Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-05-20
CHAPTER XNII.

II do not suspect you of anything" snid
June. with u culver in her voice, 'but 1
know that hateful woman has got some
dreadful influence ovcr you, and is al
ways plotting to cause %unhappiness be-
tween us. Here l have been away and
was coming back happy and delighted to
see you, and l am made wretched the
instant l set foot in the house, and all
through her!"
mo. no." said Tom. "Be just. Put the
saddle OH the right horse. All through
Madge. III she hadn't come sneaking and
spying up here this morning she wouldn't
have got my back up and made me say
what l did, and which she most richly
deserved. AS for the other poor girl. no
one was ever more mistaken in this world
than you are about her. Why, she speaks
of you in the kindcst way"
"And," proceeded June, working her
self up more and more, and tears agnin
rushing to her eyes, "now you have de-
privcd me of my only friend here, and
the only person l have to amuse me, 1
hope you will be happy"
AT this last stab, given merely in
naughtiness of temper, Tom rose. might
lily grieved and wrathful. He never said
anything he did. not mean merely for the
momentnry pleasure Of wounding, but,
on the other hand, he rarely could be
brought to rctract anything he had once
said.
"Tscn," he said, eff that is the case,
heaven help your husband and child!"
And, with that, he strobe from the ROOM,
leaving June With u sickening sense of
general misery.
June hmd some sound good sense when
it was not obscured by temper, rs the
sky is blue though the clouds hide its
color. And presently she told herself
that this state of things must be stopped,
and stopped Mt once.
So, suddenly she rose, and fled down
stairs to Toms room. He was sitting
staring gloomily in the fire, absorbed, no
doubt, in reflections as miserable rs those
in which she had been indulging upstairs.
but he had a refuge and resource which
she had moths pipe.
June had not come to argue, to fight,
the quarrel over again, and possibly to
make n worse ending than before; she
had brought a flag of truce, and left all
explanations for a future time. She sat
herself down on his knee. took the pipe
from his mouth, put her pretty arms
round his neck and her red lips to his, and
said, with Il faltering voice:
my darling, don't let us have any more
misunderstandings!'
And. with that, Tom claspcd her pas
%sionately to his heart, and IL sob rose in
his throat, and for the moment they forgot
everything but that they loved each other.
When June paid her promised visit to
Mndge next day, she felt rather perturbed
and uncomfortable in her mind. Madge
would of course expect to hear that she
had vanquished Tom in single combat,
and had come to take her back in triumph
to the Hall. from which yesterday she had
been so ANONYMOUSLY turned away But
June was painfully conscious that it was
she who had been vanquishcd. for. fear
full of any rupture of their newborn har-
mony, she had not mentioned the name of
either cousin to Tom. She knew %instinc-
lively that he would not give in; if lie
made any nmendc to Madge. it would
only be Oh condition of his wife doing the
same to Agnes.
Her ladysl,ip. therefore. vas forced to
answer Madge's eager cross-questioning
somewhat lamely and haltingly, and grad
ually there came into that shrewd young
lady's face an expression of profound dis
appointment.
"Then," she said, in n mortified tone,
''you did not take my part, and you have
not been ever with Tom!'
"My dear child,'' replied June. desper-
ately, ''if you are married to IL man, it is
impossible to live in IL state of strife ana
quarreling with him, unless you want to
break your W. heart. What is to be
gained by my being on bad terms with
Tom:"
WELL" replied Madge. 81 don't under
stand it. 1 should have thought you, who
are fifty times clevcrcr and have fifty
times more spirit than Tom, would have
turned him round your finger. Why, any
child could do it."
Two Days passed, and. though Sir
Thomas and Lady Nevil were apparently
on the best of terms. neither was really
mt ease. June missed Mudge and wanted
to have her back Mt the Hall, but was
afraid to broach the subject. and Tom
knew that she missed her cousin. and felt
vexed about the misunderstanding, but
was convinced that he would be doing
wrong to Agnes and conniving at an i'll
Justice if Madge returned to her old rela-
lions at the house while Agnes was left
out in the cold.
On the th1rO O0y June, IeellnS the hope
l~essness Of the situation, said. in IL mat
ter-of-fact voice at luncheon, in the pres
ence of the servants:
"Shall we ask them all ut the rectory
to come up and dine Tomorrow"
And Tom responded most heartily, and
with an enormous sense of relief:
cay. my dear. do"
Her ladyship was the more disposed to
make the concession in that her husband
had met her wishes about taking a house
in London in the kindest manner. That
he did not like the idea was evident, but
so far from combating the proposal. he
had given in to it at once, and agreed that
his mother should take II house and make
all necessary preparations. He would not
give any promise about going up much
himself, but if June came down every
week he and the boy would manage to get
along for the rest Of the time.
Lady Nevil wrote an affectionate note
to Mrs. Bryan asking them all to dine the