Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-08-09
CHAPTER NJ.

ment of the patient. Lois attended to
her school duties as regularly and eff
GENTLY as ever, as she took a pleasure in
them, for she saw their results in the
children Her afternoons were spent in
the sick room. For a few days she dis
cuised the feeling that drew her thither
under the garb of duty. She had taken
upon herself, she told herself the task
Of nursing the smuggler back to strength
and having assumed her burden it was
her obligation to bear it to the end. This
served well enough for little while.
The subsequent discovery that she was
happy only when near the man and rest
less and disquieted when away from him
came to her almost as a shock.
She had never been in love and she was
at a loss at first to identify the new feel
ng For at least twenty-four hours its
Classification eluded her. Finally the
truth came to her and, as WAS her ma
ture, she faced it bravely. In her own
apartment. the rudy tide mounting to
her forehead, she dived into herself and
brought up the fact that she was madly
enamored of a man of whom she knew
nothing good and feared everything evil,
a man who was certainly, in some de-
gree, criminal and might easily be Il
villain of supreme villainy. man of
whose blood and training she knew moth
ing, one whose former life was hidd' Il
from her, one whose regard was dis
grace to any rightminded young woman,
q night-rider lawbreaker, a fearless.
reckless bandit Of the lonely river in the
grasp of one government and very posi-
bly, with a price upon his head set by an
other government. Yet she loved him.
Shrinking, half ashamed, yet feeling q
secret guilty thrill of pleasure so keen
that it amounted almost to agony. she
told herself so again and again. Every
glance of his gray eyes, every expression
that fitted across the face that was to
her as beautiful as.any dream of a Greek
sculptor, every tendril of his clinging
golden hair was with her in her lonely
hours and she Rugged the visions even
while striving desperately to Danish
them. Her brows drawn together in 4
heavy frown and her lips curved in It
tender smile, her bosom passionately ris-
ing and falling and her tiny foot beating
an unceasing tattoo upon the floor, she
fought her battle with none to see or aid.
Each drop of the wild blood III her was
eflame; every instinct OF her warm.
strong nature told her that love was love.
that Eros was Eros no matter who or
what the object enshrincd; every desire
Of hers was to go to him and give herself
to him and with him to face woe ana
ignominy, the laughter Of enemies, the
tears of friends, to dash madly down be
fore that altar every cherished ambition
and, amid the shattered fragments, to
stand scorned but happy. And against
this swelling tide of emotion which SO
rose that she half choked fought every
hour Of her earlier life, every maxim i'm
planted in the days of her childhood,
every influence for good and right that
had worked in old times in gray New En-
gland and the strong common sense and
adherence to duty that were as much a
part of her ancestry as the singing blood
Of Provence. For q long night these CON
tending forces warred within her and
when she rose at dawn and made ready
for the duties of the day she was pale
but calm. Her better nature had won
The course she had mapped for herself
was plain and direct. He must never
know; no one must ever know. She
would go through her life as she found it
o. tlt eud, uIdluS HeT HuFt, Wishing Only
good to him in whatever troublous places
his lines might be east, but stern'y re
pressed, self-contained, mistress of her
self. She swore to herself that not n
tremor of lip should betray her and she
knew that the task was likelier to be the
easier because of the shortness of it, For
at most only a few days could eiapse ere
the officers came to take him from her to
doom of which she dared not think
only yesterday, so rapid had been his
recovery, he had sat up for little while
and taken mis- nourishment from her hand
and thanked her, not only in words sim
Pie and well chosen, but with eyes that
would look upon her she knew in the
AiSht hours of many year to come So
she braced herself and went to her WORK
ca that day and carried it through as
thoroughly as usual.
When the children were dismissed for
'he afternoon she fingered in the school
room postponing the moment when She
should see him, though she knew that he
waited for her impatiently. She had
grown used to seeing his face light up
N4en she came. 1t was no evidence OF
any weakening of her resolution that she
AesI'ated and staggered slightly. as if
rom WEAKNESS, ere she raised her hand
.AI shocked lightly upon the door, as was
4T5 custom. His deep voice told her
'ae in and she entered. As she did 50
t'e started, for an unexpected sight met
gaze. Pale and somewhat thin, but
4 -"'-y clad, Weston sat in chair by the
'la9W, with his head turned expectant-
She made three rapid steps toward
u -" ana paused as he rose easily, If slow
=. and bowed to her in most courteous
Stect He stood before her. six feet
-t .1 an inch in height, deep-chested ami
a nanked, long-limbed, powerful and
e'al'. his head proudly poised above
massive shoulders, physically model
q man. The clothing which he had
a when brought to the rancho had
80 - s4eansed for him and the hole in
81 ana shirt through which the bullet
''FH its way had been neatly darned