Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-27

pose to purge her soul of all she had to
say, and have it over and done with.
(. But stayed with father, through it all.
1 told myself 1 could live 1t down. the
squalor, and the meannesses, and the de-
ceits, and even the Drunkenness stayed
with him because I pitied him. Even then
he was a brilliant man. And would have
worked and fought for him to the end, only,
at last, he wanted me to pose as claimant
for an estate then in chancery. That I
would not and could not do. I went to
Reading, and became an invalid's compan-
ion. Then, after fathers death-after his
horrible death-his older brother, at Oxford,
offered to give me home. He was an old
man. curate with five daughters, and
felt, then, that 1t would be unjust. So
answered an advertisement in a London
paper, and came to America to be a gov
erness in New York family. in the house
of diamond importer named Ottenheimer
At the end of my first week there my mis-
tress unjustly suspected me of-Oh, I can't
explain 1t all to you here, but she was a
vulgar and interruptions woman, and said
| I was too good-looking to be a governess,
and discharged me without even refer
ence. I was penniless in two weeks, and
would gladly have crept back to my uncle
I was almost starving I was glad enough
to become the secretary In an investment
company, with an Office in Wall street
They had trouble with the Post Office De-
partment In Washington, and then the po-
lice raided the office, for it turned out to
be nothing more than swindling scheme
And then, oh, don't know, seemed
to drift from one thing to another, until
was the English heress in q matrimonial
bureau. and a French baroness in some for
eign litigation scheme. But all the time
was only waiting to get enough money to
creep back to Oxford. I kept telling my
self that in few weeks more 1 should be
able to escape. I kept dreaming of 1t. until
Oxford seemed to grow into a sort of sane
tuary. But things went on and on, and
still waited
"And then what?" demanded Durkin,
startled at the rising note of self-hate in
her feverish defamation.
Then. at last. I thought I had escaped
into honesty. even in America But 1t was
the same as before. met MacNutt!'
And then what?" Durkins customarily
careless shoulders were very upright.
"Oh, first 1t was a woman's get-rich-quick
concern in Chicago; then Embarrassment
Office In st. Louis; then a matrimonial bu-
reau of our own. until the police put stop
to it because Of the post office people: then
finally, this overlapping schemer'
She looked at him, weary-eyed, hiding
nothing, smiling hopelessly.
''They write to me. from time to time,"
she went on, more quietly, but none the less
tragically. my unce's parish is just out
side Oxford. a quiet little high-walled place
full of flowers and birds. But he is getting
very DID, and there are six Of them, five
girls. and Albert, the youngest. Some day
I shall go back and live with them-only. in
some way. I grow more and more afraid to
face them. So I search for excuses to send
them money and gifts. They think I'm still
a governess here, and I write lying letters
to them, and tell them things out of my
own head. things quite false and untrue!
So. you see. I've been nothing but cowardly
-and-and wicked, from the first
And Is that alp demanded Durkin, not
trusting himself to show one jot OF feel
Ing:
that Is ALL"
But you're-you're too good for all this!'
he cried impetuously. indignantly. why
don't you break away from it, at once?"
I'm going to-some day! I've always
waited, though, and everything has dragged
on and on and on. and I've been half afraid
Of MacNutt-hes the type of man, You
know, who never forgives a person-and
half afraid Of myself. But some day"
"Oh. know what it's like" cried Durkin,
drawn toward her, strangely nearer to her,
In some Intangible way. She read the sud
den look on his face and blushed under it,
almost girlishly, once more
Il want to rest, and be quiet, and live
decently, away from the World, somewhere"
she said dreamily, as though speaking only
to herself
Durlxin walked to the window where she
stood, checked himself, STROBE back to the
relay on the workable, and looked at the
huddled instruments, absently.
80 do l." he said. earnestly, with his
heels well apart.
do you?'' she asked. He went over to
where she stood.
"Yes, and mean to-" he declared, deter
minedly, turning with her to look out at
the gathering twilight Of the city. and then
lapsng into awkward silence once more.
CTo be Continued Tomorrow.)