Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-09-19

right"
land don't you?"
"You make 1t so hard for me to
see."
Surely l put 1t plainly enough"
ut isn't that don't see what you
mean; It's that you give me such
terrible alternative. must sacrifice
either him or YOU"
.'Or yourself"
II don't count myself II could
only satisfy both your claims and his
should be willing to suffer any
thing
Trafford WINGED at the words, but
maintained his ground.
Gle has no claims"
"Oh, yes, he has, papa. He loves
me-"
wiltshire loved you, too. That
didn't give him a right"
"But didn't love the Duke, and
do love Roger Winship l know it's
| wrong on my part but could see the
one suffer with only passing pang,
! while If withdraw my word from
the other, it will be like plunging e
sword not only into his heart but
into my own"
Then It's possible that you should
withdraw your word?"
Anything would be possible that
was right" .
And you'd have the strength to do
it?'
II should have to have the strength
| If i had the conviction. couldn't go
on in course thought wrong, what.
ever happiness it might, bring z8
That's a brave girl y :
But, oh, papa l cant see 1t yet.
can't promise" sg
can't promise B
.Not yet, dear, perhaps" he said,
coXingly, 'but you could take 1t into
consideration, couldn't you? You
could think about 1t as a probable
| ity---"s '4 &ea aSsi
"No,-not a probability"
"Well, then, a possibility. In any
case, we could go to America and
stay there awhile. and then we'd
| see," a,tAS.. 54 49,
IF you mean that might come.
in time, to think less about him, and
give him up more easily--that
couldn't bess,p as
"But you Could give him up--that's
the main thing. Mind you, I don't
say you would have to, but If 1t came
to the point. ~ IS
y might have the courage papa. !
don't know. It's like asking me If I.
should have the strength to die. One
can. If one has to do 1t. And, after.
alls don't care what happens to me
SO 4long as, you're pleased-and are
saved from. being wounded again
and we can all see our way to doing
what is right~and-"
But Trafford turned sharply away
leaving her with the words dying on
her: lips and the brave look still
shining In her eyes. $3.50
CHAPTER XVII, ~
"She disarms me- Trafford said,f
when he recounted the interview to
Mrs. George, later in the day.
Since his wifes death he had come
to depend good deal on Laura. Her
little sitting room offered him a re-.
fuge In times Of lonliness, while the
common-senses of her conversation
was a relief from the strain that life
had lately taken on.
II can understand that" Laura re-
turned, looking up from her stitching.
"All her instincts are so right that
one feels placed in the wrong,
WHSJueI one ID WRONG OT uOL. Dut
there are two things of which am.
more and more convinced as | grow
older. The one is that nothing is
more precions in life than the love
and peace Of families. And the other
happen from time to time that some
one has to yield, and perhaps, to suf-
fer"
Exactly Trafford agreed, warmly.
II can't save her from suffering, can
i? God knows I would, If l could" ..
I'm sure OF that dear Uncle Traf-
ford. One can't have a child Of ones.
own without knowing that in every
thing it has to bear one suffers twice
ones self" H
Twice? suffer twenty times.
Since this thing has happened to my
little girl there's nothing she feels
that isn't multiplied in me, over and
ever again, like reflection Of double
mirrors. give you my word, Laura,
that rack my brains to explain why
the one event in all the world that
could have hurt me most should have
come upon me- It almost carries me
back to the belief in God who oc-
cupies Himself with the details of our
affairs and brings the moral conse-
quences Of our acts upon us and I'd
given up that idea long ago"
81 often think" Laura observed. in
her musing tone. that it's easier to
suffer cne's self than to see some one
we love have to do 1t.
Quite So Quite So, You can sea
that in Paula. That's the way sh,
feels. Ny God! she's brick if ever
there was one, She'd take every
thing on herself If she could. But she
can't"
mo. of course not Laura said.
quickly. "It's only the very strong
who can do that. | don't suppose
any woman is capable of vicarious
suffering and there must be very few
men"
What do you mean by that?" Traf-
ford questioned, in the slightest tone
OF pique."
well, don't know what ! mean"
Laura smiled. frankly. "If l mean
,1-fl, ;r No.