The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-08-03

Whether she was ever happy woman
may be fairly doubted. There was a
secret in her life which poisoned all hap
piness; and under her passionate love
for her husband and her daughter was
a bitter depth of undying remOrse which
was never wholly forgotten.
CHAPTER XVIII.
GOODBYE, AND GOODBYE FOREVER"
Some small portion of this story Mrs.
Oliphant told to Launt Harrington be-
fore they parted.
81 tell you what my husband would
tell yorif you were to 60 to him." she
said, in constrained yet imprisoned
way. "He never knew the real truth
of my earlier Gfe-never knew that your
fathers ruin and death were laid to my
charge. We will not discuss that.
Think of me as you like, it matters very
little now, but spare him, it will not be
for long"
Launt's heart hardened toward her.
"You ask what is simply impossible.
1t strikes me, Mrs. Oliphant, that you
are only anxious to spare yourself. 1
can not consent to appear in the light
of a coward or villain for the sake of
shielding you from the consequence of
your sins. To know what you have
been NAV lower you in the estimation
of your husband, but l see no way of
sparing you in justice to myself. l
shall write 10 him my reasons for break
ing my engagement to Dana. Tell her
what you will-what he may think
best. Better for her to believe me
false than to know her parents for what
they were. will write also to killuth
asking him to bring my grandmother
and rejoin me; it is not necessary that
these explanations be made to her while
she is beneath your roof. can not
promise more than that"
lone thing more, please. Onlysthat
you will not send that letter to my hus-
band until morning. l have a reason
for asking it,"
Launt hesitated. He was averse to
having his grandmother remain one in
slant longer than necessary in the same
house with the woman who had wrought
the desolation of her life, but he re-
membered that a woman preparations
can not be made in an hour.
BE it so," he said. Il will return
to the city and send a dispatch to Kill
luth; it will reach him in time for their
departure tomorrow. Myletter to Mr..
Oliphant will arrive later by mail"
"Thank you," she said, constrained
ly, and then they parted, Launt to walk
back over the glistening sands to the
little station with his heart full of bit
terness toward the woman he had left.
Heartless and selfish and bad to the
core! Surely she was all these. To
spare herself she had kept silence, when
few words from her would have saved
Dana and himself both infinite pain. He
could not forgive her that. She had
known from the first what his action
must be, if the truth were told, and she
had not spoken.
Mrs. Oliphant reached the cottage as
she had left it, unperceived. just in time
to dress and appear in the drawing
room before dinner was served. Mean
time there had been another arrival.
another passenger had alighted from
the afternoon train, unobserved by
either Launt or herself, and Mr. Quest
was back, a hidden sneer curling his
lips as his eyes rested for a moment
upon her face. He made a shrewed
guess at what had taken place.
1.-THE jig's up with young Harrington.
1t 1DdS him after Mrs. Hickett, Just as l
thought. Rather hard on the governor,
after coming down on the nail as free as
he did, but Wen call that an install
ment on another account"
He had a report to make to Mr.. Oil
plant, and the two were cloSeted in the
library after dinner was over. Mrs.
Oliphant found it impossible to sit down
and talk commonplace to Madame
harrington and Miss Power. Dana was
dropping a disappointed face over a
book of engravings-the last train was
in and Launt had not come. Signing to
Alexia to cover her absence, Mrs. Oil
phant passed out upon the verandah.
She descended the steps and crossed the
strip of lawn. passing where fountain
sent up its silvery spray against back
ground of Gamma and other tall. tropi-
cal-looking plants. She could see the
library window from this spot. 1t was
wide open, and while she watched, her
husband appeared at it. Even at that
distance she could see that he looked
pale and disturbed. A great pain
caught at and held her heart. At last,
at last, she felt her hour had come!
Standing by the open window, Mr..
Oliphant caught sight of that lingering
figure, and spoke over his shoulder to
his companion.
'.Wait a moment, Quest. l don't
feel able to talk to you Just now. / see
my wife out there, and | will ask her
what it means. Remain, if you please,
until l return
Mr.. Quest sent doubtful look after
him.
If you are given to having that sort
of turns, Mr. Oliphant, I've not set the
time of telling my secret any too soon,"
he said TO himself.
Mrs. Oliphant shrank at her husbands ,
approach.
'.Shivering, Rose? 1t is too damp
out here with nothing around you"
The painful grip upon her heart re-
Taxed. Not yet, oh, thank Heaven!
was the hour of her doom.
'Powerr' she cried out next instant.
"Oh, my husband, what is it?"
He wavered little in his walk, and
a mortal pallor had Overspread his face.
.tIQuest has been telling me some
thing strange. He thinks Harrington
saw the-the nurse. He came down on
the train-Launt did-and met lady
at the station. Harmon thought it was
you, and l came to ask, but of course
he was mistaken"
He spoke in an uncertain, dazed way,
which alarmed her more than his looks. |