Evening star., 1907-09-04

but her hand paused and clutched at her
| heart.
I sprang to her side
Don't! Don't!' she moaned. trying to
push me away. 'Don't-touch met
But. Mrs. Randolph
II don't wish you to speak to me again"
But will speak to you: you must hear
met
caught her hand-t trembied violently;
carried 1t to my lips.
Mrs. Randolph" CRIED in q tremor of
| excitement. overwhelmed by her changed
attitude. Il must speak to you: I must
| make myself clear. 1t Is not my fault that
you believed me Julian Randolph. You will
bear witness to that. More than once
have declared to you"
But IL thought
II loved your I cried. IT loved you
| in which first met you. was not your
husband. but I resolved to become your
| husband. have tried to conduct myself
honorably. and"
She drew back. trembling.
is this the conduct OF an honorable
man.
But I explained to you." urged. ION
the Idler. you will remember. and at other
| times, l explained everything to you. l
| told you this-that 1 was not your husband.
but that desired to become your husband.
declared my love. /"
"Fool-fool that have beenr'
| Hear me, Mrs. Randolph, for the sake
| Of the great love with which 1 love you.
That love has made me-
True love does not make a man q vii
| lain!"
BUT it may cause him to do things
| Spare me-" she begged "This-this is
| too painful" I saw tears in her eyes,
| Spare mel"
Mrs. Randolph
you must not stay here another day. not
another hour
But. Mrs Randolph" chartered.
| Mrs Randolph. can't leave you.'
you must CO." she said, inexorably.
! She was reeling with weakness. 1t was
cruel l saw. to continue my appeals.
II will co." 1 said. since you wish it.
But shall not leave you. I love you 30
much that 1t Is impossible for me to leave
! you. I shall not trouble you. but shall
be near you II you will see me some time
I will contrive an opportunity. You will
| see me some timer"
60! Cor she said. And now the tears
streamed down her cheeks. ''Oh. my God.
| I can't stand this"
opened the door blindly and dashed like
| a madman from the room. paused at the
| foot Of the stairs. checking my Wild impulse
| to rush out Of the house. I was not even
entitled to wear the clothing had on. The
| thought caused me to hasten to tho rooms
! l had grown accustomed to calling mine.
There began to change into the clothing
| had worn when flrst met Mrs. Ran
IL.
viIainous seemed the fact that I had
donned and worn with piacidity the clothing
Of Julian Randolph. I was not able to heap
! on myself sufficient obloquy.
1t from closet and dresser drawers. saw
| the shining revolver with which l had
fired on Jepson's boat-Julian Randolph's
revolver. 1t lay where ! had placed It
after our arrival here and It was loaded.
How like rhodomontade and cheapest fus->
tian seemed now my talk to Jepson. I was
but tinsel hsro after all. And now / had
reached the end.
!, I stared at that revolver. where II
beckoned me. Here was a quick exit. A
pull of that trigger. flash. and should
be out OF 1t. For moment I trembied
| under the force Of that horrid temptation.
Then pushed the revolver further into the
drawer. tucking it out of sight. No. /
could not do that. 1t was a towards
| weapon. and its use in that manner would
subject Mrs. Randolph to most unpleasant
| notoriety. She had already been the un-
willing recipient Of too much Of that, poor
woman. g.
Then fed from the house. taking only
the things 1 had brought with me. did
not even pen a parting note. What was
| the user Yet fingered little in the big
hall. hoping again to see her. No one ap-
peared, not even a servant and let myself
quietly out by the front door.
Jerome was in the garage talking with
the chauffeur; 1 heard their voices. II Je-
rome had been alone I might have spoken
TO MIN q WOrQ Oh farewell. passed on
down the avenue Of poplars. and as 1 could
not make up my mind to turn toward the
town 1 walked quickly in the other direc-
tiOn and was soon again In the Belfast
road.
Having no definite plan. and nothing but
chaos in my mind and inconceivable an
guish In my heart I strode along, without
any objective point. The blue sea and the
blue islands no longer allured me: I was
blind to the beauty Of the mountain views;
the roadside flowers had lost their power
to charm.
walked until 1 was well-nigh exhausted
Yet when sought to stop and rest could
not: felt that must be moving. But the
wild impulse that spurred me began to
pass by and by. l had sought to hurry
away. to what point did not matter. Now
1 began to see that I could not put dis
tance between myself and the woman /
loved.
So I turned round at last and walked
more slowly back toward the town. This
at a sharp turn of the road. brought in
view an automobile which for some time /
had heard. Violent rage seized me when
I saw that of the two men in 1t one was
Courtney Lane. Had he been following
me? II So for what purposef I stopped
stock still in the road, SO amazed and en-
ragged was I.
The automobile which had been merely
dawdling, shot by me In a cloud Of dust
When it had disappeared piodded on. Yet
once again I saw 1t, returning, behind me-
as 1 entered the town. This act on the
part of Courtney Lane had all the indices
of an attempt to spy on my movements.
When 1 came into the street below the
Poplars a feverish desire to- see Mrs Ram
that I turned into the shaded avenue and