Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1905-08-25
CHAPTER X.

"Oulu u Ou HIS uuRtTS Oue ny one.
CHAPTER X.
He might AVE spared her-he might
have spared her." was Mr.. Winter
bourne's piteous cry, as he sat in his
friends room, and gazed out through
the streaming window panes ON the dis
NAL landscape beyond.
And who was to tell her? Who was
to bring grief and humiliation on that
fair young life? Who was to rob her of
the beautiful dream and vision that her
mother had always been to her? Not he,
for one. He could not do it.
And then might she not misunderstood
all this that had been done to keep her
in ignorance. Might she not be angry
at having all her life been surrounded by
an atmosphere of concealment? If she
were to mistake the reason of her father
having stopped to subterfuge and deceit?
Was Yolande going to despise him, then
she, the only being in the world whose
opinion he cared for? And always his
speculations, and fears, and anxious con-
lectures came back to this one point:
He might have spared her-he might
have spared her."
"Now, look here, W~interbourne," John
Shortlands said, in his plain-spoken way.
IF l were you, before l would say a
word of this story to Yolande, l would
make sure that that would be sufficient
for Leslie. He says that Yolande must
be told; but will that suffice? Is that all
he wants? If l were in your place I
would have a clear understanding. Do
you know, l can't help thinking there is
something behind all this that hasn't
come out. If this young fellow is really
in earnest about Yolande-if he is really
fond of her-I don't think he would put
this stumbling block in the way-I don't
think he would exact this sacrifice from
you-unless there was some other rea-
son. Yesterday afternoon Melville said
as little as he could. He didn't like the
job. But he limited something about the
disagreement between young Leslie and
his family over this marriage"
Il guessed as much" said Winter
bourne. Yes, l have suspected it for
some time. Otherwise l suppose his
father and aunt would have called on
Yolande. They knew each other. Yo-
lande stayed a night at the Towers
when Mrs. Graham first brought her
here-until the lodge was got ready"
"Of course, if the fellow has any pluck,
he won't let that stand in his way. In
the meantime, a domestic row isn't pleas.
ant; and l dare say he is impatient and
angry. Why should he revenge himself
on Yolande, one might ask? But that is
not the fair way of putting it. l can
see one explanation. | didn't see it yes
terday; and the fact was l got pretty
wild when l learned how matters stood
and my W impression was that kicking
was a sight too good for him. l have
been thinking over it since, though; the
rain last night kept me awake. And now
l can understand his saying, We'll, l
mean to marry in spite of them; but l
will take care, before | marry, to guard
against any risk of their being able to
taunt me afterward.'"
when l took this shooting" Winter
bourne said, absently, when the place
was described to me, on the voyage out,
l thought to myself that surely there
Yolande and | would be safe from all
anxiety and trouble. And then again,
up the Nile, day after day | used to
think of her being married and settled in
this remote place, and used to say to
myself that then, at least, everything
would be right. And here we are, face
to face with more trouble than everl
And who is to tell her? The shock will
be terrible-it may kill her"
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.! Whoever is to
tell her, it must not be you. 1t will turn
out all right. And you, for one, should
be very glad that the Master, as you
call him, now knows the whole story;
for after the marriage, whatever hap
pens, he cannot come back on you and
say you had deceived him."
after the marriage! And what sort
of a happy life is Yolande likely to lead
when his relatives object to her al
ready?"
"There. you are off again! Why, man,
these things must be taken as they come.
You don't know that they object--and
don't believe they can object to her,
though the old gentleman mayn't quite
like the color of your politics. But sup.
posing they do, what's the odds? They
can't interfere. You will settle enough
on Yolande to let the young couple live
comfortably enough. l don't see any diff
iculty about it."
TO be continued.'