The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1893-07-07

You can 60 away from me. You can
stay away from me-until-until send
for You to come back
by George! this is past all reason!
Sick or well, you have no right to treat
me so insultingly.'
With the last words his patience
seemed completely exhausted. He
sprang from his chair, and, with his
hands clutching the lapels of his coat
rigidly, began tour of the room that
resulted disastrously toall the impede
ments he encountered.
'.Insultingly!''
She repeated the words in soft,
hooking voice, more than once.
Eyes, insultingly." He came back
and glared down upon her wrathfully,
but she was SO small and fragile and
tender-looking, that his wrath melted
away into patient, bewildered sort of
pity.
mora, my little wife! My dear little
wife,
He leaned over the back of her chair.
His breath famed her temples. By the
uplifting of one small white finger she
might have brought the big fellow to
his knees before her.
''Well?'' She did not look at him.
She lifted no finger towards him. 1t
was an icy acknowledgment that she
had heard him; that was all.
you did not mean it, just now,
when you told me that you wanted me
to go away from you and stay until you
sent for me of your own free will. Did
you, Nora?"
''Yes, meant it,
"And when will you send for me? Is
| it'-he gave her no time to answer, but
| touched her soft brown hair with his
| lips-"because we can't look our pref
test with undressed hair and in our
loose wrapper?'
Soft as her answering tones were, there
was ring of concentrated bitterness in
| them.
| st is because-I-believe I-hate
you. Yes, hate you, John. l can't
help it; there is no other word for it,
He came around in front of her to
see if she was not indulging her child
ish petulance to rude excess. There
was no childish petulance imprinted
upon the small white face before him:
instead, a hard passionless gravity
which puzzled and alarmed him. He
had heard of these nervous complaints
| disordering a woman's intellect. Per
haps the climate did not agree with his
wife. If Chalmers, after examination.
said so, he would take her away. He
spoke to her soothingly:
Celeste was n wiser nurse than
took her for. I had no business coming
in here to talk to my little sick wife. !
am going, Norrie, and l shan't come
back until You send for me, darling.
Only don't keep me away too long.
miss you so, dear. So do all the boys.
l wish"
"Stop! stop. stopr' 1t was cry OF
pain.
He did stop, and stood wonder.
ingly silent while she went on impctu-
ously:
You are talking to me as if l were a
lunatic or child. A child you know
am not. A lunatic possibly might be.
come, if falscness, deceit, cowardice,
| duplicity in man We're all that was
necessary % make lunatic of wom-
an. When / said that l hated you
meant it! When l said that l wanted
you never to touch me again l meant it!
When l recoiled from your touch as
would from that of a reptile, meant it,
You are reptile, John Lorimer!"
He blanched at her scathinG denunci
alton of him, and. turning his face from
her, he stood with folded arms looking
down into the fire. 1t was on record in
the medical journals, he reminded him
self, that people frequently turned upon
their very dearest friends when demen-
tia seized upon them. Chalmers must
be summoned at once. He would not
add to her excitement by single word.
She stopped speaking. He could hear
the tumultuous breathing that lifted
the folds of her white wrapper in bill
lows of passion. After little while
her breath came more placidly.
SIS that all, Nora?" he turned and
asked her, quietly To soothe her ex-
cited nerves was his one object just
then.
That is all. Is it not enough?'
''Quite enough in the way of con-
demnation."
He had turned towards the door.
"You are going?" she asked, drearily.
SIS not that what you want me to
do?"
Yes. And you have not one word in
self-defense?'
Not one. You know my theory
always has been that the very worst a
good woman can think of man falls
far short of his deserving. l hope you
will feel better tomorrow, Nora. Try
to sleep now, dear"
He was gone! She looked stupidity at
the wooden panels of the door through
which he had disappeared.
Not one word in self-defense! He
could not look me in the face and defend
himself! That much to his credit. And
now let me finish my work.
She resumed her writing Her pen
fairly flew over the paper. Sheet after
sheet she filled, folded, enveloped and
directed, until four closed envelopes lay
before her, upon one only of which she
put government stamp: When Celeste
brought her luncheon to the door, she
found herself locked out. When she
knocked two or three hours later, and
informed madame" that she was there
with the dinner tray, she was still
locked out. When she came again al
lamp light, craving permission to put
the child to bed, the door was opened
sufficiently wide for Ninette to creep in
and through the crevice Celeste was in.
formed that Mrs. Lorimer would attend
to the child herself that night. She
was at liberty to dispose of her evening
in her own way.
The way Celeste did dispose of it was
not at all in ''her own way"
She was entrapped on her way down
the stairs by the mistress of White Cliffs
I -
the family physician, assisted by John
Lorimer and his mother, cross ques.
toned her rigidly and exhaustively as
to Mrs. Lorimer's mental condition dur.
ing previous neuralgia attacks
/ She slipped away from them, wher
they had extracted from her a vast deal