Even Roma\'s cruel heart was somewhat shocked at granny\'s malevolence toward her beautiful young granddaughter, but she did not rebuke the old hag; she only resolved to make capital of it. So she said:

"I don\'t want you to kill her, but I wish you could take her away from here, where Jesse Devereaux can never find her again. She is in my way, and I want her removed!"

"It would be worth money to you to get her out of your way," leered granny cunningly:

Roma hesitated a moment, then answered frankly:

"Yes, but I could not promise to pay you much. Papa makes me a very small allowance."

The old woman crept nearer to the beautiful, cruel creature, and gazed up into her face with an expression of humble adoration, while she murmured wheedlingly:

"I would take her away from here—far away—where she could never trouble you again, pretty[Pg 142] lady, for a reward that even you could afford to bestow."

"What is that?" cried Roma eagerly, and she was startled when granny answered nervously:

"A kiss!"

"A kiss!" the girl echoed wonderingly.

Granny was actually trembling with excitement, and she added pleadingly:

"You are so pretty, Miss Roma, that I have fallen in love with you, and for my love\'s sake I would like to kiss you once. If you grant my wish, I will be your slave for only one kind look and kiss!"

She was softened and agitated in a strange fashion, but she could not help seeing that Roma recoiled in surprise and disgust.

"Really, this is very strange! I—I am not fond of kissing old women. I scarcely ever kiss even my own mother. I would much rather pay you a little money!" she exclaimed.

Granny\'s face saddened with disappointment, and she muttered:

"So proud; so very proud! She could not bear a downfall!"

Roma flushed with annoyance, and added:

[Pg 143]

"You seem so very poor that even a small sum of money ought to be acceptable to you!"

"I am miserably poor, but I love you—I would rather have the kiss."

If Roma had known the old woman\'s miserly character she would have been even more surprised at her fancy. As it was, she hardly knew what to say. She gazed in disgust at the ugly, yellow-skinned and wrinkled old hag, and wondered if she could bring herself to touch that face with her own fresh, rosy lips.

"I—I would rather give you a hundred dollars than to kiss you!" she blurted out, in passionate disgust.

Instantly she saw she had made a grave mistake. Granny drew back angrily from the haughty girl, muttering:

"Hoity-toity, what pride! But pride always goes before a fall!"

"What do you mean?" flashed Roma.

A moment\'s silence, and granny answered cringingly:

"I only meant that you would be humiliated if that pretty Liane stole Devereaux\'s heart from you and married him. The other night I beat[Pg 144] Liane for walking with him on the beach by moonlight!"

"Heavens! It is worse even than I thought!" cried Roma, springing to her feet, pale with passion.

She advanced toward granny, adding:

"Will you take her away by to-morrow, and never let him see her face again if I grant your wish?"

"I swear it, honey!"

"There, then!" and Roma held up her fresh, rosy lips, shuddering with disgust as the old crone gave her an affectionate kiss that smacked very strongly of an old pipe.

"Be sure that you keep your promise!" she cried, hastening from the house.

Granny watched her until she was out of sight, clasping her skinny arms across her breast, after the fashion of one fondling a beloved child.

"How proud, how beautiful!" she kept saying over to herself in delight. Then she went in and closed the door, while she sat down to make her plans for gratifying Roma\'s wish.

Not a breath of last night\'s happenings had reached her, for she seldom held communication with any one, being feared and hated by the whole[Pg 145] community, as much as Liane was loved and pitied. She knew nothing of the popular beauty contest, and that Liane had won the prize of a hundred dollars. If she had known, she would have managed to get possession of the money ere now. Liane, having spent the night with Mary Lang, had gone to her work from there, and was having an ovation from her girl friends, who put self aside and rejoiced with her over her triumph.

The proud and happy girl answered gratefully:

"But for your persuasions I should never have ventured to send in my picture for the contest. I want to testify my gratitude by giving each of you five dollars to buy a pretty keepsake."

They protested they would not take a penny of her littl............