Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-06-03

But we can all be friends. Don't mind
my saying this before Mr. Haynes Havi-
land. He has been with us SO much OF
late that our affairs are no secret to him.
And now there is some one else who must
forgive me for past rudeness, else my
state of qualification will not be complete
II mean Miss Hope. Take me 10 her,
please
.'She is dancing. I dafc say" / answer
ed confusedIy. There are so many old
friends of yours here. Paula, who viii be
glad and surprised TO see you. Better
stop and greet them first
no. They can wait"
Il will take you, then" | said. Bat
Mr.. Haynes-Haviland should not be com
PEELED TO lose a dance. | viii introduce
him to a partner"
Mr.. Haynes Haviland is going 10
dance with me by and by" And Paula
looked up at him bewitchihgly.
Miss Wynne has excited mr. curiosity
in regard to this wonderful Miss Hope"
said he. ~
Il cannot help you.7 1 answered Il
don't know where Miss Hope is to be
fouEd."
"Ah, if you won't, Uncle Wilfrid will"
She almost pushed past me, clinging
still to the man whom she appeared COM
pletely to have subjugated. | did not
wait to see what they would do. An I'M
comfortable impulse babe me 90 to Con
suelo, if she were still in the ball room.
and stand ready for any emergency that
might arise.
l got myself into the now apparently
deserted conservatory out of the dancers
way. Then, feeling that my mission had
been taken from me, l sat down in a re-
tired corner. into which a rustic seat had
been pushed under a palm.
l had scarcely occupied the hidden nook
for sixty seconds when some one passed
behind me, having entered from the outer
door. There was a rustic of silken skirts
along the floor, accompanied by the step
of man, and then followed the creaking
of a seat as one or more persons subsidized
upon it.
l began to feel distinctly uncomforta-
bic. 1t would not be pleasant to overhear
snatch of love-making, perhaps even
q proposal of marriage; but where / sat
was completely hemmed in. As l hest
tated the man spoke. Instantly, though
| had not met him for years, l knew that
l was listening to Tom Gordon, the fam
Gus barrister who had pleaded the inno-
ceace of the dead Florence Haynes.
What are you going to do?' he had
questioned.
Il do not know" answered the voice of
Consuelo Hope.
Strange that it should come at the
moment of your triumph-if it has come"
But life is strange. My life stranger
than ALL"
If l stand by and see that there is
danger for you, what viii you do for me
if / can save youT"
what could you do?'
"Ah, you'll find. I'm never quite with
occasion to learn that before"
Il know. l should be grateful, what
ever you did for me-"
Gratitude! We've got past that, Con-
suelo. l want more from you. Give me
my answer tonight. And there's only
one answer possible from you to me-"
Mr., Gordon! Do you mean to threat
en- meT'
mo, no. And yet, l don't know.
think sometimes there's demon in me,
mad, desperate, which would send ME to
the worlds end to work for you if you
loved me, or to work against you if you
didn't. / don't know of what l should
become in such case, so don't try me,
warn YOU"
ooh, for friend--a true, disinterested
friendr'
Nonsense! Women of your sort don't
make 'disinterested friends among the
men. Let me kiss you once, and I'll
stand between you and danger, as I've
done before. What! You won't? I'll
take it them
could bear no more. / sprang from
my seat, and, with a crashing of flower
pots around me. strobe out of my ambush.
/ stood there. cycling him, my breath
coming hard.
With a little involuntary cry which cut
straight to my heart, the Woman in Gray
moved close to me-away from him. For
the fraction of a second her hand lay on
my arm, and l could feel the electric
quivering of her slight body. A wild
passionate JOY surged over me. She had
come to me for protection from him.
Gordon had leaped up from the bench
where they had sat together, and faced
"Hello!' he calculated in peculiar,
meditative, yet angry growl, glaring at
me the while. Terence Darkmore, of
all meni What a fool I've been that this
never occurred to me before.
"Consuelo." l said-never before had
dared to call her by that name, but now
it came to my lips without volition-"for-
give me! l was caught in a trap; it all
happened in so few moments. tried not
to hear; but now | can't regret that
did. Let me be that friend for whom you
cried out. and, some day, more to you
than that. +"
"Hush!" she said. with a strange, al
most unearthly solemnity. Heaven
knows what this nights work may end
in for me-"
Ito be continued.l
|