The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1906-12-28

| light us Tor hours yet, anu ne tHIeW
himself at her feet, while she said,
with light raillery: 81 see you have
caught some of Owatoga's tricks of
speech"
After a pause he said: You are
cold to me to-day; you are not happy
with me. Won't you tell me why?"
She did not answer.
Lavender" (and he fingered over
the name), Tell me why Is this,
then, the time to hate?'"
She looked into his eyes frankly.
NO" she said; mo, not a time to
hate That time will never come.
But it is time to talk A time to
think. A time to be honest with my
self-and you"
Self-disgust was vibrant in her voice.
Then she opened the bag which again
dangled at her waist, and from it drew
the yellow envelope.
Winslow gave an exclamation of dis
tressed annoyance, but said nothing.
Then you recognize this?' and
there was naughty distrust again in
her manner.
81 am sorry to say do. May l ask
how it came in your possession?
His manner, too, was cold and per
emptory.
She did not reply, and he continued:
"The abominable mystery-for me
surrounding that letter is bad enough
without your being mixed up. in it
too; that l cannot bear"
With flashing eyes she returned:
at is true that this letter is~none OF
nv affair unless we are to be
friends. If we are" her voice dropped
lower, then surely l have the right
to know why she-that half-breed
wuman-wrote this?"
She extended the letter toward him,
entreaty, reproach and scorn in her
look and tone.
Winslow took it calmly and, glanc-
| ing it over with an Indifferent air,
said: "She did not write it,
Did not write it?" she repeated,
vaguely.
"She did not. l have the best proof
in the world. She cannot write at all
Then, as she stared at him dunn
founded, he explained further: This
letter is a forgery-written for what
purpose, Heaven alone knows. Its
only result was that, in total ignorance
of the reason for my summons, or
of whom l was going to meet, l came
to the place appointed-in time to re-
ceive a stab in the dark. Of course,
| was a fool to go, but-well, you see
the note is urgent For the sake OF
one | love- the writer says"
He ended with a meaning look
straight into her eyes, which were
beginning to droop before the abso-
lutte honesty in his.
THE woman, Belle, has assured me
that she never sent me a message OF
any sort; the question is-who did,"
Who, indeed? A dreadful doubt was
fomenting in Lavender's brain, but she
persevered falteringly: But the girl
she who was in the woods that
night?'
He laughed. well, l suppose
must take everybody's word that there
was a girl there, but-well, | did not
see her. 1t is plain | did not have
my wits about me. BY the way, | have
met her since; our estates join he
added, with mock dignity.
Already penitent, ashamed of ques'
lions which might seem at best a low
curiosity, at worst foolish jealousy
Lavender yet persisted: Then you
you did not know her before?"
How could l have had that pleas
ure? You know that was my first ap
pearance in st. Charles. Rather an
inauspicious debut, wasn't it?'
Quickly over the girls mind flashed
the conversation she had heard at the
frolic; the gossip o. the "branch-water
girl" and her "city beau
In an attempt to make the crooked
straight, she repeated the talk to him
now, concluding: None of the gossip
of the city cavalier impressed me al
the time, but later, when I heard OF
the meeting in the wood, it seemed rea
sonable to think that-that you were
the man."
She faltered through this with an
apologize blush, and for moment
Winslow was silent.
Then: 'Reasonable?' he echoed
my effort to please you has surely
been in vain if you think it reason
able that could stoop to secret trips
to st. Charles for the sly wooing of q
rustic maid"
Indignation rose with speech, ant
he finished, sternly: you have dom
not only me, but yourself-a grea
injustice"
She was dumb; stricken with an over
whelming sense of loss-loss of thu
man who was more than worthy of thu
love which she now realized had al
ways been his-must ever be his.
And Winslow's manner softened a
she dropped before him in sweet con
triton. Never mind, sweetheart" h
said, tenderly; but she interrupted hin
with sudden vehemence: Then VIII
did they remind me over and owe
again that you killed her father
and"