Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1905-12-30

.eI""Ps tnis ~ turning point in my
life.' he thought. during one of these
pauses; "and there may he some chance
Tor me after all. Why should I not have
career Ike other men. and try like
them to he of some use to my species
Better. perhaps. to he always trying and
| always falling. than TO stand aloof for
ever. wasting my intellect upon vain cal.
culations. will wash my hands of Mrs.
George Gilbert and go back to the Pri-
DRY and sleep peacefully. and tomorrow
morning | will ask Gwendoline to be my
| wife"
But the picture of Isabel Gilbert and
the stranger meeting In Nessborough
| Hollow was not to he so easily erased
from Mr.. Lansdcll's brain. The habit
of vacillation. which had grown out Of
the idleness Of his life. was stronger In
him tonight than usual: but the desire
to see for himself how deeply he was
wronged triumphcd over every other
feeling. and he never turned his face
from the direction In which Nessborough
Hollow lay. lie came near the place at
last. a little tired by the long walk from
Lowlands. n good deal wearied by all
the contendng emotions of the last few
hours. He came upon the spot at last.
not by the ordinary roadway, but across
strip Of thickly wooded waste land
lying high above the hollow.
He saw all this: and then from the
other end Of the still glade he saw two
figures coming slowly toward the Inn.
Two figures. one Of which was 20 fa-
miliar and had been 80 dear that de-
SPAR, complete and absolute. came upon
him for the first nnd last time. In that
one brief start Of recognition. All. sure.
~ he had never believed In her falsehood
until this moment: surely II he had be.
lieved Charles Raymond. the agony Of
seeing her here could not have been so
great as this.
lie stood MS still a. death. not bctray.
Ing his presence by SO much ns the rust.
ling Of leaf. while the two figures
approached the spot above which he
stood. But little way of they passed.
and were parting. very coolly. rs II
seemed, when Mrs. Gilbert lifted up her
face and said something TO the man.
He stood with his back turned toward
Roland. to whom the very expression Of
Isabers face was visible In the moon.
light.
After this the doctors wife went
away. Roland watched her as she turn.
I'd once. and stood for q moment looking
hack at the man from whom she had
Just parted. and then disappeared among
the shadows In the glide. All! II she
had been nothing more than n shadow
II he could hnve awakened to find all
this the brief agony Of a dream!
All that was left Of the original sav.
age In the fine gentleman arose mt the
moment In Roland 1.anslell's breast.
lie lcapcd down the sloping bank with
scarcely any consciousness Of touching
the slippery grass; but he dragged the
ferns and branches from the loose earth
In his descent. and a shower Of torn
vertiurc flew up Into the summer air. He
had no weapon. nothing but his right
arm. wherewith to strike the broad.
chested. black.bcardcd stranger. But he
never paused to consider that, or to
count the chances Of q struggle. Hs
only know that he wanted to kin the
man for whose sake Isabel Gilbert had
rejected him. In the next moment bis
hands were on tho strangers throat.
"You scoundrel," he gasped, hoarsciy.
"yOu cOnsummate coward and scoun.
drcl. to bring that woman to this place"
There was brief struggle. and then
the stranger freed himself from Mr..
Lansdeli's grasp. There was no comparI.
son between tho physical strength aud
weight Of the two men; and tho Unequal.
ity was sensibly increased by a stout
walking stick Of the bludgeOn order car.
ried by the black.bear,icd stranger.
"Hoity-toity" cried the gentleman,
, who seemed scarcely disposed to take
Mr.. Lansdelrs attack seriously; Shave
you newly escaped from some local luna.
tic asylum, my friend, that you 20 about
the country flying ut peoples throats In
this fashion? What's the row? Can't a
gentleman In the merchant navy take a
moonlight stroll with his daughter for
. once In a way. to wish her goOd.by BE-.
fore no fits out for fresh voyage,
without oil this hullabalooY"
, "Your daughterv' cried Roland Lans.
dell. "YOur daughterY"
Eyes, my daughter Isabel. wife Of Mr..
Gilbert, surgeon"
"Thank heavcn" murmured Roland.
, slowly. "thank heaven!"
And then a little pang Of rem0rse shot
. through his heart, AZ he thought how
, little his boosted love had been worth.
after all. How ready no had been to
disbelleve In her.
I " ought to have known" he thought
II ought to have known that she was
innocent. II all the world had been
, banded together against her. ! should
have been her champion and defender.
But my love was only paltry passion
3 after all. The gold changed to brass iu
( the fire OF the first ordeal"
: He thought this, or something like
D this, and then In the next moment he
said, courteOusly;