Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-08-07
When Truth and Love Prevailed
By the Author Of "A an of Many Parts" Magical Gardsnn
The Mischief Phyllis Made" by Charms" Etc
CHAPTER vIIL.-cOntinued.

6ers of the others His sufferings, keen
and poignant though they had been,
were past; the future was his TO make
of il what he would, satisfied that TO
neither him nor his was there so much
os the shadow of blame or disgrace at
taching.
1T is not alone who had to bear the
brunt." he went on bitterly. Perhaps
If II had been | could have found it in
me to be less hard and unforgiving. But
other have suffered with me-my sister
and the woman who by this time should
have been my wife,"
Il know, Heriot-I know. Austin
lifted his hand in troubled protest, then
LEI it fall helplessly to his side The
elder man was silent, standing by the
table with bowed head and grief stricken
nountenance, do you think we do not
realize 1.-THE shame, the anguish that
YOU and those others have gone through
the horrible injustice of it all? And
we are suffering, too. Do you suppose
we shall ever hold up our heads again
as we have held them up in the past
honorable men of good stock, on whose
name until now dishonor has never
come? Do you think we shall ever cease
to reproach ourselves for the lamentable
errors of these two years and Tor the
wrongs that you and yours have suf-
fered at our hands? Heriot, we know
that nothing nothing ever right
such wrongs or serve to blot out the
memory of them; but for PHYS sake,
man. let us do what we can-something
anything so that we may feel We
have done at least little towards atone
ment and amends!'
moments silence, in the midst of
which Mr. Lynthwaite raised his head
and looked at him.
al thought hoped, Heriot, that you
would come back to us"
"Then you were wrong | hope never
to set foot inside the Office of Lynth-
waite & Sons again"
Suppose it were no longer Lynthwaite
,& ns-suppose we made 1T 'LynthwaIte
& Heriot'? Be merciful-meet remorse
at least with measure of generosity
and forgiveness! Surely, surely, there
need not be lifelong enmity between
us!"
There must be! Face to face. or
hundreds of miles apart, there must be!
NY only hope is that when you So
from here today our paths may never
cross again You"-turning to Austin,
who raised his face, pale and grave, to
listen-"were going to marry my sister.
j was against it from the first. Now
all thought of that must be set aside.
III it was an incongruous arrangement
before it is an impossible one now"
Don't you think said Austin very
quietly. chat Nan. herself should have
some voice in that decisionp
Nan win see things as I do-she
must"
"She may not; and if"
@And if she does not she shall never
marry you with my consent, and /
scarcely think she will marry you with
out it. Nan and P'-with momentary
softeninp of his stern, impassive coun-
tenanee-"are a good deal to one an
other: and if / tell her that she must
choose between us-lose a brother to
gain such husband as Austin Lynth-
waite"
"Heriot, Heriotl" The elder man
made his cry again now. The younger
one had turned aside to fix his eyes
yearningly, hungrily, upon an unframed
portrait of Nan that stood propped up
against one of the mantelshelf orna-
ments. what has this son of mine
done that you should want to come be-
tween him and his best and dearest
hopes OF what has he been guilty that
you cannot at least hold out your hand
in peace and fellowship to him?"
HE is a Lythwaite," came the I'M
yielding answer And between the
fHeriots and Lynthwaites there can never
be peace and fellowship again"
Listen, Heriot," came the quiet, firm
voice of the man who wanted SO much
more than mere peace and fellowship.
II shall not try to see Nan now. I'm
less you prefer it otherwise, l shall leave
it to you to tell her what we have told
you today. But tonight | shall write to
her, offering her her freedom, urging
her to take it if she feels in ever so
ltrifing degree that some day the
memory of past wrongs must rise be-
tween US. / can do no less-in honor
and fairness to Nan / can do no more.
After that it will be for her to decide.
If she wants to end things then l must
submit, even though it will mean for
me good bye to hope and happiness and
all that can make life worth living.
But if she sends me word that even
this is not to come between us then /
snail still feel that / have the right to
think of her as my future wife, and to
claim her whenever she is willing to
come to me-"
Whenever she was willing TO come to
him. Was she not willing even then
could Mans love and fidelity ever waver
That evening she and Shirley listened
with mingled feelings to the tale that
Lance had to unfold to them--a short
tale so far as actual facts were con-
cerned, yet one which, with its minor
details and side-issues, took long in the
telling. And when at last the truth
mat had so much-so very much--of
bitterness mingled with it was told
there was great sadness on Mans
thoughtful face. With Shirley only two
emotions held sway-gladness for Lance,
angry resentment against those who had
made made him suffer. But with Nan it was
inherent. The gladness was there, as
great IN its way as Shirley's; but there
vas pity stirring within her for the poor