Los Angeles herald., 1905-10-01

IedCHeu lne pOlIlL OIL IOllOWllB tHe par
ticularly nasty device that had brought
her out on the veranda.
when does your husband Gomez"
she asked brusquely.
"Willis?'
"Yes, Willis! Good heavens, how
many other husbands have you got?"
Edna paid no more heed to this than
to the noises overhead. The one Won
derful word had made all the difference.
Tonight" she said gravely. "He will
come tonight" 1t was spoken almost
with reverence, as If she were announce
ing new era. A new era to herself
it very certainly was. And in this con-
nection no one else ever mattered.
VERY good" said Grace with nod
Of brisk satisfaction. "When he comes
I shall have something to show him."
Edna's dark timid eyes rose quickly.
"Show him?" Grace's stealthy tone was
more puzzling than her words even.
eyes, show him." she proceeded cool
ly. "It's a letter. It's the letter you
wrote to Bob four years ago up at Sun
Lake. Perhaps you remember"
Edna stared DULY for moment. Then
the blood came, up and still up, the
swift scarlet leaping through the pallor
of her cheek and temples. She sounded
one quivering note.
And you're really going to-going to
show that to Willis?"
Grace's tone was suddenly pleasant.
II must" she insisted demurely. "It
is my duty. After all, there is nothing
like doing ones duty" But the deli
cate scorn of this could not quite save
her. She was inwardly startled at the
wild ecstasy of sadness in Edna's eyes,
and had to clutch viciously at that
mental glimpse of Northway and Alice
Ryder to help out her abating anger.
Even in the dim wretchedness of all
this Edna's mind felt the touch of
new idea.
And does Bob always give you the
letters that girls write to him?" she
asked.
mo such thing!" said Grace redden-
ing. She was willing to dig deep her
self, but her brothers hands must be
left undefiled. Bob wouldn't do any
thing of the kind. He found it among
some papers he was getting rid of the
other day, and told me about it. He
thought it was so comical. Then when
he threw it away I got hold of it,"
81 see," said Edna, quietly And
you brought it up here SO as to have
it handy in case you wanted to hurt
me with it,"
The soft woman evidently had her
weapons, and this was one of them.
The others face flushed as the blow
reached her.
I'm not so bad as that, Edna" she
said, passionately, land you needn't
think am. 1 brought it up here for a
joke. And it would be a joke still if
you had only attended to your own af-
fairs and let mine alone. You seem
to think there's nothing in the world
but that husband of yours. 1 suppose
Willis told you that Mr.. Northway was
not a bit nice and was always coming
late to Sunday school,"
willis never said any such thing
said Edna. HE doesn't even know
Mr.. Northway."
We'll, he would have said it if he
had known him. so it's the same thing.
1 wonder what he'll say about Bob's
letter, thought"
1t was Edna's last chance. She rose,
and throwing off the Afghan came to
her cousins side.
"Grace, dear, you're not really going
to show it to him?" she said with soft
persistence, reaching out for her hand,
II wrote it before / knew Willis That
is, / had met him at dance, but
didn't really come to know him till long
afterward. And-I don't think you're
really going to show it to him. dear"
Grace stood away from the exquisite
outstretched hand.
Edna, DEAR she said smoothly,
"what I'm going to do I've already told
you. And whether you believe me or
not is of no consequence to anybody"
Edna's dark eyes turned wearily out
toward the lake. The slender white
fingers resting on the rail would have
been as powerful against mailed adj
versary as any word of hers against an
angry woman.
"You needn't think" she began at
last, "that you're going to set Willis
against me; because yours not"
"Oh, no." said Grace. willis won't
mind it. He'll be charmed. That's why
you're so anxious 1 should show it to
him"