The Avalanche - Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton (free ebook reader for ipad .TXT) 📗

Nondescript

Fairness. You Must Promise Not To Wander Off For Long Walks With Any Of

Your Admirers. Not That I Fear The Admirers, But The Thieves That Are

Bound To Get Into That Crowd One Way Or Another. They Have A Way Of

Unclasping Necklaces Even Of The Most Circumspect Wives In The Company Of

Not Too Absorbing Men."

 

Her Eyes Opened And Flashed, But He Had No Time To Analyze That Fleeting

Expression Before She Was Promising Volubly Not To Wander From The

Illuminated Spaces.

 

       *       *       *       *       *

 

He Interrupted Her Suddenly. They Were In The Library Now, And Sat Down

On A Little Sofa In Front Of The Window. The Moon Was High And Brilliant

And The Great Expanse Of Water With The High Clusters Of Lights On The

Islands, The Sharp Hard Silhouette Of The Encircling Mountains, The Green

And Silver Stars So High Above, The Moving Golden Dots Of An Incoming

Liner From Japan, The Long Rows Of Arc Lights Along The Shore, Made A

Landscape Of The Night That Mrs. Thornton With All Her Millions Hardly

Could Rival.

 

"Are You Not Grateful For This?" He Asked Whimsically And A Little

Wistfully.

 

"Oh, Price, Dear, I Am More Grateful Than You Will Ever Know. I Have Not

A Fault On Earth To Find With You. You Would Be The Prince Of The Fairy

Tale If You Were Not So Busy.

 

"But That Is The Tragedy. You Are Busy--I Am Not."

 

"Well, Let Us Have The Personal Solution--One That Fits Ourselves. You

Have Time To Think It Out. I, Alas! Have Not." He Took Her Hand And

Fondled It, Hoping For Her Confidence.

 

"I Don't Know." She Had A Deep Rich Voice And She Could Make It Very

Intense. "I Only Know There Must--Must--Be A Change--If--If--I Am

To--Can't You Take Me Abroad For A Year? That Might Not Be Work, But At

Least I Should Be Learning Some Thing--I Have Traveled Almost Not At

All--And, At Least, I Should Have You."

 

"But Later? Most Of Your Friends Have Spent A Good Deal Of Time In

Europe. I Doubt If Any State In The Union Goes To Europe As Often As

California! They Are All The More Discontented When They Come Back Here

To Vegetate--As Mrs. Thornton Would Express It.

 

"It Would Be A Blessed Interval, But No More."

 

"We Should Have Time To Think Out A New And Different Life....

 

"You Know--In The Class I Come From--In France--The Women Are The

Partners Of Their Husbands. Even In The Higher Bourgeoisie, That Is,

Where They Still Are In Business, Not Living On Great Inherited

Fortunes--

 

"My Uncle Had A Small Silk House In Rouen, And My Aunt Kept The Books

And Attended To All The Correspondence. He Always Said She Was The

Cleverer Business Man Of The Two; But French Women Have A Real Genius

For Business. Some Of Our Great Ladies Help Their Husbands Manage

Their Estates.

 

"It Is Only The Few That Live For Pleasure And Glitter In The Most

Glittering City In The World That Have Furnished The Novelists The

Material To Give The World A False Impression Of France.

 

"The Majority Live Such Sober, Useful, Busy Lives That Only The Highest

Genius Could Make People Read About Them.

 

"Of Course, Young Girls Dream Of Something Far More Brilliant, And Wait

Eagerly For The Husband Who Shall Deliver Them From Their Narrow

Restricted Little Spheres... Perhaps Take Them To The Great World Of

Paris; But They Settle Down, Even In Paris, And Devote Themselves To

Their Husbands' Interests, Which Are Their Own, And To Their Children....

 

"That Is It! They Are Indispensable--Not As Women, But As Partners. I

Barely Know What Your Business Is About--Only That You Are In Some

Tremendous Wholesale Commission Thing With Tentacles That Reach Half

Round The World.

 

"Only The Wives Of Politicians Are Any Real Help To Their Husbands In

This Country. Isabel Gwynne! What A Help She Will Be--Has Been--To Mr.

Gwynne. But Then She Was Always Busy. When Her Uncle Died He Left Her

That Little Ranch And Scarcely Anything Else, She Took To Raising

Chickens--Not To Fuss About And Fill In Her Time, But To Keep A Roof Over

Her Head And Have Enough To Eat And Wear. I Doubt If She Ever Was Bored

In Her Life."

 

"I Can't Take You Into The Business, Sweetheart," Said Ruyler Slowly.

"For That Would Violate The Traditions Of A Very Old Conservative House.

But I Can Quite See That Something Must Be Done....

 

"I Married You To Make You Happy And To Be Happy Myself. I Do Not Intend

That Our Marriage Shall Be A Failure. It Is Possible That Harold Would

Consent To Come Out Here And Take My Place. The Business No Longer

Requires Any Great Amount Of Initiative, But The Most Unremitting

Vigilance. I Have Thought--It Has Merely Passed Through My Mind--But You

Might Hate It--How Would You Like It If I Bought A Large Fruit Ranch,

Several Thousand Acres, And Put Up A Canning Factory Besides? I Would

Make You A Full Partner And You Would Have To Give To Your Share Of The

Work Considerably More Than Six Hours Of The Day--

 

"We Could Build A Large, Plain, Comfortable House, Take All Our Books And

Pictures, Subscribe To All The Newspapers, Magazines And Reviews, Keep Up

With Everything That Is Going On In The World, Have House Parties Once In

A While, Come To Town For A Few Weeks In Summer For The Plays.

 

"We Should Live Practically An Out-Of-Door Life--If You Preferred We

Could Buy A Cattle Ranch In The South. That Would Mean The Greater Part

Of The Day In The Saddle--

 

"How Does It Appeal To You?"

 

He Had Turned Off The Electricity, But As He Fumbled With His

Embryonic Idea He Saw Her Eyes Sparkle And A Light Of Passionate Hope

Dawn On Her Face.

 

"Oh, I Should Love It! But Love It! Especially The Fruit Ranch. That

Would Be Like France--Our Orchards Are As Wonderful As Yours, Even If

Nothing Could Be As Big As A California Ranch--

 

"That Is, If It Would Not Be A Makeshift. Another Form Of Playing At

Life."

 

"I Can Assure You That We Will Have To Make It Pay Or Go To The Wall. My

Father Would Probably Disinherit Me, For It Would Be Breaking Another

Tradition, And He Compliments Me By Believing That I Am The Best Business

Man In The Firm At Present.

 

"My Only Capital Would Be Such Of My Fortune As Is Not Tied Up In The

House--About A Hundred Thousand Dollars In Government Bonds. Of Course,

In Time, If All Goes Well, And California Does Not Have Another

Setback--If Business Improves All Over The World--I Shall Be Able To Take

The Rest Of My Money Out, That I Put Into This End Of The Business After

The Fire; But That May Be Ten Years Hence. I Shouldn't Even Ask For

Interest On It--That Would Be The Only Compensation I Could Offer For

Deserting The Firm.

 

"Perhaps I Had Better Buy A Cattle Ranch. Then, If We Fail, I Shall At

Least Have Had The Training Of A Cowboy And Can Hire Out."

 

Helene Laughed And Clapped Her Hands.

 

"Fail? You? But I Should Help You To Make It A Success--I Should Be

Really Necessary?"

 

"Indispensable. Either You Or Another Partner."

 

"No! No! I Shall Be The Partner--"

 

"And You Mean That You Would Be Willing To Bury Your Youth, Your Beauty,

On A Ranch? I Have Heard Bitter Confidences Out Here From Women Forced To

Waste Their Youth On A Ranch. You Are One Of The Fine Flowers Of

Civilization--"

 

"That Soon Wither In The Hothouse Atmosphere. I Wish To Become A Hardy

Annual. And When The Ranch Was Running Like A Clock We Could Take A Month

Or Two In Europe Every Year Or So--"

 

"Rather! And I Could Show You Off--Bother! I'll Not Answer."

 

The Telephone Bell On The Little Table In The Corner (His Own Private

Wire) Rang So Insistently That Ruyler Finally Was Magnetized Reluctantly

Across The Room. He Put The Receiver To His Ear And Asked, "Well?" In His

Most Inhospitable Tones.

 

The Answer Came In Spaulding's Voice, And In A Moment He Sat Down.

 

At The End Of Ten Minutes He Hung The Receiver On The Hook And Returned

To Find Helene Standing By The Window, All The Light Gone From Her Eyes,

Staring Out At The Hard Brilliant Scene With An Expression Of

Hopelessness That Had Relaxed The Very Muscles Of Her Face.

 

Ruyler Was Shocked, And More Apprehensive Than He Had Yet Been. "Helene!"

He Exclaimed. "What Is The Matter? Surely You May Confide In Me If You

Are In Trouble."

 

"Oh, But I Am Not," She Replied Coldly. "Did I Look Odd? I Was Just

Wondering How Many Really Happy People There Were Behind Those

Lights--Over On Belvedere, At Sausalito--The Lights Look So Golden And

Steady And Sure--And Glimpses Of Interiors At Night Are Always So

Fascinating--But I Suppose Most Of The People Are Commonplace And Just

Dully Discontented--"

 

"Well, I Am Afraid I Have Something To Tell You That Hardly Will Restore

Your Delightful Gayety Of A Few Moments Ago. I Am Sorry--But--Well, The

Fact Is I Must Leave For The North To-Morrow Morning And Hardly Shall Be

Able To Return Before The Next Night. I Am Really Distressed. I Wanted So

Much To Take You To-Morrow Night--"

 

"And I Can't Wear The Ruby?" Her Voice Was Shrill. Ruyler Wondered If His

Stimulated Imagination Fancied A Note Of Terror In It.

 

"I--I--Am Afraid Not--Darling--"

 

"But That Spaulding Man Will Be There To Watch--"

 

"Unfortunately--I Forgot To Tell You--He Cannot Go--He Is On An Important

Case. Besides--When I Make A Promise I Usually Keep It."

 

"But--But--" She Stammered As If Her Brain Were Confused, Then Turned And

Pressed Her Face To The Window. "I Suppose Nothing Matters," She Said

Dully. "Perhaps You Will Let Me Wear My Own Little Ruby. After All, That

Was Maman's, And She Gave It To Me Before I Was Married. I Should Like To

Wear One Jewel."

 

"You Shall Have All Your Jewels, If You Will Promise Not To Give Them To

Polly Roberts Or Any One Else."

 

"I Promise."

 

He Went Over And Opened The Safe, And When He Rose With The Gold Jewel

Case He Saw That She Was Standing Behind Him. Once More It Flitted

Through His Mind That She Had Watched Him Manipulate The Combination

Several Times, But He Had Little Confidence In Any But A Professional

Thief's Ability To Memorize Such An Involved Assortment Of Figures As Had

Been Invented For This Particular Safe. It Was Only Once In A While That

He Was Not Obliged To Refer To The Key That He Carried In His Pocketbook.

 

Nor Was She Looking At The Safe, But Staring Upward At A Maharajah,

Covered With Pearls Of Fantastic Size. She Took The Box From His Hand

With A Polite Word Of Thanks, Offered Her Cheek To Be Kissed, And

Left The Room.

 

Price Threw Himself Into A Chair And Rehearsed The Instructions Spaulding

Had Given Him.

 

 

 

Chapter 11

 

 

It Was Half-Past Eleven When Ruyler And Spaulding, Masked And Wearing

Colored Silk Dominoes, Entered The Great Gates Of The Thornton Estate In

San Mateo, The Detective Merely Displaying Something In His Palm To The

Stern Guardians That Kept The County Rabble At Bay.

 

The Mob Stood Off Rather Grumblingly, For They Would Have Liked To Get

Closer To That Gorgeous Mass Of Light They Could Merely Glimpse Through

The Great Oaks Of The Lower Part Of The Estate, And To The Music So

Seductive In The Distance.

 

They Were Not A Rabble To Excite Pity, By Any Means. A Few Ragged Tramps

Had Joined The Crowd, Possibly A Few Pickpockets From The City, Watching

Their Opportunity To Slip In Behind One Of The Automobiles That Brought

The Guests From The Station Or From The Estates Up And Down The Valley.

They Were, For The Most Part, Trades-People From The Little Towns--San

Mateo, Redwood City--Or The Wives Of The Proletariat--Or The Servants Of

The Neighboring Estates. But, Although, They Grumbled And Envied, They

Made No Attempt To Force Their Way In; It Was Only The Light-Fingered

Gentry The Police At The Great Iron Gates Were On