Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-01-22
cOrTAIeHT By AMERICAN Press ASSOCIATION.

will not look away when am being de-
ceived. You and this Randolph are both
pretending to be strangers to each other.
l saw him come out OF Tins room just be
fore 1 came into it. Do you deny that
he was hereY
"He was here" answered she, turning
pale.
There is only one other question. Are
you going to marry him."
This was SO unexpected that she
laughed. Il was a nervous, Almost hys-
terical laush, it is true, bat 3 ,lliaSaam
naturally I'D not understand 1t. ST am
not going 20 marry Mr.. Randolph" said
the prima donna, with heartbrOken
sense Of huInor.
"And You will not tell Inc what your
relations are with him.
"No; they are very peculiar relations"
she replied lightly, for she was getting
desperate. You must think what you
please-think the worst you can. it
makes no difference. 1 will tell you
nothingr'
Bellingham gazed at her fxedly. 81
cannot believe that you are wicked
woman" he exclaimed at length. Il
don't know how to believe it! Why did
you deceive me? was ready to take it
for granted that you were-hke other
women on the stage. But you made me
believe you were pure and innocent. No
woman ever acted innocence before as
you have done it. You look like inno
cence incarnate 1T this moment-at the
actual moment you are admitting. What
is it you want? would have asked you
to marry meas soon us 1 had persuaded
myself you loved me- loved you with
all my heart and soul. Did YOU merely
intend to lead me on, and then refuse
me, like common fiirt: Or would you
have married me and still kept up your
relations with-well, can't talk about
it! There is always some motive even
in the lightest wickedness, but can see
none in yours-and yours is not hghtT'
Mile. Mariana was standing erect
twisting her lace handkerchief between
her hands, her face pale, her eyes wide
open, fearless, full of restless light. She
never looked at him. 1t seemed physi-
cally impossible for her to do so.
81 have never been spoken to hs2
this" she said, in faint, painting voice.
Twill you leave me, please? VIII you
leave me?"
Bellingham moved to depart, but lie
stopped and turned back.
Il have alwavi inelnt never to be IN
just TO any human being" said he. at
= ~. 7 fn1
yOu may have llafjs me unjust to you.
If you can tell me That there Is nothing
disgraceful in this secret Of yours-tell
me, for Gods sake! Are you what you
seem or something elseg''
Il am not what seem!' she cried out
passionately; and now she looked at him
with a blaze of ferceness in her eyes.
You have doubted me, and that is
enough. L will never explain-I will
never forgive you! If you are man do
not stand there; go out!'
Bellingham was shaken to the bottom
of his soul. The voice and manner with
which her every word was uttered
seemed to contradict the purport of the
words themselves. Even yet he could
not but believe her innocent. But there
was nothing further for him to do or say.
He went out
He descended the stairs slowly and
emerged into the street. 1t was the
middle of the day; the avenue was COM
paratively deserted. a few carriages
were taking their occupants home to
luncheon. Bellingham stood on the
curbstone, looking up and down, and
vaguely wondering what he should do
next. By and by it struck him that it
would not make much difference which
way he went. In no place in the world
he find what he had lost. 1t was no.
where; it had been annihilatcd. All that
had made life delightful was gone from
him, and he was left ironically behind
He had never really possessed it, even; it
was mirage-a phantom, which he had
tried to grasp, and it had vanished. But
the strangest part of the busineSs-al-
most ludicrOus-was that he remained
behind, standing here, alive and well, in
the sunshine on Fifth avenue!
He sauntered leisurely northward to-
ward the park Two or three times he
passed some one he knew, and returned
their greeting with nod. But all the
while he saw that 1.-THE, erect figure, with
her pale, lovely face, her eyes bright
with pain or anger, her white hands
twisting her handkerchief. Could it be
that she was depraved, false, heartless?
Every stern word he had spoken had
been echoed, as it were, by the exquisite
sensitiveness of her beauty. If she were
false would she not have been true at
that last moment, when nothing more
was to be gained by deception, when to
be sincere was essential to the enjoy
ment of the triumph her falsehood mad
gained her.
He reached the park; there was still a
vivid greenness in the grass, though the
trees were rich with the splendor of
autumn. He wandered along the curv-
ing paths, feeling no pleasure, but pain.
in the quiet beauty that surrounded him.
Keeping to the left, where there seemed
to be fewer saunterers like himself, he
found himself at last near the extreme
northern limit. He assembled little hill,
and on Its summit, beneath the golden
shade of group of trees, there was a
space of leaf strewn turf on which he
flung himself down. The rumble of the
horse cars on the avenue came family to
his ears, and now and then the voices of
laughter of people passing at a distance;
the shadow of passing clouds drifted
over him, and ever and anon a golden
leaf detached itself from bough above
his head and foated wagering earth
ward Ra1t m one dist11rhed him thn1,rl,