The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1908-09-05

AN-a|NN H- WA 800 E"a"ENAHE N4H HHHH
and an Instant later Bansemer was
boiling upel the den door for her to en-
ter. He had Il Geeting glimpse Of Jane
as that tail Young o.aan turned down
the stairway.
Frances Cables face was white and
drawn. and Der eyes were wet. Her
husband started forward as she extend.
Cd her hand to him. he clasped them
in his own and looked down into her
face with the deepest tenderness and
usefulness IN his own. Her body
swayed suddenly, and his expression
changed to one Of surprise and alarm.
"Don't-don't mind, dear" he said
hoarsely. 1T had to come. Sit down,
do. There. Good Lord, Frances, if
you cry now Iu-In go all to smashg'
He sat down abruptly on the arm Of
the big leather chair into which she
had sunk Imply, Something seemed
to choke him, and his fingers went
n~ervously to his collar. Before them
stood the straight, strong figure Of the
man who was to have Jane forever,
Neither of them-nor J~ane-knew
what Frances Gable had suffered dur
ing the last hour. She accidentally had
heard the words which passed between
the lovers in the den downstairs, She
was prepared when Jane came to her
with the news later on, but that prep
aration had cost her more than any of
them ever could know,
Lying back In a chair after she had
almost crept to her room, she stared
white faced and frightened at the cell
ing until it became peopled with her
wretched thoughts, All along she had
see what was coming. The end was
inevitable. Love as it grew for them
had known no regard for her misery.
She could lot have prevented its
growth; she could not now Illustrate its
elimination, and yet as she sat there
and stared into the past and the future
she knew that 1t was left for her tC
drink Of the cup which they were fill
ing-the cup Of their joy and Of bel
bitterness.
Fear of exposure at the hand Of
Graydon Bansemer's father had KEEP.
her purposely blind to the inevitable
Her woman's intuition long since haC
convinced her that Graydon was no
like his father. She knew him to bt
honorable, noble. fair and worthy
Long and often had she wondered a
James Bansemer's design in permittin,
his son to go to the extreme point il
relation with Jane. AS she sat Their,
and suffered it came to her that thu
man perhaps had a purpose after all
an unfathomable, selfish design whicI
none could forestall. She knew him 70
all that he was, In that knowledge sh,
felt II slight, timid sense of power. IL
stood for honor so far as his son wa
concerned. In fair play she could OK
pose him If he sought to expose her.
But all conJectures, all fears, pale,
into insignifcance with the one grea
terror-what would James Banseme
do in the end? What would he do q
the last minute to prevent the mai
riage Of his son and this child Of III
known parentage? What was to be hi
tribute to the final scene In the drama
She knew that he was tightening b
obnoxious coils about her all the tim,
Even now she could feel his hand upo
her arm, could hear his sibilant whil
per. Now she found herself face [
face with the crisis of all these year,
Her only hope lay in the thought tina
neither could afford the scandal of a
open declaration. Bansemer was me-
CHESS, and he was no fool.
Knowing Graydon to be the son of
scoundrel, she could under ordinar
circumstances have forbidden he
daughter to marry him. In this il
stance she could not say him nay. TIL
venom Of James Bansemer in tha
event would have no measure Of pitt
In her heart she prayed that deaf
might come to her aid In the destrut
uOn VI udlltb DdustHcIs
1t was not until she heard Graydo
coming up the stairs that the solutio
flashed into her brain. II Jane becam
the wife of this cherished son Jane
Bansemer's power was gone! His liz
would be scaled forever. She laughe
aloud in the frenzy Of hope. Sh
laughed to think what a fool she woul
nave been to forbid the marriage. Tt
marriage? Her salvation! Jane foun
her almost hysterical, trembling lib
a leaf. She was obliged to comics
that she had heard part Of their conve
sation below in order to account fC
her manner. When Jane conlded I
her that she had promised to MARI
Graydon in September-or June-sl
; urged her to avoid a long engagemen
She could say no more than that.
! Now she sat limp before the tv
men, a wan smile straying from oil
7 to the other, exhausted by her su
pressed emotions. Suddenly, without
word, she held out her hand to Ora
don. In her deepest soul she low
= this manly, strong hearted young +,
low. She knew, after all, he was VIC
thy Of the best woman In the land.
! you known cried Graydon, elias
: ing her hand, his eyes glistening. "Jal
has told you? And you-you think u
! w~orthyT"
: "Yes, G~raydon-you are worthy