Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-02-09

Steve shufiieo and coughed; finally b
broke down altogether 'Gabe,n he stan
mered, IL can't tell ye that. Don't as
me no more. Well, then,p as Gabriels gras
still frightened on his arm, ''if you win hav
1t, don't blame me-"
He then described scene between Under
hill and Gabriels wife which he Steve) ha
witnessed in the woods the evening befor
Underhill's departure from Stonybank. II
said that the artist had held Lefty in his arm
and given her repeated kisses, which she ha
returned. There had been illusions % forme
evenings, when she had been with him unde
cover of going to meet her husband, and no
until an incautious movement of Steve
startled them did they separate, Underhil
going back to the corner and Lefty hurryin
home
Gabriel did not say word during thi
| story, only his clinched hand shook Steve
arm whenever the latter made pause. A
the clAe he said hoarsely: IF you have lie'
to meI"--- For a moment Steve saw hi
face hvid N the sunset glow, and then he wa
gone down the wood road.
He went striding along his homeward wa,
| with devil tearing his heart, that old stub
born devil of jealousy, which, once entered in
| took utter possession. When he entered tn
door Lefty sprang up, but stopped at sight o
! his changed face.
"Why, Gabriel" she faltered, sis anything
the matterl Are you"--
He cut her short, Selling her hands ant
dragging her to the window, where the ligh
fell full on her face. Then, without AM
preface:
| ibid you meet. Larry Underhill in tn,
| woods last Friday afternoonf" he said
| Lefty blushed crimson
| YES, she began pleadingly, 'but'---
And did he kiss your interrupted Gabrie
between his set teeth.
"Ohi Gabriel, let me tell you howl
"Yes or no; did he kiss youf" repeated GA
briel, with fierce eyes searching her face
There was a long. sickening pause. then Lett,
faltered again.
"Yes, butt
He let 60 her hands SO suddenly that sh,
fell back against the wall. He had walked
away to the other window, where he stoos
| with averted face There was another 81
lence, then Lefty said, with trembling eager
ness: Gabriel, dear, let me tell you how 4
| all was-may In
| There was no answer. She crept up behinC
him and laid her hand on his arm He funs
1t OF. Don't touch meln he said in a voic,
| she would not have known for his.
| "Ohl Gabriel, darling, only hear met" ant
| again she caught at his sleeve He turnec
round then.
Hear me, he said. II don't want any
explanations, don't want you to touch me
only to 60 away where never shall see YOU
face again-wait a minute, as Lefty tried tc
speak; II don't want to hurt you, but if YOU
| don't go In five minutes swear will shoot
| myself where stand"
10 N
| watch on the table beside him Then hs
| turned his back to his wife again and waited
The minutes licked on monotonously. Lefty
| sat In stunned silence until she saw him max,
q movement, then she sprang forward and
threw herself upon him. 'Gabriel!" she cried
IN voice OF agony, ''oh, for the sake of oul
love"-
mot word of that" he interrupted, loos
ing her hold. st is time VIII you 60, ORR
He put his hand on the revolver. She gave
him look of passionate, desperate appeal
then, as he made another movement, with a
wild scream she rushed out of the house.
1t was soon noised about Stonybank that
Lefty Dallas had left her husbands home
and disappeared from the town. Old Law
yer Fernald questioned Gabriel, but found
him taciturn and obstinate Don't ask me
any more MIR. Fernald, he said, respectfully
but firmly. you've always been very good
to me, and don't want to offend you, but ]
can't and shan't talk about this" The old
| man shook his head and turned away, for he
saw that the trouble was beyond his mend
ing.
After this no one mentioned Lettyis name
to Gabriel, except that once Steve Thatcher
suggested that she had gone to join Under
hill But the sullen fury with which Gabriel
turned on him restrained him from ever re-
peating this idea, and presently, the only re-
minder of Letty's fight was the change 1t
had wrought in Gabriel.
But one hot August day Lefty herself
though the mere shadow of her former self
came back to Stonybank She carried a
little, sickly, wailing infant in her arms, and
looked weary enough to have dropped by the
way, yet she pressed on to the corner where
Lawyer Fernald lived. He owned the old
house In the hollow, and she wanted to get his
leave to occupy it. The old man tried to
induce her to remain for a time under his
own roof, but here he came in conflict with a
certain gentle pride and obstinacy which
were marked constituents of Letty's charac-
ter. No arguments could make her open her
Lips about Gabriel or consent to any favor
more than the use of the old house, and Mr..
Fernald was reluctantly obliged to give way.
So Lefty set up her poor little home within
the deserted walls where she had once laugh
ingly declared she would like to keep house.
She supported herself and little Gabrielle
for so she had named the baby-by needle
work and by such odd jobs as she could find
among the village housewives They were
glad to do what they could for her; and, as
she was thrifty, and the means of living cost
but little in Stonybank, her small earnings
answered well enough.
People wondered at first what Gabriel Dali
las would do, now that his wife had returned
to the neighborhood. But Gabriel simply
ignored her. Once only did he show that he
was aware of her presence. Lefty had gone
over to Stonybank Corners to do a piece of
work, and the baby was with her, one thin
arm clasped about her neck. At Lawyer
Fernald's gate they came suddenly face to
face with Gabriel, who was going out, and
the child, moved by some impulse, began to
crow and stretch out its little frail hands to
him, almost falling from its mothers shout
der. Gabriel instinctively put up his hands
to steady it, and over the baby's head the
husband and wife for a moment looked into
each others faces, Gabriels dark and sullen
a. usual now, Letty's pale and wasted, but
with the same sweet look in the deep blue
eyes. Then Gabriel turned away without q
word, and Lefty passed on silently
But one October day the baby died, with
cred up like frail little flower in the autumn
frosts. Every one was sorry, for whatever
the rights Of 1t between Gabriel and his wife,
Lefty and the baby had enlisted general sym
pathy. So, in their simple way, they did
their best to comfort her, and by her wish
the tiny grave was made beneath the
branches OF q hernlock tree beside the win
dow, where she could see it at her work.
Again people wondered about Gabriel
Would he be at the funeralf He was not
there, but one who was, and who saw him
the same day, thought she could never for
get the scene Cora Earnald had coma cuar