Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-10-08


Turning rouud, he saw Flora He bowed
and. dcxterD2aiy avoiding her preferred
hand, cli .epl.e!:
IOu wished To see me, madam, and am
here
There was pause. You see hey mot I'M
der the shadow of a misundersi anlinc, and
neither Of III m knew exactly how To begin
She. of cou.sn deemed herself wrongel At
one time she had made up her mini hat
she never wouli |, never couli /, forgive Curry.
But after all she was q woman. She was
alone in the world now for her father had
been De for some mon'hS. Sh did not
v = at' 80 10 !cwal him. thourh in defer
re- Ia lie pr jill lic.As If socrtv she ore
non" 49,, sac WAS now free To- tn.ii< ? ID
net for herieIi. II Curly could only explain
the past. if
Vi oil her hopes and fears, Of the terrible
trial through which she and her lover had
passed, Willie knew nothing. He only knew
that his friend had been cruelty wrunred
and then, as he imagined, treacherously
Gban toned by the woman he loved On the
other hand, it must be remembered that it
va she who had most reaion to think her
self deserted and betrayed. Be ldes. she
was in total ignorance of what had occurred
10 Curly, or indeel what had become of him
since their parting She had seen Willie's
na,no announced at the theatre, and sh' felt
convinced that if any man knew Curls's
whereabouts Willie Jamieson was that man.
She remem tered, too, the promise Of the
la t'r on the night of the elopement. Henca
1t occurred to her as an Inspiration TO invite
him 10 come AMI see her lie had accepted
her invitation, certainly, but he might ap-
parently as well have been in Aberdeen, So
coll and distant did he seem
Mr.. Jameson" she said, "you once told
me that should l need friend, might
rely on you"
II dill, but many things have happened
since that night. You were then about to
become the wife of the man whom you have
since so cruelty abandoned"
Stop, sir" she said, ''one moment" AMI
she went rapidly to an escritoire at the
other side of the room, and ,akily out the
fatal paper with Curly's signature, she con-
.inuej, "bef're you speak further, perhaps
you had better read this"
Jameson read it. Then he exclaime1i
MY GodI What does II all mcanr
THAT is the question | ask myself-by
day, on my Blended knees, by night, on my
sleepless pillow-but answer never comes l
thought possibly you might have been abc
to explain"
Il know less, Miss MacAllister, than you
know yourself. After you left Aberdeen
together, ! never even beard from him,
until tho day after ] last saw You. The
next morning brought me message from
I'm. An hour later, was on my way to
Dundee, where found him in tho infirmary
how, have n It the heart to tell YOU"
and he broke down utterly.
1t vas astonishing how calm she remained
till ho hal recovered himself. Then he re-
sumed and toll her everything which the
reader knows already. II was her turn
then. She wept one moment and chaIod
the ncxt, with clinchei hands AMI set teeth
SIZE strobe to and fro, a. she exc.aimed:
Tho villain! the cowardly, dastarily
viilain. Oil that l were MN for your
sake. Daniel Doemps;er"
Don't you waste your breath on that
gcntlcman-leave him to mer' said jamie
n. "Now, if you please, Miss MacAIister,
We are friends henceforth, SO give me your
hnni." She extendd it frankly and he
kissed it reverently.
Since the time told you Of" he contin
uei, 'your name has never passed between
Us. but / know the poor fellow love; YOU
still, denrer than iife."
If he Lowell ME, could he-could lie have
to witness it, tool Oh! the cowarll tho
cowardr'
I'VE must take human nature rs We find
it God hep him. Ii hc is a coward, and
God helr me, for can love him none the
les. Do you lovo him less than | do:'
II did love him onc, mors than all the
world, hut, oh! Mr. Jamie on," si.e cx-
claimed, "the MacAllisters have hell their
own in food and fold since Scotland wa, a
| nation. And q coward! Oh! cIn's lear
il" And she cast herself on the coach. and
wept bitterly. 1hen sns got up and pointed
to the picture.
Look there" she said, docs that look
like a cowarlP
NO" Willie replied, ''and l don't be.
iieve he Is coward, but there arc moments
when the bravest man los Is heart Tell me
one thing: Were they not armeiF
YES; they both had loaded pistols"
And, OF course, he was unarmed, de.
fcnselcssl Can't you see; they would have
slain bin there and then, had he not signed
that miserable paper. Besides, they worked
upon his fears for you, and In a moment
OF weakness he yielded to their infamous
threats"
He ought not to have yielded-death,
| anything but dishonor. ! would have
avenged him first, and bewailsd him after"
| 1t was Willie's turn TO wait now. When
she had softened down a little he shovel
her a letter he had received that morning.
At the very sight Of the well-known hand
her heart leapei with joy; he was alive-he
still loved her-ali was forgotten. forgiven.
Jameson asked her permission to write to
Curly TO explain that he had seen hor, but
| she begged him to leave her to take her own
course, which she did, with results to be
hereafter stated.
lTo no continued