Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-12-26

FAtI W. ,NOa VI Az SSii AiAo IAN
other living man. When l met her on
board no day was too distant, and be-
fore we said good night it couldn't be
too soon!'
The fine eyes glistened; the deep
voice shook. There was no doubt
about this mans love. But Tom was
thinking of his darker side. and it had
never seemed so dark before, for never
before had he allowed himself to dwell
upon it without shame. Now this was
a duty. The point of view was changed,
and the regrettable in Toms benefac-
tor became the intolerable in Claire's
husband. Could she be happy with so
dangerous q combination of the spoilt
child and the INSCRIPTIONS tyrant?
Would she be safe? Tom sweated
with the thought. 1t was horribly ell
tangled with that of his debt to Dain-
tree. Yet for all that was in his heart
the fitting and conventional speech
passed his lips, and he found himself
shaking the other by the hand.
"Congratulate me?" cried Daintree.
81 should think you did. You have
only to see her to know how happy
she will make me. She is a sweet,
true, unselfsh girl. She has beauty
and goodness and strong common
sense. She can appreciate and admire
and understand. She is the poets
ideal. | have been longing for her all
my life. And then her manner! She
will be a leader of society when 1
come to my own. Yes, Thomas, you
may we'll congratulate me. She is 60
ing to make me the very happiest of
men. l can see her now-friend of the
wits. patroness Of all the arts, gracious
e queen of an ideal salon-when the ex-
lie returns to his own"
And doubtless he could also see him
! self-as Tom could see him-swelling
with happiness and pride and satisfac-
ton. Her happiness he appeared to
take for granted. 1t might be unfair
to say that he never thought of 1t at
all, but he very seldom spoke of it
even to Claire.
Tom was in and out at breakfast.
He contrived to be out as much as
possible. Her face tortured him. He
saw marks like bruises beneath the
lustrous eyes that never looked his
way. He noted the nervous effort OF
her conversation while he was present
But after breakfast, when he must
have met her face to face on the veran.
da, she turned her back upon him in
3 manner not only pointed, but barbed
And for awhile his compassion desert
ed him altogether.
Claire was indeed not herself. Hell
indisposition became more and more
transparent, and when she ultimately
confessed to a perfectly sleepless nigh
Daintree put it down to her great hap
piness and was the first to insist thai
she should run away and rest" til
luncheon. Lady Starkie, on the othel
hand, made herself extremely comfort
able, quite doting on the harbor an(
Rose bay, while she declared that sh'
had seldom felt better in her life. New
ertheless when her host began readin!
her his poems a faintness overcame thu
lady before he had got very far. l
was quite inexplicable and most disap
pointing, but she feared that bot
Claire and herself were still suffering
from the effects of the atrocious tabl
on board that horrible ship. So Lad,
Starkie followed Claire upstairs, wit
the poems, which she took care to leav
there when she came down again.
1t was a little hard on Daintree, blu
he was now much too happy to b
readily depressed or veXed. His ram
pant spirits sought relief in activity
and he galloped off to Sydney to secur
rooms at the Pulteney hotel.
, Tom was meantime behind til
scenes. So was Peggy O'Brien, an
already those keen Irish eyes had see
more than he thought. for hopeless
love had fitted them with strong lenses
y even as his triumphant suit had blind
ed her master to every passion but hi
y, own. The girl had long OWNED tina
some other oma stood between hel
self and Tom. and there We're NOR
reasons than might appear for her in
stantly bouncing upon Miss Hardin
as the one
Peggy was sure that Tom and DaiI
tree must have Known each other i
- England, or why were they more lik
brothers than master and man? Tol
would not tell her. and the Fawcett
could not. So Peggy set them down q
~ two old friends, and what if the friend
had loved the same woman? The ide
occurred to her when she saw Tol
- manipulating the cork ship and
zealously preparing for the bride.
y, was then an idea only. 1t became
20 suspicion on the evening of the bride
arrival. and Claire was not the on
~ young woman who lay awake all tn:
night.
=. The other had beer transported fl
a comparatively venial offense and ha
is come through the thick of her orde
IN q better woman than most. She is n
7 put forward as an average specime
If of her sex and kind in that colony al
r. at that time. The Irishwomen we,
ut almost invariably the best Of a d
I'd plorable lot. and Peggy was certain
re- not the worst of the Irishwomen. B
there was evil in her, and passion w
- f0 hpirr r. 0,,f aoS If ho1 otrao r