Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-15

She resumed her seat at the piano. Here
were more preposterous stories, evidently.
Has Mr.. Haverford been heref No? Mr..
Winsiow. perhaps? Who has been SO KIND
Vaughan"
You won't speak like that when / tell
you what Mrs Weilman said. Yes, It vas
Mrs. Wellman herself who told me. She
got 1t from the Morgans, who heard 1t d.
rect from Mrs. Barker, and she heard It
from.
Never mind whom she heard 1t from -
interrupted Katharine impatiently. What
did she hear?'
she heard said Miss Emmeline. drag
ging her words out with Irritating delibera-
ton. that a woman and child have come
out to him from where he lived In Eng
Every particle Of color had left the bright
face before her. Only the eyes. black with
intensity of emotion. transfixed her where
she sat- "A woman? And child?' re-
peated Katharine.
Yes, q woman and a child. First she
said she wasn't his wife and then she said
she was. Anyway, he's been TO see her, at
the McCintock boarding house; was there
for hours, this very morning
This very morning?' repeated Katharine:
This very morning. when she had dreamed
herself into his arms!
And the child, every one says, is the
image of him. The woman Is quite good
looking. blonde finished Aunt Emmeiine.
ITO think that I've let that man hold my
hand and go to sleep the way he did,
Katharine laughed. a wild. historical
laugh. then drew a long. sobbing breath.
'Emmeline." she said sternly, did Mrs.
Wellman feel sure-that this
Sure? Do you suppose Mrs. Wellman, of
all women in the world, would come over
wasn't true? You know how the Wellmans
have felt about him. She was wld.-Don't
look like that, Katharine! l should think
you'd be glad you'd found him out Don't
look like that!''
How do l look?" asked Katharine.
"Oh, can't tell you-as If you had lost
everything" Miss Emmeline stretched cut
her small. jeweled hands in protest.
II have" said Katharine, speaking as ii
to some one far away, cut of sight; lost
everything, all faith in God and man. /
have said of him, He makes me believe
In the Immaculate Conception. He is what
Christ would have been with human
father. His is the realization of the sins of
the world which he cannot take away, the
burden of the sorrow of the world with
which he is afflicted and which he can
not remove. He bears in his body the
marks of human suffering. He is one of
those on whom the stigmata are to be
found They are IN his face, his manner,
the intonations of his voice
Here Miss Emmeline, who had broken in.
every now and then, upon the impassioned
words, with little cries of expostulatfon
cried out: Katharine, I beg of you, don't
blaspheme!'
rs it blasphemy to tell the truth?" in
quired Katharine, still speaking In that far
away, dreaming voice. Pm only saying it
because l must say 1t to some one. And
you won't tell; you won't even take it in. !"
"Of course / won't tell said EAnme-
lin with energy. Il wouldn't for the
world have any one know that you ever said
such things! How you ever thought them
is more than l can comprehend. But you
always did have such an Imagination
Katharine turned away with an impatient
gesture. Would you mind very much,
Emmeline" she said with an effort, IF
asked you to go to bed now and leave me
aIone?'
Why no." said her sister amiably.
There come Arthur and Mabel and Ned"
She hurried out into the hail. Katharine
could hear her exclaim and question, could
hear Arthurs low reply. Epmeline had
asked him If he knew. Ha. had answered
yes They all went into tfe9room opposite,
for a consultation. They were asking EN-
incline how she, Katharine. took it,
They would wonder what to say to her or
II they should ignore the topic altogether.
She would have to meet them in the morn
ing knowing that they knew, and they
would know that she knew. And there
was so much more behind which they did
not know, but of which she would be con-
scious; her blind faith her unqualified sur
render, her agony of humiliation
Why did he not tell her, II the woman
was his wife? Was she his wife?
Why did he-he-what had he done? She
had taken the initiative. from the time he