Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1904-03-25

oASu. Aiiu cuc ndppeueu past anu
the sound seemed to go right to her
heart. She showed it by turning on
him as fierce as anything.
Stop that row. she says Won
derful how it stopped the cough, too!
''You do it purposely for me to hear.
You've had your chance and threw it
awayw -.
YES, Kitty, I know he says. very
quiet 1T was you sent the mission
man round;. don't think. i've forgotten.
| could have free ticket for the sea
side home. with tons of grub and
blankets, for the worst winter month
Go? No: not IL he gave me the home
itself" he whispers, looking her in the
eyes for once. "Mayn't be SO much
longer! When you've found a man
that loves you and wants you more
then I'll give In. Till then let me 90
on hoping, and you sha'n't hear the
cough more'n l can help
Queer words, when you come to
think what happened. We didn't guess
for weeks; we only heard whispers and
rumors. But all of sudden, down
flashed the news like lightning. Her
face had done ft-that look in her
cyes-at last. And there it was.
chalked all over the place, for poor
Joe Arkell to see..
She'd been standing Que day, strok-
ing out the rose-1eaxes with her little
brown fingers, and a toff's cab curled
round corner and all but ran her
down. She jumped away startled, and
| suppose he saw something in the
wide. eyes that he'd been dreaming
of all his life. Any way, he sprang out
and bought a rose-bought the bunch,
and offered three times the price. And
next thing-yes, next thing we heard
that his jewel ring had bought Kitty.
She'd flashed up like star and left
us all behind; she was his wife, by
special license. 1t almost stunned US
for the moment. But there 1t was;
we'd lost our duchess-aild poor Joe
Arkell had lost what he'd have put
down his crippled body for twice over.
He proved 1t. ~
Yes. very likely you've seen in the
papers a picture of the villa down at
Hampstead, smothered in some foreign
creeper, and with a golden railing all
round it; maybe you read just what
happened. And if you couldn't under
stand it all. it's only because you never
saw Kitty Lowell, or the chap who
loved her to that length.
She was there, queen of It all-villa,
servants and grounds. 1 fancy / see
her sweeping through the mirrored
rooms and along them balconies, glanc-
ing back to see if her velvet train was
coming along with the correct twist,
and them steel stars shining in her
nigger-curls. Music, dancing, Chinese
lanterns, and all the rest of it-for
maybe a month! And then / see her
again, when the house is quiet, break
down terrible and clench her fists as
she drops the smile like a mask, and
watches that black cloud creeping up
hand over hand in the distance. Aye,
andI can see something else; that pic
ture of Joe Arkell, who'd found it all
out, too, and was haunting the house,
watching for the cloud to burst.
You've guessed? She'd given her
whole life and love to a man who was
playing double part-a man who
couldn't know one minute from an
other when a hand was going to nip
his shoulder from behind. Money !?
Yes, heaps of money and friends. when
you can forge flash bank-notes and do
other funny little things in locked
room! And one day, as we heard
afterwards, she found the key of the
room, and found the key to his double
life. But it was too late; she was his
wife. He only laughed when, loving
him so, she went down on her knees
to say she'd give up all the money to
keep him straight. He might make a
fresh start. If nothing happened, he
said-with the new year! h.s
And the last day of December had
come round-as near as that! There
was to be big party next day; the
rooms were waiting to blaze up with
lights, silver plate, and women's eyes;
the bells were ready to ring And she
couldn't bear the last few hours of sus-
pense. She'd step out, always watch
ing and listening, down to the gate and
out into the quiet roadway, whispering
to her husband only to give up his
ways before it was too late. And of a
sudden she saw Joe there, as he stood
under them big trees. It's certain he
never meant to tell her what he knew,
perhaps hadn't even meant to speak;
but he couldn't help. himself. !
''Kittyw he whispers. Zone word!
For all the money you're not so happy
you'd come back? Only say it-just
once.n at4 aa aN n
And she half put out her hand, and
then shivered and ran back as If he'd
been a ghost or detective. And there
Joe stands in sweat, his brain hard
1T work on her account; and then, as
liz something pulled him, be crept up
along that side path.T AS he stood
listening there he heard the man laugh
and Kitty choking back sobs in way
that no third. person would like. to
hear. Did she know? he asks Linn
self. Was 1t his place to warn EN-
both that the police were drawing he
net closer and closer round her prlnee1
Every well." the man was saying.
IF I'm such a villain. if I'm breaking
your heart, III let you go.v Just. Like
that.