The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1897-10-20

letters which have no longer any right
to keep. | need not tell you what il
costs me"
He felt as if his blood were turned
into ice.
Il have reflected much upon what
you said yesterday"
Yesterday! JOHN felt as if he were
going mad. "Yesterday!"-and he had
So trusted her! The room had grown
beating at his brain, but he read on
upon what you said yesterday, but
am at last resolved. | will not see you
again. Any attempt to make me break
This resolve will be fruitless. God
knows you have only yourself to blame
that this marriage has"
John stood for few moments as If
turned into stone, his face blar ched,
! his muscles tense. Then a ray of hope
| seemed to come to him There is no
! signature; il is not hers" He looked
again. How could he doubt it! He
knew too we'll the turn of every letter.
| He was alternately livid with rage and
ness vanished. Something like curse
came from between his closed teeth.
'She loves this man, and she meets
him and tells him so, and only yester-
| day. Oh, it is too horrible! too hor-
| rble!" He buried his face in his hands
never" At that moment the tele-
| phone bell rang. He took no notice Of
| it. Il shall never" Again it rang long
and loud. What should he do? There
was no one else to answer it; he must
go, So lie said huskily; "Hello!"
Mildreds silvery voice replied:
"John, is that you?"
The situation was shocking. How
could he reply?-but-the was no
time for reflection. He knew that the
central office would share all his conf
dences through that Internal piece of
! black walnut and ebony. So he sad
Eyes"
"Why do you not come? Dinner is
waiting for you"
How we'll he knew the pretty ;nflec-
tons of that voice!
Il wish no dinner-I am going away
-good-by."
it might have been the conventional
telephone "good-by," or it might con-
tain a profounder meaning.
The effect at the other end of the line
cannot be described. Ten minutes later
cab drove furiously up to the door of
| the apartment house, and Mildred, with
white face and fast-beating heart,
rushed into the room, and would have
rushed into Johns arms if he had let
her.
You are going away" she said,
breathlessly.
You are a very clever actress" said
that gentleman, repulsing her intended
embrace.
a what?" said she, amazed. John,
what's the"
"A very clever actress" said he. quite
a if she had not spoken, "but hereafter
we will have more perfect under
standing, and you need not trouble
yourself"
"Why, John" said she, "have you lost
your senses?'
"No; on the contrary, I have recov-
cred them, | am no longer a dupe. /
was fool enough to think you"
John, for Gods sake tell me what
this means."
"Oh, Mildred! Mildred" said he,
breaking down utterly. "Why did you
not tell me like an honest woman that
you loved some one else?"
John, you know, /
"Stop!" said he. stop! do not stain
YOUR soul with any more falsehood.
you need not have married me, "
went on the wretched man. GOD
knows | wish you had not"
She tried to put her arms about him
as he paced to and fro in rapid strides,
but he pushed her away angrily. mo,
no more of that. That has lost its
charm"
Mildred burst into tears.
81 never - would-have-bel believed
Won would-be-so-so- sobbed
she. what have / done?"
"Done?" shouted the exasperated
man, done? Why, you have spoiled
the life of an honest man, who dotted on
YOU, believed in you-like trusting
fool-who would have risked his life on
your honesty"
STOP" said Mildred, and she gath
cred herself up to fuller height than
Johns eyes had ever before beheld in
her. She, too, was angry now.
IF you have any charges to make
demand that they be definite and not in
base innuendo. You are very cruel and
also very insulting to me. l shall not
remain in this house tonight; nor re-
turn to it until you have apologined''
And she swept from the room and from
Johns astonished sight.
moment later he heard the messen-
ger call, then heard his wife give an or
der for a cab, then saw her packing a
handbag. He intended doing so him.
self. But somehow having her do them
was infinitely harder to bear.
Mildred was very angry. mot a
thing of his" she said to herself as she
stripped off her rings and gathered her
trinkets. my. purse, toe" she thought,
land went to the desk to find it. Her hus-
hand had been watching for this. He
knew she would try to secure that let
ter. 49,
aOh." said he, you are little too
late. You should have thought of that
before"
These, to her, unmeaning words, ut
tered with much concentrated bitter
ness. made her seriously doubt his san
Iity. She looked at him cnriously. How
else could she ooDstrue this ineOmPrs-