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

ed the intellect of a strong minded
man. But John Shil merely frowned,
and his eyes were full of pity, as he
looked at Lauras white face He was
now, or go on round the island"
of her child had affected her brain.
Laurie" he said gently, my dear
Laurie. What do you mean? Why,
you are the wife of Sir William Tank
erlane."
81 am now" she replied, "but two
months ago was-well, you can guess
what was" She tried to speak
calmly, but her whole body trembled
with excitement. She knew that she
must speak calmly to convince him,
and yet the knowledge that he be-
lieved her to be mad nearly drove her
out of her senses.
Laurie" the man cried pitifully
my dearest Laurie. Let us talk OF
something else. We will talk of this
another day, when you have had a
rest. Let us walk back to the house
now, or gon on round the island"
She looked at him for moment in
horror, and then, as she realised the
full meaning of his words, she lost all
control of herself.
do you think me mad?" she cried
81 am as. sane as you," but the look
on her face and the fierce light in
her eyes were almost a contradiction
| to her words. John Shil might well
be forgiven for thinking that she had
taken leave of her senses.
"Mad?" he said quietly. mo, OF
course not, Laurie. How absurd you
are! But I'd rather hear your story
another day, say tomorrow. l really
ought to be getting off now. I will
come tomorrow. Laurie, and we'll have
a long talk together
Don't you believe what say?" she
) cried. Il swear to you that TIVE
months ago Leonore was the wife Of
Sir William Tankerlane, and that l.
oh God, that l should have to plead
and swear like this in order to be be
lieved by you-by you, Jack, fol
whom I sacrificed my whole life, fol
whom sold myself, for whom l have
gone down into the very depths O
| hell"
Laurie" ne cried tenderly, as he
j took her in his arms. ooh Laurie
my dearest"
His agony was pitfiul to witness, fol
| he believed that suffering had driver
her mad, and her talk of sacrifice con
yeyed nothing to his mind. He onl.
wished to soothe her, to comfort her
and persuade her to return to Dow
sets house. His heart ached for her
and yet he did not know how to re
4 ply to her rawlings without offence. HI
merely held her in his arms, in thu
hope that she would realise how mucl
he longed to help her and protect he
from herself.
But the agony of the woman wa
more terrible than his own. All tina
she had suffered, all the misery of he
1 life, all the grief for the loss of he
i child, all the fury at me treachery O
Leonore, all the bodily pain and es
! haustion Of the last twenty-four hour
had eliminated in this one moment
when the man, to whom she had look
ed for love and sympathy. had insult
ed her with such kindness as on
offers to a lunatic or drunkard. Wit
a cry of anguish she tore herself from
his grasp, struck wildly at his, fac
with her clenched hands, and Their
4 falling to the ground, she laughed an
sobbed like maniac
And then, as she lay huddled in
heap, with loosened hair and close
eyes, and hands that were thrust int
the mud, wild, incoherent words brok
from her lips. She babbled of Be
Holland, of the quarry in Round Plar
tation, of William Tankerlane, of Leo
more, of Paris, of her dead child, Q
her father, of the grinding poverty G
Widely street. Her brain was tryin
to piece together the story of her life
In her darkness she was trying t
grope for the light. She imagined tina
she was telling John Shil all that sh
wished him to know, and that h
would understand how she had sacr
feed herself for him, and how she ha
suffered, and how she had come bac
to him to give him all her love.