Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-08-13
DAILY STORY
AN EXPLANATION.
IOriginal.1

white ruching in her bonnet marked
her for widow. A gentleman sitting
near her arose and, approaching her,
raised his hat and said:
Mrs Sands"
The lady looked up and met kindly
glance with one the reverse of kindli-
ness-it was icy cold.
you have forgotten me?" said the
man.
Not at all l have good reason to
remember Ogden Rockwell
The man stood, evidently undecided
whether to return to his seat or re-
main and prolong the interview. The
lady removed n bag from the vacant
seat beside her, though she did not
ask him to be seated. He sat on the
arm instead.
"A great deal has passed since we
last met" he said.
Il remember the circumstance very
well. 1t was a week before my we'd
ding. You took it upon yourself to
give me advice"
1.-THE scene is equally vivid to me.
1 remember some things l said to you,
but if l advised you l have forgot
ten it
AT that meeting, or rather parting,
you told me that il l married Lau-
renee Sands l would regret ii. | did
not believe that you would aid in any
regret Il wife might feel in her hus-
bands weakness
Nor did L dream that fate would
make 1t my duty TO expose that weak
ness. AS cashier | was responsible
for any leak in the funds of the bank
You could have screened him for
the sake of the woman you had pro
fessed to love-
"Hanford was suspected of having
taken the money. Would you have
had me sacrifice him?'
To this there was no reply.
Granting" the man went on, that
there was no matter of duty or JUS
tice, would you expect me TO shield
man who had taken away from me
all that made the world attractive to
me?"
You struck through him the woman
whom you say was all that might have
made the world attractive to you"
There was Il brief pause at the end
of which the man said:
II asked what you would have ex-
pected.'
Il would only expect man of Won
derful nobility of soul to shield
rival"
You would put it better if you said,
Only a cur would fail to shield rival
when the woman they both loved was
to suffer-
She looked up at him inquiringly.
My part in the exposure was what
hurt me-" he added. THAT could not
help, though it wounded YOU
why was the exposure necessary
when there was way out of the mat
ter, as is evident from the fact that
Laurence was not prosecutor
1T was known to the officers of the
bank that Il considerable sum of money
had disappeared AS / have said. Han
ford was suspected. The real cTlprit
must at least be known
The woman bent her head. The dis
cussion of the matter was terribly pain
full, even though it had occurred five
years before. She put her handker-
chief to her eyes and wept. Then, dry
ing her tears she said:
There is one and only one feature of
the case on which love to dwell. That
is the noble act of I.aurence's friend,
Horton. who paid the indebt-
ednesS and saved Laurence from pris-
on"
The man dropped into the vacant
seat. When he did so he was too alb
sorbed in his thoughts to be conscious
OF the act. At the end of a'brief silence
he said:
You were misinformed, as to Hor-
tons part in the matter Horton was
implicated in the embezZsement and
threw the whole blame or your hus-
band"
The lady turned in astonishment.
Horton implicated. Horton, threw the
blame on Laurence!'
Horton. not 1, was responsible for
he matter coming OUT
why, then" she asked Indignantly,
was l led to believe that Horton fur
lished the means TO save Laurence?
from the first L was deceiveh-deceived
~ everybody, by you, from whom 1
night have expected
You were Laurence Sands WIFE"
Was this a reason why l should be
deceived as to the person who be-
riended him."
Yes
will you explainlr"
1.-The person who furnished the means
o make good the deficit did so on the
that some one should stand
n his place to you rs the donor. Hor-
on, as Laurence's friend, made an eX-
client substitute and, being impli-
'ated. could be compelled to accept the
,art"
why did the donor desire to hide
lis noble act under the cloak of thief
md n traitor to his bosom friend?'
Because he was a man and you
we're married woman
"Well?''