Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-04-01
GLOVER OF The DdI.
CHAPTER Xxx.
4 FRIEND IN NEED.

=
were the most generous darling in the
verdi
Mrs. Cumberland leaned forward with
an amount Of eagerness for which she
despised herself heartily. Why shoul1
she now restrain the expression of
pleasure which she felt at the mere
sight of him again? She could not re-
strain it, so she tried to diffuse it in a
way that was net rcprehensible
Il have ccme to see yCur wife in her
trouble, too" she saiG, gently. 1t hurt
her to be obliged for conventionality s
sake to let this man know how selfish
she thought him.
''My-Mrs. ShOlto Graham has gone
and l can't ask you in. The house is
no longer mine, as you know Let me
send my gear off, and then We will go
somewhere and have quiet chat My
misfortunes are robbed of half their
bitterness by the sight Of you again.
Lenar'
He looked as if he really felt her to
be his guardian angel, and though she
had come in a spirit of stern, unbending
friendship only, she was touched by
his reliance on her into momentary
weakness.
'Sholto, why did you throw me over
for a woman you never loved and filthy
lucre?''
you've said it, You've given my rea-
son. 1t was for that-the filthy lucre
tempted me, not the Poor woman who
owned it. Lena, I should have mar
RED
Hush" Lena interrupted, impera-
lively Eyes, you would have married
sooner or later, even if I had been able
to bring filthy lucre to bear upon you.
I know you so we'll, Sholto; know you
as well as I like you. I can't help lik-
ing you, fool that | am, but for the
future l wish only to show it by trying
to be of use to your wife.
Don't speak Of her" he grOaned.
Why not?''
Because she stands between you and
me-
Its not quite good taste to give
woman who has come in friendship
such a facer as that she said calmly,
"but | pardon the error. Let us go and
join your wife,
He turned away and gave final direc
tions to the cabman who was taking his
luggage, and was about to step into the
cab with Lena Cumberland, when she
said, quietly:
mo, Sholto, first impressions are
i1on Give Mifp'G QH-
dress. I will go to her alone
II told her to wait at Harrod's stores
till I fetched her. A pretty penny the
blackguard who drove her will charge
me if she hasn't the common sense to
dismiss him. | can't tell you what an
impractical fool she is. A pretty woman
may be forgiven for making a mess Of
mundane matters, but when a woman
like my wife does it it's nauseating.'
'I will go and see if l can help her
and you can follow at your leisure"
Mrs Cumberland said, quickly. She
wanted to arrest. the stream of selfish
wanted to arrest the stream of selfish,
ungenerous disparagement of his wife
before it overwhelmed her judgment
and made the latter softly receptive OF
the impression he desired to make upon
it, She was trying &c see him as he
was, and the effort was a painful one.
It was not q difficult matter to find
Mrs. Sholto Graham, even in the midst
Of the turmoil and hustle which agitates
the Brompton road outside Harrods
stores. Lena Cumberland found her at
once without any strain on her powers
of divination. A bcwildered woman
sitting in a cab that was Overburdened
with luggage. Traces of tears on her
hard, disconnected face, and her bon
net lamentably awry.
Poor fellow" was Mrs Cumberland's
first mental ejaculation as she caught
sight Of this figure, and then She tried
to think Poor woman
She explained herself rapidly. and
had won something like a touch of
confidence from Mrs. Graham before
Sholto came up. Lena Cumberland was
one of the numerous portions CT his
past which remained unreyealed to his
wife-the latter perhaps would have
been les confidential had she been bet |
ter informed. AS it was she accepted
Mrs. Cumberlands genuinely kind
overtures in an ursuspiciously kindly
spirit.
She was a terribly trying object, |
poor woman, to the eyes of the other
women, who was still far too fond of
Sholto Graham not to be keenly sensi- |
tive as to the appearance Of his belong |
ings But before long Mrs. Cumberland
brought the best part of her nature re-
solutely to the front and banished her
smaller and less worthy emotions to
the limbo Of failed and forgotten feel
ing.
1--WE must get on quickly into the
incest lodgings we can find in this
nefghborhood Don't you see your wife
is really very ill?" she added, in a
whisper to Sholto.
He glanced carelessly at the poor, di-
lapidated and now weeping figure in
the cab.
81 don't know about being i'll, she
has no stamina, no puck" ne replied,
impatiently: "for heavens sake, don't
break down and make public exhibit
ton of yourself" he added aloud. you
forget that this is a harder blow to me
than it is to YOU"
Mrs Cumberland seated herself by
the side of the evidently suffering wo-
man in the cab.
'DriVp TO the first respectable house