The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1907-02-15

mot at ALL am merely trying to
get at the bottom of things, as
stated before"
"Then you wish me TO tell you the
truth about that letter."
Just that"
well. il was written to a girl, Es-
ther Hillsboro, who had been a very
dear friend of mine in days gone by.
She sent 1t to me for my-advice. She
had been-unfortunate. | could not
incriminate her"
Yet you were willing to let your
self be misconstrued?"
IF my husband had so lCtle faith
it is well that l could find it out in
time"
Esther, your husband had all the
faith in the world in you--he still has.
But your cool dismissal of his claims
gave him a mortal hurt. 1t is your
duty to remedy it"
Mrs. Darlington Gained herself by
an effort Her voice was perfectly
modulatcd when she spoke:
81 have come here, as you know, for
that very purpose. When can | be-
gin proceedings"
Right now, as a matter of fact
However, | want to show You Dicks
last letter to me before you take any
steps. VIII you look at it?'
She hesitated a moment, divided be-
tween an aching desire to accept, and
a perverse sense of pride that babe
her not to. At length she yielded
and held out her hand.
Judge Soften had taken the famil
lar envelope from a drawer of his
desk and was turning it over in his
fingers.
My Dear Archie" it ran, Your an
swer came this morning / am re-
plying Immediately. Thank you for
the intelligence of my wife's welfare.
Please keep me advised. and see that
she has everything she needs. ! am
sorry she refuses to touch anything
Of mine, but of course she has plenty
in her own right. | need not tell you
again how utterly empty and wretch
ed my life is. ! have been thinking
good deal lately about our trouble,
and am afraid that much of it all
was my own fault. That | ever for
one instant doubted my wife's good
ness and purity is olt of the question.
Her lack of confidence in me is what
stung me so. But it seems to me that
| she could not feel any wound so deep
| ly unless it were very, very vital.
! Ho1 .l,o Ill I
! own honor. God knows | did not, |
do not, and never shall! If she would
only relent and let me come to her
again! But she never will, after all
that's happened. Let me hear from
you as often as possible. Dick"
When Mrs. Darlington finished
reading her tears we're falling fast.
The letter fell from her nerveless
fingers and she covered her face in
her hands, not trusting herself to
speak.
When she looked up at last, Judge
Soften had disappeared. She turned
and walked dazedly over to a win.
dow, staring with dull eyes at the fast
driving rain. She could never have
| told now long she mad been there,
when the abrupt clamoring of noon.
day bells brought her back to reality.
Almost simultaneously the door
opened and closed quietly, and some
one came into the room. Mrs. Oar
rington spoke without turning her
head:
II have changed my mind, Archie.
l shall not commence proceedings"
He made no answer, but came up to
her and laid his arm about her culver.
ing shoulders.
She started, turned and looked into
Darrington's pleading eyes. His arm
dropped for an instant; they looked
long at each other. In silence he held
out his hands and she laid hers in
them.