Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-02-06

situation is interesting and rather
amusing. 1t is Your turn to move. We
await your further Instructions in con-
siderable suspense"
She stared at him with bloodless lips.
She did not seem to understand what
he was saying. AT last she spoke, ig-
noring Guy Oscard's presence alto
gather.
considering that we are to be mar
ried tomorrow, Tdo not think that you
should speak to me like that" she
said, with strange. concentrated ca
gelmess.
Pardon me. we are not going to be
married tomorrow"
Her brilliant teeth closed on her
lower lip with snap, and she stood
looking at him, breathing SO hard that
| the sound was almost sob.
"What do you mcanY" 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" he explain
ed, cit 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 swimmer swim
ming for life. She was fighting for
that which some deem dearer than
life-namely, her love. For it 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
me!' she cried. ".All that you have
told me"-and her eyes flashed tri-
umphantly across DISCARD -"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 bust
ness to think"
! If Guy Oscard was no great adept
Mt wordy warfare, he was at all events
strong in his reception of punishment.
He stood upright and quiescent, be-
traying by neither sign nor movement
that her words could hurt him.
II beg to suggest again." said Jack
composedly, that DISCARD has not yet
brought any accusations against you.
You have brought them all yourself"
You are both cruel and cowardly,"
she exclaimed, suddenly descending
to vituperation. 1.-TWO to one. Two
-gentlemen-agalnSt one defense
less girl. OF course am not able to
argue with you. OF course you can
| fI,,l hood 90 Ia, -, I,o
sarcastic"
II do not imagine" retorted Jack,
chat 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 thin skinned OF 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 it must remain inexplicable
We can only judge from appearances.
"And, of course, appearances e
against me. They always do against q
woman" she cried rather brokenly.
"You would have been wise to have
taken that popularity into consldera
ton sooner" replied Jack Meredith
coldly. II admit that am puzzled. ]
cannot quite get ut your motive. Pre-
sumably it Is one of those sweet fem
mime Inconsistencies which are 81
charming in books"
There was little pause. Jack Mere
dith waited politely to hear if she hat
| ANYTHING f,lrtInp tn To- nla
face was quite pallid. The suppressed
anger in his eyes was perhaps more
J difficult to meet than open fury. The
man who never forgets himself before
woman is likely to be an absolute
master of women.
Il think" he added, that there i:
nothing more to be said"
There was dead silence. AIillicen
Chyne glanced toward Guy DISCARD. HI
could have saved her yet by a simple
lie. Had he been an impossibly mag
unanimous man, such as one meets II
books only, he could have explained
that the mistake was all his, that sh,
was quite right, that his own vanit.
had blinded him into a great and I'LL
warranted presumption. But, TN
fortunately, he was only human be
ing, man who was ready to give a.
full measure as he eXacted. The un
fortunate mistake to which he cluns
was that the same sense Of justice, thu
same code of honor, must serve for mel
and women alike. So Millicent Chyn,
looked in vain for that indulgence
Which is so inconsistently offered tt
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 DISCARD wa
quite sure of his own impressions
This girl had allowed him to begil
loving her, had encouraged him to g
on, had led him to believe that his Low,
was returned. And in his simple ig
: norance Of the world he did not see VIII,
these matters should be locked up il
his own breast from mistaken sens
of chivalry to be accorded where n,
chivalry was due.
NO" he answered. "Thcre is nothin;
more to he said"
Without looking toward her, Jacl
Meredith made few steps towar,
the door-quietly,. self composedly, witt
that perfect SAVIOR faire of the socia
expert that made him different from
other men. AIllicent Chyne felt sud
den plebeian desire to scream. 1t wal
all so heartlessly well bred. He turned
on his heel with little half cynica
bow.
II leave my name with YOU" lie said
"1t is probable that you will be put t,
. some Inconvenience l can only regre
that this-denouement did not COM
some months ago. You are likely t,
suffer more than |. because do no
care what the world thinks of me
Therefore you may tell the world wha
you choose about me-that drink, tina
gamble, that | am lacking in-honor
Anything that suggests itself to you
In fact. You need not go away; will
do that"
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