The Van Buren press., 1898-07-30
when do you go?" he asked.

l
| lowered lashes.
He stood looking down at her, then
| suddenly bent and kissed her.
"Good-by for little while" he said,
tenderly and then the door opened ana
she went quickly out.
When Laurence rang the bell at Miss
lansing lodging place the trim serV
| ant girl. who had come to expect him
as regularly as she expected the milk
man and the ieeman, looked at him
with friendly curiosity as she waited
for him TO speak.
Laurence looked at her in surprise,
for his object in coming was 50 well
| known that ii had become unneces-
sary 10 repeatit.
"Miss Lansing has gone home, the
girl said at last.
Gone. But her train doesn't 20 TIL
one"
II don't know. She went away and
isn't coming back"
Did she leave no word?"
NO, sir"
Laurence stood looking irresolutely
from the girl to the street. 4 suggss-
ton as TO what to do in this unexpected
turn was given him by the kind-hesrted
girl.
You would likely see her at the de-
pot If YOU know which way she goes,
she said, kindly.
Laurence was down the steps before
his hurried Thank you was out.
But trying TO find some one in CITY
depot is worse than hunting for
needle in a haystaek. for there the
stack moves as well as the needle. The
particles being scattered in all eirec-
lions. After waiting and watching un-
III long after her train time il suddenly
occurred 10 him that she might have
sent word to him. and be left the depot
in even greater haste than he had
come.
That she had gone without seeing
him did not trouble him; there were
many reasons to be found for that; very
likely she had found an earlier train.
He could see her again. 0ryille was not
so far away. But why had she LEFT him
no word? The longer he thought of
II the more convinced he became that
she had sent him a message.
The assistant editor. Grayson. was in
the outer room when he entered.
Lady in there waiting for you. Lau-
renee" said he. looking up. Our new
uenfus Miss Lansing"
1t seemed to Laurence he had been
carrying the world around, the sense
of relief as those words dislodged the
weight depressing him was so great.
As he opened the door tall, angular.
unprepossessing woman rose 10 meet
him.
~ am Miss Lansing" she said.
Had the words been dagger thrust,
letting flow his life's blood, he could
not have become whittier. The woman
stared at him in establishment.
~ am Miss Lansing. of Oryille.a she
REPEATED, the note of importance that
had been her first sentence changing to
one of resentment.
Laurence turned to shut the door. As
he did so the woman's eyes fell upon
manuscript lying on his desk, and she
snatched it up with a cry of surprise.
"where did you get this?" she de-
manded.s
"What do you know Of that?" he
asked
"Why, / wrote it! gave it TO my
cousin to illustrate" She stopped,
and comprehension flashed into her
face. Tell me how you got it," she
commanded, in intense excitement.
II do not see"
"Oh, / can easily prove it is mine"
she interrupted. Just bring me the
person who gave Il to you. How did you
get it?'
He told her briefly. She interrupted
him with a cry of dismay when he spoke
Of the other Miss Lansing's departure.
you did not pay her?" she cried.
Eyes, =! paid her. Don't get excited"
She was looking wildly at the door. If
there is anything wrong l will"
She turned on him fercely.
"she captlvated you, did she? Well,
you were useful to her; you helped her
to run to her worthless artist lover
"Sit down." said Laurence, sternly,
his face, until now very white, becom-
ing red with what she thought was
anger. "Whover she is, she is gone, and
l must know the truth. Tell me your
story"
She would not take the chair offered
her, but his manner Gained her enough
to enable her to tell her story connect
eddy.
"She is my cousin. My father reared
her with US. She wanted TO marry a
good-for-nothing artist, and to get her
away from him we sent her to my aunt,
who lives up the river here. She has
always illustrated my stories, so gave
her some work to take along. never
dreamed-aunt must have been in the
plot, too, else she wouldn't have known
| was coming to-day, ! wired her at
aunt's that | was coming, and she
should send my manuscripts to my ad-
dress here. To think she had the inn
pudegcel | can't have her arrested for
forgery, can I? She only signed her
name-it's the same as mine. What
can /"
Here Grayson, whose curiosity,
aroused by the woman's angry voice,
had stirred him TO listening, heard
Laurence interpose in quiet, firm tone.
\ little later the woman came out.
He saw that she held a check: bnt the
promise she had given in exchange for
that check he did not see.