Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1898-09-16
A PEERLESS PALMIST.


why do you hate me7" she cried
passlonately. why do you hate me
and persecute met What have l done
to your
"You have tricked and fooled my
best FRIEND" Keith answered sternly,
and the words cut like knife; trick
ed and fooled him into loving you. Are
you worthy Of his lover"
She WINGED and shrank back as II he
had struck her.
81 will be sol" she cried desperately.
Il will make myself SO. IL have
never had a chance before. never one
chance In all my life, but now--now-"
"Oh, spare me that old tale" he In
terrupted, with a bitter sneer. Il
thought you were too clever a woman
to bring forward such a threadbare ex-
cuse. Women have too many chances
far too many. in my humble opin-
ion."
She looked at him again, then down
at her fan, turning II over and over In
her hands.
"You must" she said, slowly, "be a
very bad man. Only bad men are hard
on women"
For a moment there was silence;
then Keith laughed grimly.
What l may be doesn't matter" he
said ''the only thing that matters is
what you are, and that wouldn't mat
ter II you hadn't deceived my friend"
"Archie loves me-" she said, very
softly, "and love him."
Keith laughed again with untitled
eyebrows.
"Lovel" he echoed scornfully. ."Wom-
en- like you don't know what love
means"
A sudden light flashed into her eyes
"a wonderful light of passion and
yearnlng and tenderness unspeakable
Don't they" she returned, quietly
well, of course you must know. You
are a man, and men know everything"
Keith frowned. His self-confdence
was practically boundless, yet he could
not repress an uneasy feeling that 1t
was posslble-just posslble-that this
woman might prove his match IL she
were fairly put to 1t on fair field. She
was foe OF no ordinary calibre.
I'VE are only wasting time now" he
said, land any moment we might be
interrupted. Don't you think we had
better end this-er-unpleasan inter-
view?"
Certainly" Mrs. Lorraine answered
In the same quiet tone. And then she
raised her eyes and looked at him over
the edge of her fan-the look of a
trained fencer before he crosses swords
with his adversary.
''Tm going to place two alternatives
before you," Keith went on, "and to
give you your choice of two courses
of action, which is, think, generous
on my part"
Men are always generous" said Mrs.
Lorraine.
"Your engagement" Keith went on,
must be broken off-that is the point
from which we start-and 1t Is for you
to choose in what way 1t shall be
broken off. II you like to take the af-
fair into your own hands and carry 1t
through in your own way, well and
good. l will leave 1t to you, provided
| you do your work thoroughly"
Her eyes were still fixed on his
face.
"And IT," she said, 81 decline to take
the affair into my own hands; II de-
cline to move In the matter?"
He shrugged his shoulders.
"Oh, thenl" he said-"then must
speak to Archie myself"
Silence again; a strained, tense
breathless silence that neither cared to
break. Mrs. Lorraine was the first to
speak.
Il WILL" she said slowly, take the
affair into my own hands"
Keith started and drew a long, deer
breath, as II he had passed safely
through a dangerous crisis to relief un-
speakable.
81 WILL" she said again, take the
affair into my own hands, and l will
do my work thoroughly. You may
trust me. If did not love Archie
would defy you to the bitter end, and
let you tell him the truth; but l dc
love him. And so-and so l want tc
keep the truth from him. l want
want"
At that moment Archie's voice came
TO them family through the curtains
that divided the drawing-room from
the room in which they were.
"Hildergarde. Hildergarde, where
are you?"
Mrs. Lorraine started, and the words
that she had been about to speak dice
on her lips. For a moment she stood
as II turned to stone Then she moved
slowly forward to meet her lover.
Il suppose 1t was all your doing,
said Millicent Keith; II suppos,
you found out something against Mrs
Lorraine and used your knowledge t
force her to give up Capt. Lennox. Yo,
are a very clever man, Roland"
She looked admiringly at her hus
band, but he only sighed as he ran hi
fingers through his crisp dark hair.
Poor old Archie!" was all he said
Millicent sighed. too.
"Yes, poor old Archie" she said
Hes fearfully cut up. isn't he? dom
think he will ever get over It. He was
SO fond Of Mrs. Lorraine, and-and,
oh! Roland, are you sure 1t would
not have been better to let him marry