The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-09-18

III
contrary to your advice, | have today
seen Miss Milne? I determined to ses
her on Saturday, after hearing your
story. but did not tell you for fear OF
being made to promise not to. Oh,
my poor darling, how l pity you, now
that have seen this woman. She was
not rude to mel almost wish she had
been; it would have been easier to
bear than her cynical cruelty. | won
der IL Satan, among his other dis
guises, can assume a woman's form
and talk philosophy? But oh, Allan, |
| fear have done no good, and yet L
did everything, down even to going on
my knees to her. (yOu must not be
angry, my darling, | believed when l
set out it was my mission to save you.l
tried another line that | thought must
succeed tried to get to the mothers
side of her. by taking her little boy on
my knees, when she quietly took him
off. saying. He is too heavy to nurse
Allan, | am afraid this Is sad bust
ness. but we must cheer up; something
surely will happen to improve matters
that seem at their worst. | am writ
ing this note to ask you to be sure to
come down again on Saturday. l Will
meet you at the station, and we Will
have a long, long walk, and talk 1t
over. Oh. that dreadful. dreadful. wo-
man. | shall dream Of her. And yet
| felt all the time that she was not
half so bad as she painted herself. My
poor Allan, don't be angry with me-
love, tried to help you, and | am. on
the whole, so glad to have seen her;
it's a new experience altogether
sort of education Goodbye, and God
bless you. darling. Yours more than
ever,
Here there followed a
"P. S.-Don't on any account let pa
pa or mamma know of this.
This letter of Edith's came on Mon
day evening For the rest of that week
my work was done automatically, me-
chanically. and without shadow OF
interest. When work was over | sat
down miserable to think it was done,
and when morning came l groaned at
having work to do. Twenty times
day I took from my pocket the phOto-
graph of Edith that I carried then, and
still carry.
/ saw nothing more Of Miss Milne;
bit on the Wednesday note was
brought to me from her to this erect:
please send ten pounds (GlO) by
bearer.-M. NJ"
With this request, or command, as
ought, If strictly truthful, to can 1t,
gladly complied. | say gladly De-
cause anything was better than seeing
her: and knowing her first ten pounds
must be spent, felt confident that she
must come or send for more within
few days; and the relief of escaping
another interview was indescribable.
At last Saturday came and | started
off for Cheselhurst-
When | alighted from the train
looked anxiously round for Edith. she
was nowhere to be seen, but, standing
near the station door and watching
closely with his blear eyes each man
who passed. was my old friend the
gardener. He no longer wore MS
round frock, but had on the coacn-
mans coat and tall hat; he was gioved
and shaved, and l gathered at once
that the carriage was waiting Tor me.
In a moment | was at his side.
THE Colonel told me to give you TINS
note" he said. And then in Whisper,
There's summat up.
| tore it open and read:
"Dr. Rigby: Dear Sir-Since your
last visit, an event of some importance
has occurred that renders 1t deslraDle
that | should see you before you pro-
coed to Lewis Villa.
Il will therefore await your ARRIVAL
at che Commercial Hotel, where nave
taken private room, which kindly ask
for Faithfully yours,
Desperately anxious for a few min
utes to myself, | sent the gardener
with a message that | had telegram
to dispatch to town, and would tnen
ioin the colonel. With this left Tor,
not the telegraph Office, but the waiting
room Through the little hole that
communicated with the refreshment
room in those days, | called tor some
brandy. 1t was necessary that 1 shouid
have something to keep me from SINK
ing in the whirl of wild emotions tnat
were absolutely Supplying me. what
can have happened-what can nave
happened? | asked myself again and
again. That it was part OF MISS
Mines diaholical scheme | had no
doubt. The girl you think you are
going to marry returned with ter
rible import now, and if loved Edith
before. my God, how | loved her now!
I tried to collect my thoughts and for
mulate some plan, but it was useless:
all the future was desolate, vague and
horror stricken. But l must not linger
here, thought, and, jumping to my
feet. | FASTENED down the street TO
meet my doom with the desperation or
the poor unfortunate who, from the
summit of Waterloo Bridge. jumps
from the hell that is into the hell to
come.
Ito be ContInued)