The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1898-01-28
ill leading diagonally across the

UGH silence as the narrowness OF the
path made compulsory. but when the
trail broadened into a wood road, Pro-
theroe dropped back beside the horse
and they began to speak of the missing
letter. The talk reminded the engineer
that he still had Thorndyke's mail in
his pocket.and he passed it up and con-
siderately went on ahead again while
Philip read the letters. There was one
from Helen. and. yielding to something
like suggestion of moral cowardice.
Philip left it until the last. When he
opened it. he saw that it had been writ
ten on the. same day, as that about the
, marriage portion. and the first words
proved that it was an after-thought.
II have just mailed one letter to you,"
| she wrote land it was hardly out of my
hands before began to be sorry that
had sent it. AS I remember it now. it
was all about the money.and ought to
have known that you would do what
was just and right without any urging
from me. What I want to say now is
| what 1 should have said then; that l
cannot endure this separation much
| longer-that the love which have tried
so hard to keep out Of my letters for
| fear 1 should make you come back to
your hurt refuses to be hidden under
| meaningless and commonplace phrases.
"Oh. Philip. if you love me, please
don't let this misfortune raise any bar
rier between us! You know what Aunt
Bellam left me-you know that it is
mine in my own right, and l entreat
you not to turn my gratitude into
misery by refusing to share this money
with me. But you will not, know you
| will not: and if we had nothing else, we
should still have each other, and what
more could we ask?
I'm some respects. I know you
| better than you know yourself; and 1
know that if you can have your health
you will yet win place among those
who have fought their way into the
| foremost rank. Be good to me. Philip.
dear. and let me share the battle and
the triumph with you. Come back to
Us if you are well enough, and if you are
not. please let me come to YOU"
Protheroe heard something between
a 'groan and an -imprecation. and he
stopped and waited for Philip to come
up. "Did you say anything?" he asked.
Nothing worth repeating; think
was tempted to swear little at the
crookedness of things IN general. wish
broken his neck or mine. or both"
docs your ankle hurt?'
Everything hurts"
Protheroe did not attempt to drive
the conversational nail any farther.
He was preoccupied with his own con-
Germs. and he had been trying to deter
mine what he should do when he
reached Duncan's. Would his part in
the affair be ended when he had seen
Thorndyke safe in the house of his
friends? or would he be expected to
help his rival in the fight with the COM
! pany? How would Elsie receive him
after his late transgression? How could
he endure to meet her in the presence
| of the man she loved?
They were troublesome questions,
but the engineers perplexities were as
serenity itself compared with the
tumult of conflicting emotions which
had slain the peace of mind of his COM
| panion. Before he had read three lines
of Helen's letter. Thorndyke was siok-
ing into the neither depths of self-abase-
ment; and when he had finished it he
| felt that it would be comfort if he
could get down into the road and strew
| dust upon his head. This was the love
he had put aside for the sake of a mere
impulse born of a sick mans fantasies;
the fine gold that he had tossed con-
temptuously' into melting-pot ,heated
| blythe remainder of the smile was
drowned in a submerging wave of self
contempt. And now, at this present
moment, when he was cursing his reck-
less Inconsistency, and wishing from the
bottom of his heart that he had had the
decency to die quietly in the odor of
good faith, she had his letter and she
had learned at his own hands upon what
broken reed her love had been leaning.
After the storm came the calm of
desperation. he had wrecked Helen's
life and his own, and Elsie's happiness
trembled in the balance. He could at
least save Duncan's daughter. and in
the riot of distracting thoughts this
was the only one that offered grain of
comfort. He would expia&e his folly.
| by devoting himself. body and soul. to
the task of making Elsie as happy as
she deserved to be. And he would
speak to her as soon as he could find
the opportunity-before he had the
time to sink still deeper in the mire of
| fickleness. he told himself. bitterly.
By the time Thorndyke had reached