"No," cries the girl; "but my father, Ralph Travenion, of New York, who was once worthy the love of all who knew him, will do justice to a wronged man, because he still loves the daughter who has travelled over two thousand miles to meet him here, and who he says has brought peril upon herself, for love of him!" And looking on him, her eyes grow soft and tender as they used to gaze at him when she was proud of him at party and _fete_ in far-away New York, as she murmurs: "What will Ralph Travenion do for his daughter?" "For his daughter's sake, Ralph Travenion will do anything!" mutters the old man; then says pathetically, almost brokenly: "For God's sake, give me one kiss of your own will! You have spoken to me an hour, and as yet no daughter's kiss!" With that the girl comes to him, puts her arms about him, and kisses him, as she used to when she was a child, and before she knew he was a Mormon and a polygamist. "Do with me what you will!" he continues. "What do you want for this young man, who I can see is getting the first place in your heart?" "Justice!" cries Erma. "I want you to telegraph your lawyer to stipulate that the injunction on his mine be removed." "And what more?" "Resign your claim to his property." "But Kruger also owns stock in the Zion Co-operative Mining Institution." "Buy his stock!" "Very well, though you are robbing yourself!" mutters the man. "I'll do it!--if--if you'll forgive me." "I'll forgive you, if you'll let me lead you away from this awful place--away from sin!" cries Erma. But here he astonishes and horrifies her, for he whispers to her: "_Yes, if we can get away alive!_" "What is to stop us?" falters the young lady. Before answering her, Ralph takes up the light, walks into the other room, examines it; goes up the ladder, into the loft overhead, and finally inspects the outside of the house; then he returns, saying: "No one is within hearing!" comes up to her, and whispers: "The Mormon Church!" "What authority has the Mormon Church over me?" asks the young lady, raising her voice a little. "Hush! Not so loud!" he returns. "The Mormon Church claims authority over the children, by virtue of their authority over the parent. In ordinary cases they perhaps would not at this late date exercise it, but in my case it is different. I am so prominent. They know to lose me would be a blow to them. At present they have lost several rich members, and they are desperate! And I"--here his lips approach her ear, and form rather than say the words--his voice is so low, his lips so trembling--"and I have been making arrangements to _apostatize_!" "God bless you for that!" cries Erma.