Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-03-12
q Woman' S Faee
FLORENCE WARDEN

! Thank you, Mile"
Il heard you come in-very much
later than that. | had been asleep
and it startled me to hear sounds in
| the house in the middle Of the night.
] ran to my door, and opened it a
very little way. The light was Just
| beginning to come through the stair
case window, and saw your face as
you came softly up the stairs. 1t was
all lined and old, as if you had gone
through some terrible anxiety. I was
so sorry nearly cried; | was sure
you were very unhappy. | thought |
would speak to you and tell you so; |
don't know whether | am right"
"You are always right-dear, good
old Mile said Frank, huskily. THAT
escapade is a secret, of course; but it
is not discredftable one, believe me-"
Mile was very sweet and sym
pathetic, but she was not guileless
en,rgh to be satisfied like that.
Il hope it is not" she said, with
emphasis.
Wont you believe me?"
Il don't know much about secrets, -
she answered, obviously; "but | have
my theories. | incline to think that
a woman's secrets are generally not
much to her credit, and that a mans
are still less to his. And that when a
man and a woman have the same
secret, it's very much to the discredit
of both of them"
"And if there IS no woman in the
case?"
IF there were not, | should not be
troubling you now"
Miss Peele, you are doing me the
greatest injustice"
Indeed, | hope that nobody else
may. But | am afraid you will find
that | am not more censorious than
my neighbours"
Armathwaite turned ashy white.
The thought that he might have been
seen following Alma Crosmont on her
midnight walk, and of the hideous con-
struction which would be put upon
such an incident, unnerved him com
pletely.
"Millie, Mile, this is not like you!"
he said at last, in a very low voice.
Indeed, Frank, had hoped it was
not like you"
And do you mean to say you think
it impossible for any man, even in
whom you had the greatest confidence,
to have secret connected with a
woman in which there was nothing
but what was honorable to both?"
ut depends on the woman" said
she, rather curly.
What with such a woman as"
He stopped just in time, but his tone
of hot indignation was eloquent
enough. Miles face relaxed into
smile. She came a step nearer to
him and whispered apologetically, and,
at the same time. with great relief:
That's all right, Oh, Frank, was
so dreadfully afraid it was-somebody
else"
1t was now Armathwaites turn to |
be cold, for he saw that he had been
tricked.
Il hadn't given you credit for so |
much ingenuity, Miss Peele," he said, |
getting very red.
"Oh, | couldn't help it, Frank! Let !
me explain, and then perhaps, you
won't be so angry" she entreated, de |
tanning him as he turned to walk away. |
sit down here and listen to me for
two minutes" He obeyed very re-
luctantly, taking his place beside her
in the window-seat, to the great de- |
light of poor Mrs. Peele, who had |
heard nothing vet about the love-let- |
ter, and who still fondly cherished the !
hope of settling" Mile by marrying |
her to the man who was to be her |
fathers successor. The girl then |
went on: There are living here two
women so pretty and attractive that a |
man can't know them both and be in. |
sensible to both unless he is restrained
by some other strong attraction. |
Though they are both married; they |
are only the more dangerous, as |
neither is married happily. You came |
here quite free, and a good deal in |
clined to be bored by your surround |
L.
knowing all this. knowing how strange
ly you had met both ladies on your
arrival, and guessing that they in.
fiuenced you in your decision to stay,
couldn't help watching for some re-
suit of it all, Some little things /
noticed very soon. Any allusion to
The Crags or to Ned Crosmont's in.
terested and excited you; you grew
every day more distracted and indif-
ferent to other things, more on the
alert to those two, grew desperately
anxious to know which of the two had
the greatest interest for you. First
thought the one. then | feared the
other; l could never be sure; and
when-when you went out-at night
II was afraid"
Her voice had sunk to a timid
whisper. and she hung her head. After
few moments silence during which
he parpSSaI bAr hAaR oAo,4;n,o4o,t,.