Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1900-10-25

4 SIRENS VICTIMS )
- BY Frances Warner Walker. &
- *
By Frances Warner Walker.

from her manner. and the deep feeling
surging beneath began 10 evidence it
self. For her own sake. Why
should II Has she not all In this
world-alI-that she should cove1 pos
session OF the man ! aoye2-yes. love.
You would have the truth You forced
IL. Don't start and turn paisr than
you already are. a little while ago
only las night-yOu were ready TO
laugh at your jealous fears They
were not quite unfoundei Yet, but
for Harvey Barclay. 1 never should
have become your wife. He told me
you were rich: that you had q for
tune in your own right, independent
OF your father. He was poor, and
could not marry me, or was 6 coward
and would not. / would rather have
worked for him, toiIed my fingers 10
b bone. than lived in luxury with
you: but / was ambitious, and he
played upon my ambition. and so, af-
ter letting you go once. / won you
back again-won you from that pale
faced girl, who loves you yet. VIII
you curse me uow2 VIII you wish
that you had never seen me? VIII
you drive me from your house. and
send me back TO the old life Of toll and
poverty? Wen. drive him out, too.
and I'll not repine. l."
Hush" interrupted the tortured
mar In the name of your woman
hood. be silent. On, my God. do you
dream how / have loved you, that
you should thus wreck my happiness
and destroy my iaith?"
Your happiness! your faith" h
crept into her tone. Both are un-
echoed, and a touch OF WEAKNESS
known words to me. They were blot
ted from my vocabulary when / was
a little child. Why should they exist
for others? Yes, you nave been good
to me in your way; but goodness can
not purchase love, and all the love I
had in my heart belonged to another
before / ever looked upon u face.
Yet the name, the responsibility, you
have given me, / like, and I mean to
keep them. You can't rake a public
scandal because I do not love you"
Il annot make a public scandal
no." answered the heart-stricken man.
You shall enjoy the price Of all that
you nave now, but you shall enjoy it
NiN ~ SOoIt as H. ldlItI Sulll-
GENTLY RECEIVERS, l shall leave this roof.
You, also, shall leave it. AL that my
means can give 0 you SHAH have;
but this house shall no longer be your
home. And was ii this-this-that you
were about to confess to Grace? Have
you in no way helped Harvey Barclay
In extorting money from her? Oh,
Helen, rouse me from this nightmare!
Tell me / am dreaming a foul and hid
eous dream-that your beauty Is not
a mask to cover treachery and deceit
that your loyalty is not an empty name
that your story is but a cruel test to
my devotioni Helen, my wife-my
love-save me from madness and de-
| spair!"
The ~sternness had vanished from his
face and voice. He opened his arms
and outstretched them toward her.
For the moment he refused to be-
Heve all that she had said-refused to
thlnk that his senses had rightly
heard.
But she made no step fo~rward-no
effort to respond to his advance.
His arms fell; he threw himself into
a chair, and his head sank on his
breast.
He heard the rustic of her skirt; the
opening and closing of a door.
He was alone. Alone? No. Never
more alone. Henceforth he and misery
were i~nseparable.