Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-10

ND SLANDERERS FOR ALWAYS.
so capricious as her actions indicated. this
decision was thoroughly good thing.
looked aae b. back n' Pose s; had taken out her
pocket handkerchief. and was wiping her
eyes with the little wisp half the ship had
picked up after her Clandonald, In two
strides, returned to her side.
II am not going to push myself~into your
company. Just two minutes. and I'll be
off. But 1 think you owe 1t to me to say
why you treating me like a scoundrel
or an impoStOr."
oh! not that, not that" she cried pite-
ously.
Have 1 done anything to forfeit a place
among your decent acquaintance since
that time you chung to my arm and mean
since you let me feel that l might stand
between you and insult"
Nothing. l believe in you just the same
and always shall"
But-you believe In me- in spite of whatr
''Oh Lord Clandonald how can say 1t to
your" she exclaimed, driven to the wall.
II have stood a good deal of evil speaking
in my time he said in grim undertone.
And II 1t helps to clear the atmosphere be-
tween us. can stand more.
cit Is not you only. l, too, have been the
victim of cruel and sianderous sayings l
have not told my dear father, who Is so I'M
suspicious. I wouldn't have him suffer
as have for the world. For the last TWEEN
ty-four hours have been receiving, in all
sorts Of odd ways that I cannot trace,
anonymous notes about you and me that
have cut me to the quick.
Let me see one Of Them he said, grow
ing slightly pale.
SDo you think I'd keep the horrid. poi
sonous things? Not half hour since 1 tore
the whole batch into little bits, and threw
them overheard Perhaps l ought to
tell you, they were written by woman,
who says
100 nm Misc N;nstanlev"
THAT you wronged her cruelty and
ruined her whole life"
II thought So" he said, between his teeth.
His face had grown so dark and bitter that
Posey hardly knew the man. There is only
one who could-but how, in Gods name, did
she get aboard this ship?'
81 suppose the writer thought I would not
have courage to tell you-but 1 always be-
lieve in speaking out, you know"
TT may be some low practical Joke at our
expense" he suggested, his eyes Tightening.
mo. even 1, who never saw an anony-
nous letter before, could tell that this Is
horribly real. Whoever it is, Lord Clandon-
aid, you-and now I-have a desperate enc
my. / am threatened with a scene, ex-
posture, she calls it, that will disgrace me
utterly, if am seen again with you"
LET me risk it for you! Let me stand
between you and all liars, evil speakers and
slanderers for always'-the man exclaimed
passionately. then stopped short.
There was that in the girls look that
IL.
The staring white light of the electric globe
Immediately above them showed the bloom
forsaking her young face, the lips trembling
violently.
ut proves how little we know of each
other that l should let you say such words
to one who has no right to hear them," she
said, recovering herself to speak in her nat
ural tone. But If we mayn't be friends
after this, please remember that have be-
lived you, not your slanderer Now as my
father doesn't seem to be coming back and
this Is not my native air, if 1t is yours,
will say goodbye. Wen be too busy and too
cross to want to speak to each other to-
morrow morning, even If 1t were wise If
you meet me again, 1t will be a different
Pamela Winstaney, one who knows more
perhaps. and makes fewer mistakes, but
who'll never forget your kindness on this
voyage"
Clandonald was bewildered at her rand
change back into the speech of convention
atty, her self-control, her determination to
put MIN definitely away from her. His brain
was also dizzy with thoughts of the dread
presence on shipboard of the one women he
had hoped never to see on earth again
what ne might. could or would have an
sWered Miss Winstan'ey was not said
They stood together uncertainty for ons
confusing moment in what seemed a moist
gray world, haunted by skulking shadows
in tarpauiin, the chill wind of the channel
whipping them, overhead the repeated ran
cous roar of the fog-horn-and then she was
gone, melted away ipko- encompassi
gloom! His shp-idyl his mad brief temnta,
lions of a few moments since, were mast
He was back again in England with his bit
ter memories and cheerless future.
TO Mariol he gave, before bedtime. an ac
count Of the outrage to which Miss Win
stanley had been subjected, begging him
to try to trace out the offender, and Silence
her at any cost.
The t'renchman. promising TO do this. and
relieved at the collapse OF his friends mas
cent affair with Miss Winstan!ey, was hard
ly surprised on awakening next day and
finding their ship safely alongside her
dock in Liverpool, to be told that his
lordship impatient of delay, had gone
had nosed Its way to the fog bound liner
to carry OF the mails. leaving his servant
to follow with his luggage
Mariol. after attending cessfully to
the business intrusted to him by CLAN
donald, encountered Miss Carstairs her
chaperon and maid. ON deck awaiting the
summons to go ashore. He stood by them.
commenting with amusement upon the sud
den disintegration of the ardent intimacies
of the voyage. To judge from appear
ances,the chief aim of the passengers was
now to rid themselves of one another as
promptly as possible. People who had sworn
fidelity over night We're off1sh, mysterious.
absorbed in petty anxieties about customs.
kilograms, trains and tips. As usual to in
experienced tourists. the latter question
overshadow the glories of European travel
What attendants had been renlunerated
according to service DONE what counte-
nances had daIkened. who had seemed sat
isfied, was discussed in whispers between
anxious family groups. Farewell septi-