Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1898-01-27

| home ut ClaXt0n, anu Out vi Sisn'
A sol nd like a moan Of pain escaped
| his lips, and he turned from her. AS
| he had feared, she intended to leave
| him.
Judith looked ut her husband, smiled
to herself. and said, softly:
what was that for, Fredf"
He caught at her hand. saying:
"How long Is my punishment 10
/ lastY'
punishment. Who said anything
| about punishment? | know you de-
| serve a great deal, but l sha ieaVe
| you TO your conscience.
But you are going homer
"Of coursei | have n great deal 10
do there; besides, it will be best. Ny
sister has reminded me b a l TOOK Il
liberty in returning to her horne after
etoping from it. Perhaps | did; Dut,
whether she likes it or not, | intend To
remain until Monday for my names
sake. If she objects, / shall reate
to appeal to Claude. Meanwhile. If our
marrige becomes known. we U
have a good excuse for it,"
'You may safely trust that TO me,
darling"-gravely. But where am l
TO see you between to-dhy and Mon
day?"
''Nowherer-coolly. But on Mon
day you may e me at the station
and see me off, If you like"
'For how long, Judith? A week!
"a weekv-and she laughed ironic-
ally. "A year. more likely"
"A year? Good heavens. DO you
think / can live without you for a
year? A week will seem an age, Let
-. IL --L.. r. ..~Ir I.,IfHIs IN
Yes darling"
mol will have a month. ut the
very least, | am determined. b re-
torted.
And. seeing she was, he urged no
more.
She threw away the leaves she had
been playing with and held Il her
hand. saying, with u smile:
Il must go back. Goodbye untii
Monday"
He took her hand. looking search
ingly into her face.
Are you angry with me, JUDITH
Am | angry with your she repeat
ed. musingly. MOI fancy not. But
don't let me think about it, lest | lind
| have reason To be-
That is what am afraid you wiz
90 when we are lhrleu-
Mol promise you"
May l kiss you, them
She shrugged her shoulders. so he
took heart and kissed her; then he
said, with some of his natural daring:
After all, you are my wife. and If |
choose To come down at the end of the
week and insist upon your returning
with me. / could 10 So"
But what a life | should lead You
after your insistence!" she retorted. as
she moved away from him; and he felt
that in her he had met his match, and
smiled with delight at her spirit.
He stood at the gate and watched
went back to town with a happy smile
ON his lips.
Never did man weary Of time more
than Captain Herbert until he found
himself standing. with fast-throbbing
pulses, in the drawing room at the
HattieldS' house In Claxton, awaiting
his wife. AS he strained his ears for
the first sound Of her football. keeping
his ~expectant eyes on the door, she
suddenly opened it and came in.
For a moment, though he %involunta-
rily held out his arms to her, he could
not speak. He noticed that she wore
a muslin gown, similar to the one She
had worn on their w~edding-day: that
her soft, dark hair was twisted up ex-
actly as he had nee told her he liked
to see il; that his wedding ring glist-
ened on her slim. white hand: and
that. though she looked pale, her lips
smiled in unison with her dark eyes.
Judith! Judith. my darling! Are
yon glad TO see me- he exclaimed, at
length. rs he moved toward her.
"I--think-I am" she admitted,
with a wicked little glance as she
stood at the door. "But don't fiatter
yourself that IL is love for you: 1t is
simply because 1 have been almost
badgered to death within the past
month. and i want To get away from
it.'
But there was something IN e ex-
pression-something in her willingness
to be EMBODIED in his arms. and more
in the lingering tenderness of her
greeting kiss-that warned him not
wholly to believe her: and his heart
was full of joy and content.
Judith, as u wife and mother, was
exceedingly happy, her husband PROV
ing the fHOSt cOnStaHC ana UeVOteu ina
he had eve deemed it possible he
could be. She knew that her infiu-
nee Owe him was for good, and exer- |
cised it wisely. being ultimately repaid
by his loving trust. Time dealt gently
with her. so hat her husband was
wont to- declare that she would never
grow old like other women.
Elsie did not wear so well, becoming
very stout She became reconciled 10
her fate, but not until she had fully
realized, as Judith had warned her,
that 1t was her last chance; for, al
though Claude speedily recovered from
the effects OF his wound. his love was
not quite so demonstrative as before.
The lesson Captain Herbert taught
her was a salHtary one Comprehend
ing how she had debased herself, she
became careful to control her flirting
~propensities; but she never forgaye
either him or Judith, though outward
ly they were friends.
AS to Claude, Judith fancied m |
times that he was lot quite SO content. |
edly happy and trustful as he ap-
peared to be: and she has secretly
wondered more than once IL he wholly
believed In the mistake he was sup |