Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-08

81 furgit to tellyer Massa Darrl that Col. Steale
wuz here ter see yer dis ebening; an-he say you
mus meet him in Frankfort naix week. l axes
him what fur he wuzzent gwinter stay all night?
And he say, hit twar ompossibe"
After waiting a moment for question or reply
which did not seem to be forthcoming, he closed
the door and retired. They could hear him step
by step descending the stairs
This simple announcement seemed to come as a
quick flash of tightening from a summer sky
heralding the approach of storm.
Marguerite's heart seemed suddenly to cease
beating. There was strange ringing in Darralls
ears as though he had really been shocked by
pressed by the foreboding of few minutes be-
fore which only the cozy bright firesde had for
the moment dispelled. He was the first to speak
Did you Col Steale, dear?"
YES" answered Marguerite speaking very low
and slowly.
He told Jefferson he would await yaur arrival
.and-thinking perhaps you had invited him to
spend the night, went down to speak to him. l
meant to have told you;" looking anxiously into
his face.
These words did not fall trippingy from her
tongue for while they essentially true, she
was conscious that they hid something of deeper
import
STRANGE" murmured Wallace bordering the
matter deeply in his mind. eve were pitted
against each other again this week in court and
the of words between us sometimes waxed hot,
hotter than we have ever passed before. Some
how I have lost confidence in the honesty, the
sincerity of this mans purpose" After pause
of moment he continued,
For that reason dear, when he reminded me
that for some cause it had curiously happened
that he had never been introduced to my wife,
did invite him to stop and pass the night with
us. He declined saying he was returning to Frank
fort direct where he will be installed in his new
office next week. You know he has recently been
made member of the Governors official family.
Since he changed his mind and did come why did
he not stay?'
'In your absence, my husband, 1 did not press
him to do So" Her face is averted for with
hal truth hpr
his eyes.
Darrell now became troubled in spirit; an indie
Enable cloud had overcast his sky. His soul with
out reason seemed fettered He struggled in vain
to throw off the shackles, talking meanwhile of
other things Marguerite sat silent, her head
resting against his knees.
AS a skilled lawyer he had been arranging the
jumbled patchwork of the incidents of the day
in his mind Steae's visit in his absence after
having asked for the invitation which he de-
cned 1t did seem little singular,-now that he
recalled it,-that on one pretext or another Steale
had never met Marguerite in Frankfort He had
not found Marguerite at the window, as was her
custom, watching for his return but down stairs,
weeping instead, and absorbed in her grief that
she did not even hear his coming. The pistol
at her side, her agitation, dozen trifes that he
cannot name disquiet him. He feels intuitively
that something is wrong. Taking her hand in his
as it lies upon his knee he covers it with kisses.
Her eyes fill with tears but her face is still averted
and he does not see them.
'You silent Are you withholding some con-
fdence from me?-IS it fair to me?" he asks since
she is slow in answering.
Marguerite is slow in answering because within
her soul she knows that it is not fair She realizes
that some day ignorance may become reproach.
Dear one, when l took you to my heart my
we'll beloved honored wife, there was no reserve
of confidence between us;-and we made COM
pact. Are you keeping your part OF the agree
ment,-as l swear l will keep miner"
Rising from the low stool to her knees and lay
ing her hands upon his breast she exclaims;