Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-12-10

Continued.
8. Barring GOULD

tin. Am | SO dreadful, so unsightly
an object as to inspire you with aver
sion and terror? He drew himself up
and paused. Eve hastily looked at
him. He was a strikingly handsome
man, with dark hair, wonderful dark
eyes, and finely chiselled features
said that l put my life in your
hands. l spoke the truth. You have
but to betray me, and the police and
the parish constablcs will come in a
posse after me. | will stand here
with folded arms to receive them; but
mark my words, as soon as they set
foot on this rock, / will fling myself
over the edge and perish. If you sac
rifice me, nay life is not worth say
ing
I will not betray you faItered Eve.
4 know it. You are too noble, too
true, too heroic to be traitress. l
knew it when l came here and placed
myself at your mercy.
But said Eve timidly, what have
you done? You have taken my ring.
Give It back to me, and l will not send
the cOnStdDIeS AFTER you
You have mine
I will return it,
About that hereafter said Martin
grandly. and he waved his hand. Now
answer your question, What have /
done? Certain persons come out
badly in it whom I would spare. But
It may not be otherwise. Self-defence
is the first law of nature. You have,
no doubt, heard good deal about M,
and not to my advantage. | have been
p'ojuCiced in vCdr eyes by Jasper He
is narrow, docG not make allowance
has never recovered the strait-lacing
father gave him as a child. His CON
science has not expanded since in
fancy
Eve looked at Martin with astonish-
mCnt.
Mr.. Jasper Babb has not said any
thing
Oh there interrupted Martin, you
may spare your sweet lips the fib.
know better than that He grumbles
and mumbles about me to everyone
who will open an ear to his tales. If
he were not my brother
Now Eve interrupted him. Mr..
Jasper your brOther!
OF course he is. Did he not tell you
so" He saw that she had not known
by the expression on her face, SO with
a laugh, he said, oh dear, no! Of
course Jasper was too grand and
sanctimOniOus man to confess to
the blot in the family. | am that blot
look at met
He showed his handsome figure and
face by a theatrical gesture and posi-
ton. Poor Martin is the blot, to
which Jasper will not confess, and yet
Martin survives this neglect and dis,
respect
The oveTWeening vanity. the mock
humility, the assurance of the man
passed unnoticed by Eve. She breath
ed freely when she heard that he was
the brother of Jasper. There could
have been no harm in an interview
with Jasper, and consequently very
little in one with his brother SO she
argued, and so she recOnciled herself
TO the situation. Now she traced a
resemblance between the brothers
which had escaped her before; they
had the same large, dark, expressive
eyes, but Jaspers face was rot so
regular, his features not so purely
Chiselled as those of Martin. He was
broader built Martin had the perfect
modelling of a Greek statue. There
was also a more manly, sell-confident
bearing in Martin than In the elder
brother, who always appeared bowed
as with some burden that oppressed !
his spirits, and took from him self |
assertion and buOyancy, that even
MANNED his vigOr of manhood.
dare say you have had a barbled |
version of my story continued Mar
tin, seating himself and Eve, without |
considering. seated herself also Mar
tin let himself down gracefully, and |
assumed position where the evening |
light, still lingering in the sky, could |
trradiate his handsome face That is |
why l have sought this interview. II
desired to put myself right with you |
No doubt you have heard that l got in |
to trouble
She shook her head.
Well, l did. I was lucky In fact. |
! could stay with my father no longer. |
I had already left him for a twelve |
month, but I came back, and. in Scrip |
tural terms, such as he could under J
stand, asked him to give me the por,
ton of goods that fell to me. He re
fused so l took it
'ToOk-took what?'
My portion of goods. not in stock !
but in money. For my part said .
Martin, folding his arms, it has ever
struck me that the Prodigal Son was
far the nobIer of the brothers. The
eldest was a mean fellow, the second
had his faults admit it-but he was
a man of independence of action; he
would not stand being bullyragged by
his father, so he went away. I got in
to difficulties over that matter. My
father would not overlook it, made a
fuss, and so on. My doctrine is: Let
bygones be bygones. and accept what
comes and don't kick. That my father
could not see, and so got locked up
Locked up-where?'
In pill box. managed, however,
to escape; I am at large, and at your
feet-entreating you to pity me-
He suited the action to the word. In
a moment he was gracefully kneeling