The Walk Home. Claudia Mnrshull snt nt the hend of her stntcly tuble in the Palmyra, mute ns a statue but for the burning eyes which followed her Tod. To Innes, her guest, it was a tragic presence, of brooding solicitude. Lntc hours, excitement, might nbrldgo the life she so pnsslonntely policed; but she would not demnnd the sncrlflec of his clgur. Marshall's cigar followed the coffee. Tony, the white-enpped Italian cook oi the Palmyra, was removing the cups Innes was carrying her double Inter est,, listening to Tod Marshall's broad sweep, getting a new viewpoint as he minimized the local scheme feellna thnt silent presence nt tho hend of tha tuble. Then something drovo Claudia from her mind. What Mr. Marshall had sale swept a disturbing calcium on Tom. What If, truly, tho river fiasco could be traced to that overzealous hand? Tc Tom, this undertaking blotted out the rest of related big endenvor; but thnt was not the way her-host was looking nt It. He was too courteous to give her discomfort; ho had not snld it di rectly. But nlwnys It met her, rose ur. to smite her, wherever she was. Was it not egotism, personnl pride, thnt was muklng her cover her eyes, like anj simple ostrich? Her brother assume him anybody else's brother I The dredge flnsco tho wild night at the levee no Isolated accidents thoso. Hardin's luck! A flush of miserable shnmo cnfno tc her. How they hnd ntl been trying tc spnre her Eduurdo, these kindly Mar shulls MncLenn! Sh wus turning impulsively, to nsk Tod Mnrshnll If he thought, could he think It probable that they would fall, when a step thai sent the blood to her face took the car's stairs at two leaps. Now, In deed, the dinner was spoiled. "Thafa Rlckard. I forgot to tell yon that I asked him to dinner. He couldn't get away. He said he'd run In for cof fee. Hello, Rlckard. Thought you'd forgotten us!" She hadn't thought of that contin gency 1 She found herself shaking hands with him. Could he not hear bet mind, ticking away at the Maldonado episode? Of course he would Insist on seeing her to her tent. Punctilious, nlwr.ya Well, she Just wouldn't. Perhnps she could slip out some wny. Sho would watch her chance. "Cnn I tnlk shop for a while?" asked Rlqkard. They withdrew to a cushioned win dow sent. Innes hnd found her chnnco Sho nsked to bo shown over the enr Innes confided her plnn. Sho wnnted "Thought You'd Forgotten Us." to slip out. "Sho would not Interrupt their evening; Mr. Marshall had busi ness to discuss " Mrs. Marshall would not hear of it She said that Mr. Marshall woulc never forglvo her If she let Miss nar din go home alone. Her opposition wns softly Implacable. Innes went back to tho sitting room of the car angrily coerced. Rlckard was still closeted, conversutlonnlly, with his superlpr. At Inst, desperately, she roso to go. Of course, ho must insist upon going with her. Of course 1 "I wus going bnck enrly, nnywuy, I'm to be up nt dnwn tomorrow." The good-bys were snld. Sho found herself wnlklng rebelllously by hl side. "No, thnnk you 1" to tho offer ol his nrm. (TO BE CONTINUED.) Accprdlng to the statistician of a New York trust compuny, there nro 10, , 125 millionaires In the United States.