The Bottineau courant., 1907-12-13

sAange greetings. He was elderly
And 6}affn Uyichod AAa~@tn h(o he 1~hu

swept off hts hat and made careful
.Ncuiries after the ladies' health.
Then he cautered on and the inmates
cf the carl iage leaned back again.
poor Colonel Thomas!" commented
Mrs Gourlay. Il recollect when he
vas the first young man in the county.
he has gone all to pieces in the last
year Ie was rather high once, but
Amanda was too much for him. Sam
calls her 'Petruchio in petticoats.'
Her tones smote her listeners ears
as sounds coming from afar. Poor
Colonel Thomas! Had he ever been in
love with that sharp-voiced woman? ?
How terrible for woman to have
upon her conscience the wreck of a
mans life. If Robert should ever
come to wear that bowed look-if in
stead Of the proud confidence that
we'll became his comely Saxon fea-
lures, he should show in sunken eyes
and f1tful flush the marks of that ill
remedy that promises but never
brings 'surcease of sorrow" . .
But he was too strong, too sane; mis-
cry could never drive him to dissipa-
ton, although it might drive him to
desperation Of another sort. Her
4uick fancy began to picture Robert
estranged from the woman he loved.
Mentally she saw him growing cold,
gloomy and reserved-their intimacy
gone as If it had never been, and they
NY oicfo lyoh
aging in sight Of each other, their
lives dragging on in way that might
come to end in mutual aversion and
disgust. She knew that Robert would
construe her going away to-day, after
their cold parting, into determina-
ton to assert herself against him and,
still worse, to seek abroad sympathy
for that which she was bound as a
loving wife to bear in silence and to
forget.
The proud Fitzhugh blood famed in
her cheeks and her head flung up un-
consciously. But at the same instant
there came into her mind as a bugle
note sounds amid the horrid discord
Of battle, a sentence Robert had ut
tered to her once in the early days Of
their love, when he had Inadvertently
offended her by a careless remark: "A
man is not judged by one word, but by
all the acts of his life"
And as if in her mental struggle she
had been seeking some maxim as a
guide, she fastened upon this and
repeated it over and over to her.
self
All this time she had been mechan-
ically giving outward attention to Mrs
Gourlay, although that shrewd WON.
an, comprehending her absent glance,
made small exactions upon her for re-
ply.
LOUISE" Mrs. Meeks finally said,
in an imperative understone, tell
John to come back and take me home
must go back this minute. If you
think anything of me-" she added
hastily, interposing against remon.
STRANGE, do as l ask"
"Now, Linda, listen to reason. II
you've made up your mind to go
back and eat humble pie-excuse the
truth-at least wait till after dinner
and John shall drive you back It
would be absurd to turn back now"
"Louise-you don't understand my
feelings. I was wrong to come. Rob-
ert was to come home early this even
ing and bring an old friend just from
England with him to stay a few
days. Think how notifying to find
me gone away"
ut would look badly. Still-serve
him right"
mo, was cross myself this morn
ing-probably. I didn't mean to tell
you our quarrel-our half quarrel. But
never mind talking about it, only,
please take me back. Or else let me
walk? 1 can walk; it's not far"
Linda Fitzhugh! Well, then-John,
Mrs. Meeks has forgotten an impor-
tant engagement and we must take
her straight home again"
Mrs. Gourlay glanced at her watch
and said resignedly: You always
have you own way with me, Linda.
wish you were half as spunky as
somebody else"
At the porch they parted with a
warmer kiss than usual. Linda could
not help feeling that she had cast her
self adrift to swim alone henceforth
in waters that might be cold and
sullen. She went into the house and
took off her hat half reluctantly. The
next few hours dragged on in un-
broken darkness. About four o'clock
the bay horses dashed up and Mr..
Meeks alighted from his buggy fol.
lowed by a fine-looking, gray-haired
man, who was in the midst of re-
marks evidently admiring and compli-
mentary In their nature.
Mrs. Meeks stood on the veranda,
her eyes a trifle brighter than usual,