Mower County transcript., 1906-09-19

girl, indeed Your friend is wounded,
dying, maybe, and you have no COM
:ments, give no aid !, are merely il the
doldrums, tired, 4 ] forsooth i! Z
The injustice reused her. .'sYo You are
mistaken, Gerald !, as well as unkind..
4 did inquire Of the woman at the tav-=
ern If there were anything we could do.
But Mr.. sWinslow is out of danger, she
thinks, and does not need our help. III /
am most distressed at the accident, but
Il can say nothing more Ell will say Moth
5ingmore. I do not forget what we owe
to Mr.. Winslow. It is because I am not.
that am silent now.''
nsSilent about what p he demanded,
*irritated by her unsatisfactory atti-
3tude. # he intended shielding himself,
her silence was his best protection;
by it he was called upon neither to ex-
cuse nor condemn. But his purpose
wayered between two plans. Lacking
courage to confess his own connection
with the affair, he lacked, too, boldness in
the dishonest course. Thus, while cow
ardice held him bnck, a>native honesty
spurred him into negative champion
ship. He talked fast in time to violent
rowing. ''Senor Gonzaga told me Of
the scandal, so-called, and intimated
that you were upset over it.
A faint, sarcastic smile was her only
response to this remark.
What, in Heavens name, has the
OF ct
Cant one have a love-affair without
gossip? Can't he meet a girl without
consulting his neighbors as to how,
and when, and where?"
: Gerald spoke with the unconscious
eloquence of one pleading his own
cause. His eyes flashed, his voice rang
defiance to unseen accusers. For the
first time Lavender sat bolt upright,
her spirit on fire with all the pent-up
feelings of the night.
i, 1T is, perhaps, true, that Mr.. Wins
lows morals are not our affair, but, if
so, then Mr.. Winslow's lines in life
are not cast with us. The man into whose
morals we may not look may be our
creditor, may load us with benefits; in
return he, wins our gratitude, our pity
ing silence, but our friendship, our es-
TEEN, never"
'You are talking nonsense" Gerald
retorted. IT have always been proud
of you, Lavvy, because your look on
life is less restricted than custom die
tates for women. You are usually less
narrow, less"
She Interrupted him scornfully:
" Narrow You call it narrow to lose
reverence for man who kills his fel-
bowman? Who lies to us about his ar
rest in st. Louis, that he may be the
better rid Of us, and live his own life un-
'trammeled? Let him live it," She
flung herself back in the: stern, and
gazed at the sky, her face white and
fearless.
Gerald tugged at the oars in des-
perate, wondering silence. OF the
nights occurrences he had confused
recollection. At the party, and later
at the tavern, he had drunk freely, and
his brain was not clear He knew only
that he had gone to keep the tryst with
Susan. He, had found, instead, the dead
body Of her father, and the wounded
Winslow. How the latter came there
was mystery. He was only sure that
the stab which had laid Winslow low
was intended for himself. 1t was, there
fore, salve to his conscience to think
the worst; to give bad motive, how
ever vague, for the strangers pres
ence there. Besides, had he not killed
Sues father? The recollection OF his
sweetheart's grief, quite, for the moment,
overbalanced whatever of personal gain
there might be to him in the taking-off
of this old hunchback, whose murder
Gus intent had nearly cost a life. The
deed was done; Jabez was dead, and by
Winslow's hand. Steeled by these
thoughts, he allowed GonZaga's sophis-
try to convince him that silence was
best.
To he Continued