The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1895-01-17

"He says 1t is the responsibility of
being a landlord that weighs upon
ooh! I should not have given
Clement credit for having scruples."
"What do you mean? All consci-
entious people must have scruples at
times"
"And you consider Clement to be
very OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES is not
a rule a highly developed mascu-
line quality"
"Oh, Mr.. Vaughan! How can you
talk son He laughed cynically.
"Believe me, Lady Gertrude, we
are all sad dogs, and I don't fancy
Glen is'any better than the rest of
us. At any rate he never used to be.
What reformations you have brought
about of curse | am no judge of,
but for the present | am not in
clined to believe in them"
Lady Gertrude looked very serious
and for a moment or two did not
speak then she said
81 wonder what you mean, and I
wonder nov what Clement meant
when he told me on the evening that
he asked me to be his wife, that he
was not a man l ought to trust. And
that if | did SO it was at my own
risk.n
"Clement told you this?"
And Pierce Vaughan seemed ex-
ceedingly surprised, and momen-
tarily startled out of his sang froid
he unconsciously drew his chair a
few PAGES nearer his hostess. Gle
did. But why does it astonish you
so much?"
81 did not think-well to tell the
truth, | did not think he would have
dared.n
"Not dare to tell me. You forget
he was asking me to be his wife"
"There are some episodes in q
mans life, dear Lady Gertrude, that
a wife is he very last person to be
told of. l, for instance, should never
have made any reference to Gle
ment's past, if he had not done &C
himself"
"You know then, know that there
is something worrying Clement, ant
about which he will not be explicit
~ can imagine that it may be so.'
"And you will tell me what it is
so that | may use all the means il
my power to remove this an
~noyance."
"You?n
"Do not say, you, in'that tone Mr.
Vaughan. Is it so strange that
should wish to make my husban,
happy"
"Impossible. 1t is quite impossi
BILE for you to do anything in thi
matter. Besides, unless Clemen
tells you the whole truth himself
will certainly not do SO. could no
betray confidence"
% will ask him the first time
have an opportunity" she SAT-
naively, az though she fully expects
that to ask was to receive the infor
nation she wanted.
Pierce Vaughan smiled and won
dered what sort of an explanatio.
her enquiries would call forth
Very certainly he himself could no
have given a full one since he kney
no more of Clements affairs thai
that to which some suspicion pointed
1t was therefore not only wise, bu
imperative that he should deal il
i~nnuendoes.
"There was a letter once" went OIL
Lady Gertrude, murmuring almost t,
herself, 81 would not read it, it cam
the day before our MARRIAGE
ga letter."
And in spite of himself a blus
spread over his usually pallid face
She did not notice, however. Sh
was too much engrossed by the sub
ject that was SO near to her.
eyes, it was signed by a woman,
forget the name and was accompan
led by one from an anonymou
we'll -wisher. I gave them to Gle
ment and he burnt them both. Yo
see / could not in honor accept an
anonymous communication. Fame
setting such a low, cowardly warnin
in the dark against Clements truth.
"And he explained the matter?"
"Of course. He said all men ha
their youthful escapades; that h
was no better or worse than Others
!, Just what you say yourself, MI
, Vaughan, that it does not do for
!, wife to pry too closely. am sure
am not curious, and if Clement di
not look 50 unhappy and worried
should not ask a single questio
about his past. l do wish you woul
help me to put everything quit
right for him."
, 81 would do a great deal for yo
Lady Gertrude, but in this matter
do not sec how l can help you 70
are evidently not aware that Clement
although he is my first cousin, enter
tains no friendly feeling towards mt
Why, l cannot say, since we hav
been more or less brought up to