The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-01-03

Iull the new Ie4lel OI SptcCH.
Yes, knew. Perhaps l should have
spoken when l first surprised the Sc
cret, but it's all so past that it's useless
to speculate now. 1t was fate, l sup
pose. l was very young, you were
very unapproachable, and-and we had
no love to make the way easy" For a
second her glance faltered and she
looked away "A womans-a girls
disllusioning is a very sad comedy-it
should never have an audience" She
laughed a little bitterly as she looked
back again Il saw all the deceits, all
the subterfuges, all the-lies" She
said the word deliberately, meeting his
eyes.
Again he thought of Chilcote, but his
face paled.
II saw it all. l lived with it all till
1 grew hard and indifferent-till 1 ac-
quiesced in your nerves as readily as
the rest of the world that hadn't sus-
pected and didn't know" Again she
laughed nervously. And thought the
Indifference would last forever If one
lives in a groove for years, one gets
frozen up. l never felt more frozen
than on the night Mr.. Fraide spoke to
me of you-asked me to use my infiu-
ence; then, on that night
Yes. On that night?" Loder's voice
was tense.
But her excitement had suddenly fall
en-. Whether his glance had quelled it
or whether the force of her feelings
had worked itself out it was impossi-
BILE to say, but her eyes had lost their
resolution She stood hesitating for a
moment. then she turned and moved
to the mantelpiece.
THAT night you found me changedY'
Loder was insistent.
"Changed-an yet not changed"
She spoke reluctantly, with averted
head
And what did you think?"
Again she was silent Then again a
faint excitement tinged her cheeks.
Il thought she began. 1T seem
ed Once more she paused, hamper
ed by her own uncertainty, her own
sense of pulling incongruity. Il don't
know why | speak like this" she went
self, "or why l want to speak. But
feeling-an extraordinary, incompre
hensible feeling seems to urge me on.
The same feeling that came to me on
the day we had tea together-the feel
ing that made me-that almost made
me believe
Believe what?" The words escaped
him without volition.
At sound of his voice she turned
believe that a miracle happened" she
said; that you had found strength,
had freed yourself"
From morphia?
From morphia."
In the silence that followed Loder
lived through a century of suggestion
and indecision. His first feeling was
for himself, but his first clear thought
was for Chilc0te and their compact
He stood, metaphorically, on a stone
in the middle of a stream, balancing
on one foot, then on the other; looking
to the right bank then to the left. At
last, as it always did, inspiration came
to him slowly. He realized that by
one plunge he might save both Chill
cote and himself.
He crossed quickly to the fireplace
and stood by Eve. You We're right
in your belief" he said. For all that
time, from the night you spoke TO me
! of Fraide to the day you had tea in
this room, never touched q drug"
She moved suddenly, and he saw her
! face. John" she said unsteadily, you
IL have known you to lie to me
about other things"
With a hasty movement he averted
his head. The doubt. the appeal in her
words, shocked him. The whole isola-
ton of her life seemed summed up in
the one short sentence. For the instant
he forgot Chilcote. With a reaction of
feeling he turned to her again.
Look at meg' he said brusquely.
She raised her eyes.
DO you believe I'm speaking the
truth?'
She searched his eyes intently, the
doubt and hesitancy still struggling In
her face.
But the last three weeks?' she said
reluctantly. How can you ask me to
believer"
He had expected this and he met II
steadily enough. Nevertheless his
courage faltered. To deceive this
woman, even to justify himself, had in
the last half hour become something
sacrilegious
1.-THE last three weeks must be
buried" he said hurriedly NO man
could free himself suddenly from-from
a vice" He broke off abruptly. He
hated Chilcote; he hated himself
Then Ewes face. raised in distressed
appeal, overshadowed all scruples
You have been silent and patient for
years" he said suddenly. Can you
be patient and silent a little longer?'
He spoke without consideration He
/ was Of ho