Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1908-05-22
BY MISADVENTURE
r r A ~ K 3 A r r TT


back, the dolt. With that peryerse idea
OF girls mental inferiority, he thought
ne had told her enough. Possibly he was
annoyed in being forced to abandon his
own way Of winning her, and act upon
Awdrey's more generous and manly ad
vice. Perhaps, believing that she was
anxious to get him, he thought he might
treat her with little indifference as a
Kind OF punishment for her previous cool
ness. There is no knowing the extent of
pittul meanness a heartless man is not
capable Of Anyhow, he sat there In 81
lence, waiting for her to make a further
advance. And that, giving her time for
reflection, saved her.
Are you greatly in debt, Lynn" she
asked after a little consideration.
"Oh, not a great DEAL" he replied care
lessly; "a few hundreds"
And how do you propose to pay your
debts" she asked.
That will be all right. The fellows
won't press for payment. They know
their only chance is to wait till l get a
bit straight"
How do you mean to get straight, as
you call it?" she asked, smiling.
Hang it all, Gertie p he exclaimed pet
ulantly, "let's drop this subject. came
to make love to you, not to talk about
money"
Yes: but the two subjects seem to
have become 50 involved that we can
hardly mention one without talking about
the Or. The best way is to detach the
nlaacs frnp, tho Il oy,& .,,hiaot nj
that would be most readily done by set
tling the money question at once, don't
you think so"
"Oh, well, IL We must talk about that
sort IT thing, should ask you to let me
hav, 4 little money to square my &C
ccInts, while look about for something
tnat would enable me. in time, to pay you
back-though don't think there ought to
be any debt and credit account between
man and wife"
"Nor l." replied she gravely. 'It I
marry you, all that have will be yours,
and should be very unhappy II thought
it necessary to question how you disposed
Of it."
That's all right. OF course, whatever
| do with the money will be for our com
mon good. So that settles the thing"
he said, rising from his chair. Eight,
ten months will be soon enough to settle
my creditors little bills. III manage
them !"
But In ten months l may be as far
as ever from being able to let you have
the sum you need; in the meantime, you
must be incurring fresh debts unless you
have some definite means Of earning
money"
but Awdrey told me that he intended
settling the whole of the interest on the
money left by Flexmore on you for tax
ing the care Of the child off his hands,
and quite right that he should"
II know nothing at all about that. Mr..
Keene proposed a salary that I thought
reasonable; If he had proposed more, 1
think l should have declined to accept
it."
II must have an explanation with Aw-
drey at once. There seems to be little
shutting here. I must know the facts
Of the case.
"Mr. Keene Is in the next room" sug-
gested Miss Dalrymple.
Lynn replied with an expression in re-
gard to me which it is unnecessary OF
repeat, for | think I have shown enough
to prove that he was a blackguard, and
quilted the room to go and have II out
with Awdrey," in a manner so devoid of
feeling. or even comomn courtesy. that it
must at once have destroyed any faith in
his sincerity that poor Gertrude cherished.
4. "a
the door closed upon Mr.. Lynn Yeames
before she came from the room where he
left her. and then. despite the cheerful
air she assumed, perceived that she had
been crying.
Here, again. I have wondered what
she cried for. Had she not every reason
to be pleased that she had found out the
mans real character before marriage rath-
er than after it? Was not scorn of such
base fellow enough to dry in its source
the regretful tears that would have
sprung in losing lover? should have
thought So But nothing puts on 50 many
unlocked for aspects as human nature.
One cannot reason upon the movement of
human hearts as IL they were made of
wheels mathematicaly arranged, to pro-
duce from a given impulse a certain and
undertaking result. So l say again. poor
Gertrude! for she was weak as well as
strong.
Had she really loved Lynn? or was
she only interested in him from a belief
that her influence had ennobled him?
cannot say all know is that she wept
in realizing that he was neither noble
nor lovable.
CHAPTER XIV.
The morning after my last visit to
Flexmore House l heard the crunching
Of wheels in the ice of the gutter, and.
glancing through the blind. CAUGHT