Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-12-15
By ROBERT w. CHAMBERS,
Author of THE Fighting Chance Etc.
Copyright. 1907. by Robert w. Chambers


there he remained, gazing with Impair
tial eyes upon the ruin two young
souls had wrought of their twin lives
Dreadful his duty because he knew
that he had never loved her, never
! could love her! Dreadful-doubly
| dreadful-for he now knew what love
| might be. and it was not what he had
| believed it when he executed the con-
tract which must bind him while life
| endured.
That she had strayed-under man
! made laws held guiltless-could not
| shatter the tie. That he, blinded by
| hope, had hoped to remake life al
ready made and had dared to mas
| Querade before his own soul as a man
] free to come, to go and free to love
| could not alter what had been done
! Back, far back, of 1t all lay the death
| less pact-for better or for worse.
Aud now, alone, abandoned, help
| lessly sick. utterly dependent upon the
decency, the charity, the mercy of her
legal paramour, the young girl who
had once been his wife had not turn
ed to him in vain.
| Before the light of her shaken mind
had gone out she had written him in
coherently, practically in extremis. and.
| If he had hitherto doubted where his
| duty lay, from that moment he had
no longer any doubt. And very quiet
", hopelessly and irrevocably he had
crushed out of his soul the hope and
promise of the new life dawning for
him above the dead ashes of the past.
| 1t was not easy to do. He had not
ended it yet. He did not know how.
There We're ties to be severed, friend
ships to be gently broken. old scenes
to be forgotten, memories to kill.
There was also loye-to be disposed of.
And he did not know how.
First of ali, paramount in his hope
less trouble, the desire to save others
! from pain persisted.
| For that reason he had been careful
| that Gerald should not know where
and how he was now obliged to live,
lest the boy suspect and understand
how much of Selwyn's little fortune It
i had taken TO settle his debts of hon
orr and free him from the sinister
/ For that reason, too, he dreaded to
have Austin know, because if the truth
We're exposed nothing in the world
i could prevent violent and final sep.
aration between him and the foolish
boy who now at last was beginning to
show the first glimmering traces OF
character and common sense.
j So he let it be understood that his
address was his club for the present
for he also desired no scene with
Boots, whom he knew would attempt
to force him TO live with him in his
t cherished and brand new house. AND
even if he cared to accept and permi
Boots to place him under such obliga
| tons it would only hamper him in hi:
duties, because now what remained Of
his income must be devoted to Alike.
i Even before her case had taken tn,
more hopeless turn he had understood
) that she could not remain at Clifton
t Such cases were neither desired no
: treated there. He understood that
And so he had taken for her a prett,
i little villa at Edgewater, with tw
trained nurses to care for her and
. phaeton for her to drive.
= And now she was installed there
: properly cared for, surrounded by ever
comfort, contented, except in the blacl
: and violent crises which still swept he
5 in recurrent storms tranquil
p and happy, for through the trouble
: glimmer Of departing reason her eye
e We're already opening in the calm, ur
y earthly dawn of second childhood. Out
side of that dead garden of the pas
. peopled by laughing phantoms Of he
e youth, but one single extraneous men
y DRY persisted-the memory of Selwyn-
n curiously twisted and readjusted to th
: comprehension of a child's mind, vagu
n at times, at times wistfully elusive an
y incoherent, but 1t remained always
s. memory and always happy one.
l. He was obliged to go to her ever
three or four days. In the interim sb
IS seemed quite satisfied and happy, bus
n with the simple and pretty things sh
: now cared for, but toward the thir
20 day of his absence she usually becam
restless, asking for him and why b
did not come. And then they telegraph
ed him, and he left everything an
went, white faced, stern of lip, to el
dure the most dreadful ordeal a ma
may face-to force the smile to his liI
re and gayety into the shrinking soul {
ir him and sit with her in the pretty, SUI
D. ny room. listening to her prattle, al
d. swering the childish questions. watcl
T. Ing her, seated in her rocking chat
I'd singing contentedly to herself and pla
ut ing with her dolls and ribbons-dres
is ing them, undressing, .mending, a
err
IS