The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1907-11-19

! closed the door.
i've come. she began, Without
seating herself, ito make y5a as un
happy lear, as ! am. I've hesitated
long before coming. Bdl | am desper-
ate. The one hope ! have left is that
you and | between us may be able
to-to-that you and may be able TO
help each other"
l waited
81 suppose there are people" she
went on, who have never known what
it was to-really to care for some one
else. They would despise me for
clinging to a man after he has shown
me that-that his love has ceased"
Pardon me, Mrs. Langdon," l in
terrupted. You apparently think
your husband and | are intimate
/ friends. Before you go any further
must disabuse you of that idea"
She looked at me in open astonish-
ment You do not know why ny
/ husband has left me?"
Until few minutes ago. did not
I know that he had left you" J said.
And do not wish to know why
Her expression of establishment
changed to mockery. oh" she
sneered. Your wife has fooled you
into thinking it a one-sided affair
Well, tell you, she is as much to
blame as he-more For he did love
me when he married me; did love me
until she got him under her spell
again"
l thought l understood. You have
been misled. Mrs. Langdon," said /
gently, plying her as the victim Of
her insane jealousy. You have
ASK your wife" she interrupted
angrily. Hereafter, you can't pre-
tend ignorance. For I'll at least be
revenged. She failed utterly to trap
him into marriage when she was a
poor girl. and -"
Before you go any further" said
coldly, let me set you right My
wife was at one time engaged to your
husbands brother, Out
"Tom?" she interrupted And her
laugh made me bite my lip. so she
told you that! don't see how she
dared. Why. everybody knows that
she and Mowbray were engaged. and
that he broke it of to marry me-
All in an instant everything that
had been confused in my affairs al
home and down town became clear.
l understood why l had been pursued
relentlessly in Wall street; why | had
been unable to make the least i'm.
preston on the barriers between
Anita and myself You will imagine
that some terrible emotion at once
dominated me. But this is not a
romance; only the yeracious chroni-
Gle of certain husman beings My
first emotion was-relief that it was
not Tom Langdon. Il ought to have
known she couldn't care for him, u
said | TO myself 1, contending with
Tom Langdon for woman's love had
always made me shrink But Now
bray-that was vastly different. My
respect for myself and for Anita rose
NO" said 1 to Mrs. Langdon, my
wife did not tell me, never spoke of it
What | said to you was purely a guess
of my own. l had no interest in the
matter-and haven't l have absolute
confidence in my wife. feel ashamed
that you have provoked me into say
ing So l opened the door.
Il am not going vet" said she an
grily. Yesterday morning Mowbra!
and she were riding together in th'
Riverside drive. Ask her groom"
What of it?" said l. Then, as sh
did not rise, rang the bell Whel
the servant came, said Pleas
tell Mrs. Blackjack that Mrs Langdol
is in the hbrary-and that l am here
and gave you the message"
AS soon as the servant was gone
she said: NO doubt she'll lie to you
| These women that steal other won
| ems property are usually clever a
| fooling their own silly husbands"
| Il do not intend to ask her" I re
! piled. ITO ask her would be an ii
suit.
She made no comment beyond
scornful toss of the head. We bot
had our gaze fixed upon the doc
through which Anita would ente
When she finally did appear, l, ate
one glance at her, turned-it mus
nave bGCA upon he
accuser. 1 had not doubted, bI
" where is the faith that is not tn
Sc stronger for confirmation? And col
te firmation there was in the very a
e. mosphere round that stately, sti
er figure. She looked calmly. first {
Of Mrs. Langdon, then at me.
a Il sent for you" said l. because
thought that you, rather than /. shoul
1t request Mrs Langdon to leave you
i'd house"
At that Mrs Langdon was on nc
b feet. and blazing. "Fool.'' she flare
at me. "Oh. the fools women make {
II men," Then to Anita ''You-yo
r. - But no. must not permit 70
is to drag me down to your level TIE
your husband-tell him that you weI
ia riding with my husband in the Rive
er side drive yesterday.
er l stepped between her and Anti
l MY wife viii not answer you" sal