Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-09-29
Copyright 1903, by ]. B. Harris-Burland.

y
anything particular to say to her?'
Eyes, yes" he cried hurrfedly 81
must know why she married this man,
must know why he has left her at
such time as this: must know what
her plans are for the future I want to
help her. to make life happy for her.
The best thing you can do for her
happiness is to keep out of her life.
she can never be anything to you. If
you have something to say to her you
had better write it,
must see her. he cried angrily;
insist on seeing her. I will not leave
| here until l have seen her"
You coward" cried Leonore, stung
at last to fury. 'Haye you no shame,
no pity? Do you dare to speak of her
like this to me after after what has
happened? She is nothing to me; I
have forgotten her. l think those
were your words. But | will keep you
from her. | will defend her from your
prosecution. Leave this house at once,
Mr.. Shil, or l will send for the police
and have you turned out"
She walked over to the fireplace and
pulled the bell violently, but the han
die came off in her hand, and a foot
of, wire with it. Her face was white
with passion, and even John Shil, in
the full strength of his own madness.
shrank back from the blaze of fury
in her eyes. She flung the broken han
die to the floor, and. opening the door,
called out to Mrs. Burton.
THAT will do, Leonore." said John
Shil with as much dignity as he could
command "You have gone far enough
| ! will leave here to avoid the scene
you wish to force upon me- will see
Laura another time
Never again, if can keep you two
apart
"You cannot" he retorted, "and, if
you try, it is you who will suffer-
She looked at him piteously, and for
a moment the fury died from her face.
1t grew haggard and old, the face Of a
heart-broken woman.
yes" she replied slowly, "and it is
| who suffer now oh how I suffer-"
She sank into chair by the table,
and, burying her face in her arms,
sohbed bitterly, without pride and
without shame woman with her
heart laid bare
| John Shil felt all the pangs of a
|
bowed head and quivering body. He
saw himself as a pitiful coward, as a
dishonored man. And yet he knew
that he could not make amends.
Forgive me, Leonore," he mutter-
ed II have been a cad a brute
He might have saidssnore. moved as
he was by a. sudden burst of self-con-
domination, but at that moment Mrs.
| Burton entered
"Td come sooner" she exclaimed
and then, observing the peculiar situa-
tion she paused
Leonore sprang to her feet
II thought I heard knock at the
hall DOOR" she explained lamely land
you did not seem to hear 1t, SO L"
She was spared any further tax on
her powers of invention, FOR at that
moment there actually came heavy
rap on the hall door. followed by a
thud as though someone had fallen
against it.
/ Mrs. Burton went out into the hall.
and Leonore smiled. The coincidence
had been more than opportune. It
was almost uncanny, as though some
supernatural power had interviewed to
give reality to the lie she had uttered.
She listened and heard the hall door
open. Then for second there was ST.
lence and then a loud screech of de
light from Mrs Blurton.
ooh 'Enry, 'Enry! My boy, my pore
blessed boy. That's right, dearie. you
old On to your pore old mothers arm.
You're tired, 'Enry, that's wot you
are; bin a-working yerself to death,
that's Wot YOU ave"
The hall door closed with a bang,
apd there was a sound Of shuffling In
the passage, accompanied by the coax
ing endearmerts OF Mrs. Burton. and
q few oaths, fortunately scarcely in
tellieible. from the man addressed as
pore 'Enry.'
John Shil moved forward to close
the door, and, then, remembering that
he had no right to keep Mrs Burton
out of her own sitting room, he
paused, and turned to Leonore.
"You had better go upstairs" he
said abruptly. 81 will leave the house
Good bye, and remember, Leonore,
that you cannot keep Leonore from
me. I shall write to her"
Leonore, still trembling with emo
ton, did not answer him, and he
walked towards the door But, before
he reached it, Mrs. Burton appeared
in the entrance. holding a very small
man by the arm. "Pore 'Enry" hung
very Imply in his mothers grasp, and
his appearance suggested that he had
been having a royal time. His small
eyes were bloodshot and watery, and
his ugly little face was smeared with
dirt, as though he had fallen in the
mud. Otherwise his appearance had
much improved since the day he had
met William Tankerlane in the Round
Plantation, and agreed to accept
e 100 year for his silence. His
clothes were tolerably new, and the
gorgeous yellow check Of the material
was almost painful to the eye. His tie
was blue as an italian lake, and a
large magenta handkerchief hung out
Of his breast pocket. His boots were
brilliant as marigolds.
That's my one and only" said
Mrs. Burton, thrusting him forward
into chair which stood near the
door "'Es got on in the world, e
! as. Amt e a real gentleman? Look