The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-09-28


qulet And your
SAID e did not intlE ne TO-
I know about tesnlI ] yla1. con med with
was your future ?. Edith an ere hdr
Fqiee trembling 4 little t1tho1gh her
4 eyes were brave
Billy got mp ana stretched himself
That settles IT,, he said eSane the
DAY, right on, % can 50 order we'd
ding cards"
Edith did name the day, but not until
she had stood cut against him a week.
/ She might not have given In even then
but for the ordeal at church Not only
4 was she cut right and left-the minister
/ preached at her-not by name, OF
conrse, but In 4 fashion more than I'M
mIstakable.
Billy was there. across the aisle
| GIum and furious. After service he
half led her out, and walked away
| With her, his head high. But even that
/ did not hurt IKE the furtiye yet swng-
Rerinr airs Of the three men who
! called In the evening. There was fur
/ ther something OF patronage about
them.
Altogether they made Edith hate
\ them, but not as she hated herself. She
/ was fun OF quick kindness and had
not meant hurt or affront to anybody
lat least not In the beginning. Duly
] ghe wondered why her townsfoIk would
not understand she had come back to
them because her interest lay among
them and had been eager to help In all
good works if only she had been per-
mitted
But she held up her head and laughed
and jested tn the latest OF her callers
took himself away. Then silently she
held out her hand to Billy he UNDER
stood and announced an early wed
ding day.
It was a church wedding. with the
house damned to the last inch After Il
the newly married settled back into
their old ways, going pace that kept
them the talk Of the town
They were very gay and desperately
unhappy. Edith could not get away
from a sense that Billy had married
her wholly out OF chivaIry. BIlly7 Billy
was old enough to know better, but be
was proving the adage that love. which
may make a fool wise man. may Ike
wise make a wise man a fool he tor
mented himself with the thought that
he had taken advantage OF Edtth's ex-
tremity She must know he had loved
her from their very first meeting, but
she was shy and proud and high with
him, Notwithstanding she was his duti-
tul wife.
he left her much to herself and took
pains to make her know that she was
as free as ever. Edith resented the
freedom. Billy ought to understand
that she wanted to obey him-make
him at least that poor recOmpense for
his sacrifice.
Thus they ate out their hearts In
cross purposes, cross mfscomprehen-
sions. until Ashbel Glare came to visit
them. AshbeI was rcputed danger
Gus persOn-tan and slight and hand
some, with deep seeing eyes A glamour
Of romance hung about him. After the
first day Billy wondered, with catching
breath, If he had been quite wise to
ding man like .Asllbel across Edith's
path.
She was clearly fascinated by him.
They were forever wnli1ing about the
big, scrI.blly garden OF along the strip
of lawn in fun sight OF passersby and
all the while absorbed in talk. Edith
was brighter. too-quitc her old. vim
some self. AshbeI seemed equally cap
tvated. he reused himself as Billy
had not seen him since they were lads
together.
weeks at last into a month, and Billy
was In torment He had made grim
and mannerIy third for the most part
of the time. Still he was sure the two
had some secret understanding. he
had made mp his mind to endure to the
end. There was no danger of dlshonor.
Dishonor and Edith could not come to-
gether in his mind. But when he was
quite sure-if he were quite sure-he
would fnd a way out OF IT. His IA
Their had died OF heart disease There
were ways of ending yourself without
making a scandal. He would make an
end of himself glndly II only that way
lay Edlth's happiness.
The first thing was to make his VIII
Ashbel Clare surprised him at IT. Billy
WIS glad. He wanted Ashbel TO know,
10 understand how entirely he had
trusted his wife and his friend. So he
thrust the paper into Clare's hand. say
ing Gru1ly:
..Read thnt. You sec I've some de-
cent instincts II I am half savage"
81 see. Everything. great or small.
to your wife, AshbeI said, then, with
whimsical, half dreamy smile. "DO
you know that she's the most fascinat-
Ing creature aliveg"
'sJust what she says OF your Billy
growlod signing his name with
blurred flourish.
Ashbol bent over him. laughing
softly.
''The perception docs credit to her
mind" hc s1iG. -..As for her heart.
Billy. rou i:ruts. that knows no better