Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1903-03-27
XXI.

" that hateful woman has got some
,dful influence over you, and Is al
's plotting to cause unhapplness De
an us. Here I have been away and
coming back happy and delighted to
you, and 1 am made wretched the
ant / set foot in the house, n all
sngh her"
no" said Tom. "Be just. Put the
dIe on the right horse. All through
de. If she hadn't come sneaklng ana
ND here this morning she wouldn't
got my back up and made me say
Il | did, and which she most richly
eryed. As for the other poor girl, no
Was ever more mistaken in this world
4 You are about her. Why, she speaks
you in the kindest way"
Xnd." proceeded June, working her-
( up more and more, and tears again
ling to her eyes, "now you have de-
"a me Of my only friend here, ana
only person 1 have to amuse me, l
Il you will be happy"
q this last stab, given merely In
1rhtiness of temper, Tom rose, might
,rrieved and wrathful. He never said
yfhing he did not mean merely for the
nentary pleasure Of wounding, but,
the other hand, he rarely could be
light to retract anything he had once
Them" he said, eff that is the case,
lyen help your husband and child!'
nd, with that, he strobe from the room,
ing June with a sickening sense OF
1eral misery.
|une had some sound good when
as not obscured by temper, as the
y is blue though the clouds hide its
Of. And presently she told herself
4 this state Of things must be stopped,
d stopped at once.
20, suddenly she rose, and fled down
lis to Toms room. He was sitting
Ming gloomily in the fire, absorbed, no
nbt, in reflections as miserable as those
Hhich she had been INDUCING upstairs,
n he had q refuge and which
4 had not-his pipe.
June had not come to argue, to fight,
E. quarrel over again, and possibly to
Ike a worse ending than before; she
ID brought a flag Of truce, and left all
for a future time. She sat
rself down on his knee, took the pipe
oh his mouth, put her pretty arms
hid his neck and her red lips to his, and
Id, with a faltering voice:
My darling, don't let us have any more
Is understandings"
And, with that, Tom clasped her pas
)nately to his heart, and a sob rose in
) Throat, and for the moment they forgot
'erything but that they loved each other.
When June paid her promised visit to
adge next day, she felt rather %perturbed
"a uncomfortable in her mind. Madge
ould Of course expect to hear that she
q ~vanquished Tom in single combat,
q had come to take her back in triumph
the Hall, from which yesterday she had
en so ANONYMOUSLY turned away. But
he was painfully conscious that it was
\ who had been vanquished, for, fear
II Of any rupture of their newborn har'
Dry, she had not mentioned the name OF
her cousin to Tom. She knew instinc'
yely that he would not give in; If he
Ade any amende to Madge, it woult
by be on condition of his wife doing the
ame to Agnes.
Her ladyship, therefore, was forced tt
nswer Madge's eager cross-questionint
omewhat lamely and haltingly, and grad
lily there came into that shrewd youn,
tdy's face IN expression of profound dis
ppointment.
f'Then," she said, in a mortified tone
fou did not take my part, and you hav'
pt been even with Tomr'
I"My dear child" replied June, desper
fely, "if you are married to a man, it !
hpossible to live in a state of strife an,
parreling with him, unless you want t
Peak your own heart. What is to b
pined by my being on bad terms wit
"Well," replied Madge, II don't under
fand it. / should have thought you, VIII
Pre- fifty times cleverer and have fit
ines more spirit than Tom, would hav
prned him round your finger. Why, an
hild could do it."
LN"O u"yo puoctu, uuu, tuOuBh -
Thomas and Lady Nevil were apparent
the best Of terms, neither was reall
Y ease. June missed Madge and wante
p have her back at the Hall, but wa
lfraid to breach the subject, and To-
Tnew that she missed her cousin, and fe
Fexed about the misunderstanding; b,
Tas convinced that he would be doir
wrong to Agnes and conniving at an Il
Justice If Madge returned to her old rel,
ions at the house while Agnes was lie
but in the cold.
On the third day June, feeling the hop
essness Of the situation, said, in a ma
|er-of-fact voice at luncheon, in the pre-
|nce Of the servants:
shall we ask them all at the rectol
2 come up and dine tomorrow"
And Tom responded most heartily, al
rfh IA enormous sense Of relief: