Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-04-12


lower, lip with a snap, and she stood
looking at him, breathing SO hard that
the sound was almost sob.
what do you mesn 2" she whispered
hoarsely.
He raised his shoulders In polite sur
prise at her dizziness Of comprehension.
"In- the unfortunate circumstances
in which you are placed" be explain
ed. 'it seems to me that the least one
can do is to offer every assistance in
ones power. Please consider me hors
de concours. In world scratch.
She gasped like aeswimmer swim
ming for life. She was fighting for
that which some deem dearer than
life-namely, her love. For 1t Is not
only the good women who love. though
these understand it best and see fur
Their into it.
"Then you can never have cared for
mep' she cried. "All that you have
told me"-and her eyes flashed til
umpbantly across Oscard - "all that
YOU have promised and vowed was
utterly false If you turn against me at
the first word of man who was car
ried away by his own vanity into
thinking things that he had no bus'-
ness to think"
If Guy DISCARD was no great adept
at .wordy warfare, he was at all events
strong in his reception Of punishment.
He stood upright and quiescent, De-
traying by neither sign nor movement
that her words could hurt him.
81 beg to suggest again" said JACK
composedly, that Oscard has not yet
brought any accusations against you.
You hare brought them oil yourself"
You are both cruel and cowardly,"
uhe exclaimed, suddenly descending
to vituperation 1.-Two to one. Two
n-gent!emen-against one defense
less girl. or course am not able to
argue with you. OF course you can
get the best Of me. 1t Is so easy to be
sarcastic"
81 do not imagine" retorted JACK,
"that anything that we can say or do
will have much permanent power OF
hurting you For the last two years
YOU have been engaged In an-intrigue
such as a>thiD skinned or sensitive
person would hardly Of her own free
will undertake. You may be able to
explain it to yourself-no doubt you
are-but to our more limited compre-
tensions 1t must remain inexplicable.
We can only judge from appearances"
"And, Of course, appearances go
against me. They always do against
woman" she cried rather brOkenly.
you would have been wise to have
taken that popularity into considera-
ton sooner" replied Jack. Meredith
coldly. 81 admit that I am puzzled.
canuot quite get at your motive. Pre-
sumably 1t Is one Of those sweet fem
mime inconsistencies which are SO
charming in books"
There was little pause. Jack Mere
dith waited politely to hear If she had
anything further to say. His clean cut
face was quite pallid. The suppressed
anger in his eyes was perhaps more
difficult to meet than open fury. The
man who never fOrgets himself before
q woman Is likely to be an absolute
master of women.
II think" lie added. that there Is
nothing more to be said
There was a dead silence. Mill!ccnt
Chyne glanced toward Guy DISCARD. lie
could have saved her yet by simple
lie. Had he been an impOssibly mag
unanimous man. such as one meets In
books only. he could have explained
that the mistake was all his, that she
was quite right, that his own vanity
had blinded him into great and un'
warranted presumption. But un
fortunately, he was only human be-
ing, q man who was ready to give as
full q measure as he eXacted. The un
fortunate mistake to which he clune
was that the same sense Of justice, the
same code of honor, must serve for meu
and women alike. So Mlllicent Chynf
looked in vain for that indulgence
which Is so inconsistency offered tc
women, merely because they are wo
men, the indulgence which Is some
times given and sometimes withheld
according to the softness of the mascu
line heart and the beauty Of the sup
plant feminine form. Guy Oscard wa:
quite sure of his own impressions
This girl had allowed him to begin
loving her, had encouraged him to &C
on. had led him to believe that his love
was returned. And in his simple liz
norance Of the world he did not see why
these matters should be locked up IL
his own breast from mistaken sense
of chivalry to be accorded where) M
chivalry was due.
NO" he answered. "There is nothing
more to be said"
without looking toward her, Jack
Meredith made few steps toward
the door-quietly, self cOmposedly, with
that perfect savoir faire of the socia
expert that made him different from
other men. Millicent Chyne felt sud
den Dlebean desire to scream. 1t was
all so heartlessly well bred. He turned
on his heel with little half cynica
bow.
81 leave my name with YOU" he said
ut is probable that you will be put Il
some inconvenience. l can only regret
that this-denouement did not come