The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1904-04-21

OF knowing or finding out At least he
would not stay to, hear the story OF her
wretchedness banded from mouth to
mouth. He would leave the house-and
at once, taking the first steamer out OF
New York, forever afterward, would
lose his old identity in world across
the ocean!
A year passed. Truly enough, Clayton
had lost himself to his quOndam world
as surely as though the earth had swal-
lowed him up He lived in the closest re-
tirement, amounting almost to hermit
age, in one of the most obscure suburbs
Of London. Newspapers. he refused,
lest some maddening allusion should
find its way into their columns.
One day. he sat idly turning over the
leaves of magazine he had picked up at
a little news stand The illustrations
amused him; one could easily recognize
them from their total unsimilarity to the
subjects they represented. He laughed
a little at the idea. glancing carelessly at
the long pages of printed stuff. They
contained not the slightest appeal to his
morose mind, and he was in the act OF
tiinging the periodical away when some
thing familiar caught his eyes.
My darling" he read. Il will go with
yOu at once. to-night-if you wish it.
Try as | will. | cannot live this way
day longer. Let me hear from you as
soon as possible, and | shall then ar
range my plans accordingly. l shall be
waiting here urtiI eight O'Clock for your
answer. Hastily. Patricia"
Clayton caught his breath chockingly.
What did it mean? The veins beat and
throbbed furiously in his neck. With
shaking fingers, he slipped back the
pages and ran his eye up and down in
search of the title. Here it was at last:
The End Of the Quest" by u. d. c. A
sudden light flashed on his brain. Una
Dering Clayton, his wife! 1t was moth
ing but the letter in a story then! And
for that he had been led to play the part
OF a deserter a fool, a rascal. If she had
only trusted him with her little secrets!
The following day, he went to Liver
pool and engaged passage on the Con
stantia," bound fer New York. The vOy
age seemed interminable. Surely it was
the strangest homecoming a man ever
had. He wondered how she would re-
ceive him-if she would receive him,
and his explanation?
1t was just such day as the one on
which he had left. AS Clayton stepped
from the gang-plank; he recognized.
MIL c+o r+1 boo IT or+T
of his firm He had left that faithful
friend without a word of explanation,
either at the time or thereafter He
pushed his way rapidly through the rain
coated and umbrellaed throng, keeping
his head steadily averted But to no
avail. Kenner had already got sight of
him. and was pursuing him zealOusly.
Clayton" he cried, extending his
hand warmly.
My dear fellow" the other returned,
bit unsteadily. And he could say no
more.
Where under the sun have you been?"
| Kenner went on, hooking his arm into
that of his friend. Where, why and"
That is long story, replied Clayton,
hurriedly But for Gods sake, man, tell
me something about my wife! Is she-is
she well?"
She is perfectly well; that is to say,
as well as any miserable woman can be. /"
Poor little Una What did she think?
What must she have thought of it all?"
She has never said what she thought,
Dick But I'll tell you what l think
she imagined"
"Well?" Clayton regarded him with
paling lips.
She would not believe you unfaithful;
she positively refused to do that From
what | can glean-from what she says,
she" He paused, somewhat uncertain
| how to 90 on.
Clayton looked at him beseechingly.
Don't hesitate" he sad quickly.
well, in brief believe she considers
| that you were-must have been mentally
unbalanced
Clayton started A SILVER ran over
him from head to foot But in a moment
| he had controlled himself and explained
everything as they walked on together
through the driving rain.
That goes to show, then, why no
| amount of advertising could reach you.
| Together, we exhausted the whole cata-
logue in vain"
You will come home with me. will
you not? I'm half afraid l haven
| the strength-the courage"
| Kenner shook his head, smiling No"
he said. Il am not coming home with
you-this time. | see your heart is in
the right p!ace-if your head Is not III
see you at the office Tomorrow"
! Clayton nodded, shook hands and
swung himself onto the next car In
side of Is minutes, he stood before the
gate of his own home. trembling with a
| strange mixture of emotions. He hest
tated just long enough to collect himself;
then entered noiselessly, and tried the
door. 1t was unlocked and yielded
readily to his touch. Inside the hallway
he looked about him with eyes dazed by
the very familiarity of the objects every
where. He did not pause. but sprang up
the steps, three at time. crossing the
corridor softly to the door of his wife's
boudoir. He knocked lightly; there was
the sound of swift footsteps and the