Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-11-15

s.S1-ry 10 d-SsprDt1s ycs. Gus re3ly
Soii't klso,z anything against her. ussd 70 (
bs rather sai.az1ed. / llrst szr: but psr-
feizIy god style-szscs cut Il very good
so4as-v and was czi:s vel enc-sete1. and Z
all liz. lind Of thing. That's zb.Jut al
ssn tel yen: % II II lzn't 100 much I
trsnL.e PERHAPS I lad better Be driven
bats to tao raiIr1ad-
Oh. n9lzease. says FarToorst. and
hlii wife protests also. You really must
ndt thlals Of having rs in that way-it
wsi1ld b. treating Is badly We have
nat 50 rssny people staying here that We
caa e-ord to Let you OF SO easily"
But. &rs F4avoorst. remember ths:
AKA here entirely on businesses sort
u private Geteetive-a1d it would he
inl9d for me 10 remain g. 9 guest.
Not at ali. yea s..n assume the char
seteF very nicely. IA sure: and then,
With a laugh and turning to leave the
sdsn. you may ind something TO do
yst
How sog'
Possibly mrs. Mackenzie wIli resume
the Irritation which Mss MHb2ry IN
deubtediy began Il soEas past period
Csod by FOR a while, aa4 rs tanyoor~s
i,tA-s OFT Of the room. sona followed BY
Lar husband. WHOM stern duty ca for
BIZ has taken ,ancy to Blake and IS 10th
~ lsave him. But he tears himself away
aid Blake finishes the elIret. and, rot
r4ring 70 wander among the TeEelers In
II front q the house. sends the butler
eiLer his hat; and = hen that worthy. after
ole or two mistakes, has got The right
eile. he gets out Of the window. and.
lighting q cigar. prOwls around the end
Of the hogse. ard locates himself In dark
-. D. mob
etiuteii-e llly, listens 10 the music and tries
q, make out the faces Of people who come
ont On the long piazza FOR air or To talk
n,nsen-e. Il does not seem TO be wildly
gty affair. viewed NON Biakes stand
pant. aud be Is decidedly glad when Miss
s.Gart Gnds him out and let's him get her
chair and sits talking TO aim for half
an hour. telling him about the people
NhO are staylag at the house. and put
ting him 10 some trouble by her questions
respecting his acquaintance with tho
VnAFoorsts. and finally departs 10 dance
With az obnoxious military person
''fro,a the Point" leaving Blake in
sumewhat better splits. and with
more extended know Ell se Of the peo-
pie Of the house. also compelling him to
struggle against the ID .a-present when
ever he talks to Mis-, Stuart-that she
regards him as little pieasanter than
any other man And having conquered
this notion. he braces himself up TO en-
counter the widow. For from what he
knows Of her he is pretty sure that she
will take the Initiative
On this occasion she Is certainly in no
hurry Blake hutshes his cigar. declines
to avail himself OF the billiard room, de-
clines to 20 20 hed-both which forms
OF entertainment are offered him by Van
worst. who appears at intervals; finally,
after nearly nodding his head OF. becomes
uncopscious for brief space. Waking
up. he finds that it Is half an hour past
ulidn ght and that some of the people
are b. glnning to drive OF, Still. he lights
another cigar and leans against one OF
the pillars of the piazza, smoking and
waiting for Mrs. Mackenzie.
Is II by accident or design that when
tsat siren comes innocently out on the
piazza-alone. and apparently only for
fresh air-the die hards" inside arc
dancing wild gallop which always
makes Blake think of certain spring
night in dull little Pennsylvania town,
some three years agof Whether it is an
accidental or Intentional coincidence.
certainly Blake is rather taken at q disad-
vantage when some one says, Il was
thinking Of you, Mr.. Blake, aud he turns
to find close beside him the face that made
that spring night memorable.
Il was thinking of you, Mr.. Blake.
Iont you remember that music3 Come
let US walk down here-I want to talk to
you"
They walk to the end OF the plaza. and
stand there silent for O moment. listening
L, the music. which, sentiment apart:
sounds better at this distance. Then sud
denly she puts her hand on his arm and
says:
What did you come here forf'
Because was asked. says our young
man stoutly. but with his heart in his
mouth; but she goes on without seeming
To hear him.
why. when am trying to change my
life--when have some chance of turn,
and some chance Of making some one
happy and doing little good-why must
IT. all be spoiled. and I-disgraced? Tom,
you used to like me little. Please
please let NE alone" Her great eyes are
pleading for her. the touch of her hand
on his arm is u gentle petition.
My dear Mrs Mackenzie how under
heaven can I Interfere with your What
have donef"
Done, You have told-or you will
tell-these people everything And that
old man really loves me-ah. dear Tom.
don't laugh-thers is something good left
III me-he has asked me to marry him,
aad now you will ruin me"
But what the deuce can | tell about
your cries the bewildered young man.
See here-these people asked mo if
knew you. and told them just this--that
you used ~ be Laura Mabury. that you
used TO firt; that | had forgotten what
your marriage uame was, snd didn't even
know until tonight that your husband
was dead That's all.
That my-husband was--dead" she
repeats. looking closely at him. Did you
tall them thatY'
They told nc rather-I never knew it
till tonight. You were living at Wash
irgtou last time heard anything Of you"
And didn't you hear-didn't Kenneth
OF any one write you about Lieut.. Macken-
zie
Kenneth wrote-ages ago-that you
were not-not living together -
Divorced, you mean'-with q sudden
relapse into hardness OF face and manner,
and il perfectly quiet. unexcited voice. /
N by Jovel be didn't say that
What suspicion breaking sharply on
him, do you mean that Mackenzie
isn't"-
All the calm manner disappears, and
again her pleading eyes are dangerously
near his face, and with her strong white
handsome hands she sei1es his. Tom
dear old boy-dont betray me. Nom q
hurried. low voice, and looking anxiously
around no-he is not dead. 10 struck
ue-thc villainl | got divorce, Oh.
Tom, he was very bad mamie drank
and he gambled; be was everything that
is bad Why they dismissed him from
the navy Yes. we were divorced-but he
isn't dead. Ny God | wish | was.
Please. TON. don't tell them. did not
tell Mr.. Vanvoorst ct first. and now l
dare not. Oh. Tom, promise me-you
used to like me, and always-yes, did
l always l-l-liked you. Don't do nc such
bad turn nowl For heavens sake,
promise me-
But he will have to know ii some
time. You can't keep such a thing
quiet"
Yes. yes-I know But oh. Tom, give
me chancel I'll tell him myself. Prom
ise me-please promise mo that you'll
say nothing about 1t.
The young man stands scowling,
angry with himself at the position he
finds himself in. His mission to the
Vcnvoorsts' would be accomplished sue
cessfully should he use against Mrs.
Mackenzie tho weapon which sho herself
has put into his hands But, apart from
her sp9eal FOR silence. every instinct In
the man protests against this betrayal of
q eonfdence-a confidence made In him BY
. hat. r..