Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-10-03

on to the low stone wall and buried
| her face in her hands. The man
watched her with fear in his eyes.
| What had he to offer in return for
this? Yet he knew that he must play
his part.
"Leonore," he said, with an effort
at calmness, when will you marry
me?" He did not know that she was
still a married woman, and was not
free to marry at all.
.'In two months time" she murmur-
ed family.
1.-TWO months from today?" he quer-
led.
Yes, two months from today. l am
going to America next week, and shall
be away for a month. l will marry
You two months from today"
| She did not look at him as she an
swered his question. Her head was
turned towards the pool, and she
! watched the yellow water slowly
circling past the walls. He came for
ward and seated himself by her side.
.'Leonore," he said, after a pause,
81 ought only to be thinking OF you,
but there is much else in my mind
| Just now. A little while ago you said
! that two men saw all that had hap
pened in the wood by Laverstone. We
| have Henry Burton safe enough so
| long as we can buy his silence. But
who was the other MANI"
s'He will also be SILENT she replied.
"He has sworn an oath to me, and
| he will keep IL"
what was his name?" persisted
John Shil.
81 cannot tell you now" she re-
Piled, without taking her eyes from
the pool. cone of the conditions he
made was that you should never know
his name"
The lie came smoothly and readily
| from her lips. 1t had to be uttered,
for John Shil must never know that
| Tankerlane had witnessed that scene
| in the woods. If he once knew the
truth, he would realise why Laura
had refused to marry him, and his
love for the woman who had made
this sacrifice would blaze out afresh
with still fiercer flames. He might
even seek out Sir William Tanker
lane, and demand reckoning.
NO" she said to herself, "for his
own sake, he must never learn the
truth
John shil looked at her averted
face with hard, questioning eyes. 1t
was not the look of lover, nor even
of a friend, but his own safety was
then uppermost in his mind.
There should be no secret between
u.s." he said sternly. Still, if it was
condition.
She turned slowly and looked at
him with the light of love in her eyes.
perhaps I may tell YOU" she whis-
pered, when we are married. 1t will
be no breach of faith for we shall
then be one"
Then she rose to her feet, and look
ed at the darkening sky.
81 must co. she said softly. 81 will
write to you when l come pack from
America, and today two months, that
is settled"
She came close to him. and, clinging
to his arm, turned her face UP to his
Once more he bent his head and kiss
ed her on the lips.
"Good-bye,'' she said my dearest
Then she laughed and looked at the
pool. Even this dismal place seems
beautiful" she continued-"be beautiful
for me. But it has changed. The
walls seem higher. There is less
water"
John shil looked at the pool and
smiled.
Yes he replied; "the tide is ebb-
ing fast. In two hours time this
water will have reached the sea.
Goodbye. Leonore, till-but l will
walk with you to the house.
They disappeared arm in arm
through the trees. And the tide still
ebbed out to the sea.
CHAPTER XXI.
The Scourge of God.
Late in the autumn when the leaves
had nearly all fallen from the trees,
Laura Vane was married to Sir Will
liam Tankerlane.
The marriage took pace in the reg
istry Office, and was carried out with
all the secrecy which the law allows
to such ceremonies. 1t was mere
formality. to be forgotten and thrust
aside until some too Jealous historian
should dig it out of the records Of the
past. They had both agreed that, as
far as the world was concerned. the
boy was to be proclaimed as their law
full son and heir.
The death Of Sir Robert Tankerlane
had smoothed down one of the Chief
difficulties that might nave stood in
their path. It was easy now for Sir
William to say that his father had
objected to the match, and that he
had kept it secret for fear OF his
fathers anger The fact that the
Tankerlane estates, unlike most great
properties, were not entailed on the
heir male lent additional color to this
falsehood The fear Of disinheritanca
would seem a strong enough reason |
for concealing the marriage.
But there was no longer to be any
concealment, and even before the two
were legally joined together, the 20
mantle story of Sir William Tanker
lanes alliance to the daughter of one
of his tenants had reached Laverstone. !
Laura had written at last to her
father and had asked his forgiveness
and had told him most of the truth.