Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-12-25
CHAPTER TX.

II nave been curious to See," he said,
chow Ceclly would affect New Workers.
She is certainly well stared at"
| "And no wonder!" 1 said. "She
would make ST. Anthony turn his
head"
"Ah, you think sol" and he shot me
a quick glance. you admire her,
thenY'
Admiration is hardly the word" /
said slowly. 'It is too weak, too thin
Evidently he misunderstood me, for
he did not wait for me to finish, to ex-
plain myself.
'That makes it easier for me-" he in
terrupted. You have perhaps sus-
pected that the union between us is not
a-ah-a legal one2"
Eyes," said, II had suspected that
"Such unions are the rule in Mar
Unique" he continued calmly, "and
have been from time iWmeporlal.
They are part Of the life there. They
are a matter Of course, and frequently
they are as permanent and happy as
any regular one could be. CeciIy is
what Is known as file de couleur-
physically, believe, the most beauti-
ful women in the world"
''Then she is not an exception?"
"Oh, no-she's type-physically at
least. Mentally, I believe she does
differ somewhat from the typical ca
presse. For instance, never knew
another attempt to tame fer-de-
lance"
"It seemed to me-" I observed, "that
she had as many possibilities as the
snake"
he laughed lightly.
"For evil, you mean? That's merely
the effect of the first view. Really, the
capresse girls have an excellent repu-
tation for dociity and all the rest. Not
that 1t would matter much In Marti-
| nique-the people there are used to
living over volcano and don't mind.
or course" he added in another tone,
II shall before long have to break
1t off. Society here Is differently or
ganized-different climates, different
morals, you know; feel that I must
conform to 1t. Indeed, even wish to
do so. 1t Is time that I settled down.
ranged myself, became a man Of
family. have been a wanderer long
enough. Cecily can't endure this ell
mate anyway. I'll send her back to
st. Pierre
what will she say to that?" asked,
with vivid memory of the adorang
way her eyes always dwelt upon him.
"You think it sounds little brlftai7"
and he smiled gayly. TT isn't, in the
least. You've put Cecily ON too high a
PEDESTAL They have an axiom down
there Nee de l'amour, la file de cou-
leur nit d'amour, de rires, ct d'oublis-
her life Is thing of love, laughter
and forgettings. think it's essentially
true. AT the same time" he added
more seriously, 81 don't wish to be
needlessly cruel. That's the reason I'm
telling you all this. It's sort of intro
ducton."
"Ah," l said, and looked at him.
III blurt 1t out in word. I'll be
out of town next week-all week-ny
business demands it-and It's absurd
for me to think of taking Cecily with
me-it's absolutely impossible -it
would ruin the whole affair. What
want to ask you is this-look in on
her occasionally, cheer her up, take
her to the theater. If you'll be SO good.
She knows no one here, and she has
ridiculous need Of companionship, Of
chattering to some one. Of having some
one to admire her. It's born in the
blood, l suppose; it's an Inheritance
from two centuries Of ancestors. Left
to herself, she'll soon nope herself. sick.
VIII you do this for me, my friend?"
There was compelling wizardry in
his eyes as he looked at me. yet had
self control enough to pause and reflect.
Still. saw no reason why should re-
fuse, even had my own inclination not
greatly urged me forward. Here
would be an opportunity to unvell such
secrets of his as Cecily might know
especially as to where they had been
on the evening Of the murder Per.
haps she even knew the victim; could
give me clew to the connection be-
tween him and Tremaine, If such a
connection existed. There Were unlimlt-
ed possibilities. And yet a feeling of
shame held me back. 10 take advan-
tage In this way Of msn who trusted
me, against whom thers was nothing
but the merest most Intangible sus-
plcon-
looked up and met his intent ga1e.
"You were reasctingas he satd
Merely that it Is a delicate trust.
I'm not at all unwilling to undertake 1t
only
Again he misunderstood; again he
did not wait for me to finish. It was
the only weakness ever detected in
him-he made false step that could
never be retraced.
"Only you are flesh and blood, you
would say" and he shot me a smile
which illumined as lightning fash
the depths of his character. ION that
score, do not worry, beg Of you.
am not of jealous disposition. shall
not
A knock at the door Interrupted him
or might have answered in u way
that would have wrecked Godrrey's
plan forever. ! flung the door open
and saw Higgins standing there.
yanjl. A. m, te1auhS1aS f.. ynn, N