The Iola register., 1901-02-22
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sespyrirh,. 1000. by A. N. Kellogg Newspaper Col
As Blanche went out she saw Ger
guardian waiting on the first landing
of the stairway, and her heart re-
preached her for remaining so long
with his wife, for she saw that his inn
patience was consuming him. He had
nothing to say as she passed; his face
was filed with utterances too vague for
words.
81 forgot to say" he said, when Mrs
Goddard had admitted him, that did
not go down to the ship to see your
stateroom. YOU said il was the Cleo
patra, ] believe"
"Yes, DEAR" she drew him to the
seat just vacated by his ward. "It is
not one of the fastest liners. Indeed,
it takes ten days to reach Liverpool,
but for the same price | was able to
get absolutely the chief stateroom on
the ship. 1t is on the promenade deck
and has a private bath and "A room for
Mrs. Nolan adjoining mine. Oh, it has
every convenience, and has big, wide
bed in which | can be thoroughly com
fortable!"
81 am glad you have made such good
arrangements" responded the major;
"but | wish YOU wouldn't go. Jeanne,
do you know that you are drawing me
into depths of degradatio that l
would never have reached but for you
For Gods sake let's renounce it all and
turn about and try to live pure, honor
able lives. | am already tired of the
plan
"Bosh!" Her exclamation was full of
impatience. Don't show the white
feather at this late hour! You want me
to continue to love you, and cannot
love anybody as poor as Jobs turkey.
So drop that sort of nonsense. / have
argued with you all l am going to-"
another thing" he said cautiously,
81 don't like the looks of the woman
you employed"
Lucy Nolan, and why, pray?"
"She doesn't look like an honest
woman"
A ripping laugh burst from Mrs.
Goddard's lips.
"What are you amused over?" he
@ShSu' SlIBH'lN pllu'u'
THAT you should expect me to select
a prodigy of human goodness to help
me carry out the most daring piece of
rascality ever born of woman's fertile
brain. Dear Rowland, are you jest
ing?"
do you mean to say that you sus-
pect her to be a dishonest woman?"
81 know that she will do anything l
ask for money and keep her mouth
shut. l may as well tell the truth.
used to employ her. She was at the
head of my sewing-room. We under
stand each other"
He seemed deeply shocked by this
confession. For several minutes he sat
staring at her dumbly. Presently he
pulled himself together. Later in his
life he recalled his reply and regarded
IL in the light of an inspired prophecy.
: Jeanne, don't drive me too far" he
said with sudden firmness that beat
her back into the crafty cautiousness
from which overconfidence had allowed
her to slip. Don't drive me too far.
have always had an ideal-a woman
who would be above instead of beneath
me in high aspirations, and If anything
should cause me to shake you off, il
will be that you draw me down instead
of upward"
Her face was full of startled concern
for a single instant, then she began to
smile upon him.
leave it all TO me, then, Rowland"
she said. 81 am plotting and planning
for your interest and mine. All | ask
of you is to be silent and obey my or
ders. Think of the long years of hap
piness before us. You never could make
me believe that we are doing Blanche
any wrong in making the few remain
ing months of her life happy. She con
fessed to me that she loved you only
few minutes ago"
You are not serious. Jeanne?"
81 never was more so. She has never
had n moments happiness since you
married me. Now, it will be but fair
for me to give you to her while she
lives"
He made no reply. The firelight
shone in the face of the enchantress
If he fell under the circumstances, he
did nothing but what mans earliest
ancestor did for reasons not so clear
ly set forth as those which dragged
Goddard away from the rugged path
of rightdoing.