The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-28
WYs. CY0mheH'S HeaYt

ly for further signs anC pbrtentS, but
 there were none. Also none appeared later during the evening, and at last,
 when Mrs. Cartwright went to bed, she said to herself, disgustedly, that she had been entirely too ready with her sus- picions.
 The men, left below had gravitated to the billiard room, and after a sketchy
 game of pool had settled themselves very
 comfortably on the leather cushions in one corner of the room. Carol Cartwright had taken the second sip from his long drink when the butler called him to the door. He returned in a moment with
 concern and apology in his face. Can you chaps make yourselves com fort ble for an hour without me?" he
 said. I've got to go over to the farm My farmer man there has had fit or a stroke of something. it appears. He's a good old chap. l must have a look at him. l shall be back in an hour" The other two men said yes. of course, it was all right, not to think of them, arL then. when Cartwright had gone. each of them drew a rather long breath an took further look at the other over | tn toI of his glass Cromwell threw away his cigar and lighted a cigarette ' which he smoked half down in silence. 1 f1ic!.ing off the ash with abstracted | finger. He was rather handsome man, somewhat between 20 and 30. with a l square face and a mouth that closed | straight and still. He had played football | in his college days, and now he played l polo and squash in the intervals of burn I in; incense before his beautiful wife. '1m glad Carol has gone" he said. at i last, looking up at the other man with a 1 little nervous laugh of apology for his words You see" he said. "I-this gives nI,a fn fn al tn Nn1I about something, rather frankly-that is, | if you don't mind"
 The smoke stood still for an instant | over the other mans cigar. and his eyes narrowed a bit but his voice. when he l spoke, seemed entirely natural and at 1 ease.
 "Rightr said he. Fire away! don't | know what you want to talk about but 1 fire away I'm listening
 Well, you see." said Cromwell, and | halted again. frowning down at the cigar | cite which he held between his fingers You see." he repeated and stuck He | seemed unable to choose his words. "Tve been married" he said, "a bit | more than year, now. You know" Yes" said the other man, In odd | still tone. ''Yes. l know"
 "I married a girl.' said Cromwell, 1 smoking rapidly "who was-and is-sev-
 eral thousand times too good for me, you | know"
 "oh, my dear chapl' said the painter 'Who doesn't marry a girl a thousand l times too good for him!'
 "And," said Cromwell, as If he had not been interrupted "a girl who-who was 1 not only too good for me. but who was l in love with another man."
 1 "Ah!" breathed MT. Wareham, in that ] same still tone.
 1 How she happened to marry me" yntt xnl1 mt m Nnl r (<nd | she Neither one has ever explained it to | me. Perhaps it was because she knew | how very much I-I-cared for her, be- cause she knew I should always care for i her whether she cared for me or not. | Perhaps that was why"
 "Cut the other man?" questioned Ware | ham. gently, and, once more the smoke 1 stood still over his cigar. He did not | raise his eyes. "The other man!' he 1 said. "Why didn't she marry him? Or. | is that secret also in Gods keeping and hers?"
 "IIe never asked her to marry him, :" , said Cromwell. "He didn't want to marry , her. He wasn't a marrying man." He ! spoke In a tone In which wonder and a sort of fierce resentment were blended. Fancy a man caring about-her," he l said, 'and not wanting to marry her, I | can't-I can't see It. at all, you know" 1 Then suddenly an odd little flare of ner- | Vous anger seemed to rise Tn him. 1 "Oh, damn this farce!' he cried. l Why can't we speak out? We might as l well speak out. Beatrice was In love with l you, Wareham, at the time she married
 mo. She had been in love with you, I
 | fancy, for long time-two or three years. l She--she told me so very frankly before l we were married She warned me that she | wasn't at all sure she'd ever get over 1t. 1 She wanted to make 1t plain on what ! grounds she was-coming to me-just how
 l little she had to offer me. She-Bee, has l oGd little moods. now ane then, of want
 | ing to confess-like a child, Just like a 1 child,-wantng to make clean breast l of everything she's got on her mind. She 1 told me that she cared for you. but l that you'd never asked her to marry you. l At first, in the beginning of 1t. she says l she thought you were going to. You'd 1 told her you-loved her, and she expected 1 that as natural consequence. Then she | began to wonder and wait and wait and 1 then she fell i'll, and-well, you didn't
 seem very much alarmed about her. and, | at last. after long time, she--under- ! Yes. l expect that hurt Well. she came { back to America. and asked her for | the hundredth time to marry me. and at | last she said yes.' The other man raised I his head as if he meant to speak, but l Cromwell held up hand to check him. Let me finish first, When I said a moment ago that Bee had been in love with you at the time she married me I didn't put the thing accurately. What has made me talk to you about all this