e thrown her vote to Stoddard. That
alone would give him control, they would have fifty per cent. of the
stock."

"No they wouldn't," corrected Rimrock, "not if you've got that two
thousand. That would give us fifty-one per cent!"

A shadow of annoyance passed over her face, as if some part of her plan
had gone wrong, and then her eyes took on a fire.

"'_Us_?'" she said. "Would you have married me, Rimrock? But surely,
not for the stock! Oh, I wish sometimes----" She stopped abruptly and
looked at him strangely and then she hurried on. "Ah, no," she sighed,
"that can never be--you are in love with that other woman--out there.
When you met her at the opera, you forgot all about me. You went off
and left me alone. If Whitney H. Stoddard had called me up then!" Her
eyes flashed dangerously and she looked away, at which Rimrock glanced
quickly at his watch.

"By--grab!" he exclaimed half-rising to his feet, "do you know it's
half-past twelve? Say, where's your telephone? I've got a deal on in
Navajoa and I've just got to find out where I am!"

She rose up suddenly and turned to face him with a look of queenly
scorn.

"I have no telephone!" she answered evenly, "and if I did have I would
not lend it to you. You're just like the rest of these men, I see; you
think in terms of stocks. I should have done as Stoddard said, and
paid you back for your rudeness. Do you know, Mr. Jones, that you
think more of money than of anything else in the world? Are you aware
of the fact that all the love and devotion that any poor woman might
bestow would be wholly wasted, and worse than wasted, on a miserable
stock-gambler like you! Ah, I was a fool!" she burst out, stamping her
foot in a passion; and then she sank back on the divan and wept.

Rimrock stood and gazed at her, then glanced absently at his watch and
looked about, shamefaced, for a 'phone. But in that elegant apartment,
with its rich furnishings and tapestries there was no place for a
crude, commercial telephone, and the door to the inner room was closed.
He turned towards the outer door, for his business was urgent, but she
had carried off the key. He stirred uneasily, and a shrewd doubt
assailed him for her weeping seemed all at once sophisticated and
forced; and at the moment she raised her head. One look and she had
cast herself upon him and twined her arms about his neck.

"I can't help it! I can't help it!" she sobbed convulsively and drew
do