The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1908-11-20
CHAPTER discontinued.

"Olive, could it be otherwise?
Could you think otherwise?" he whis-
pered. trying to keep his voice under
control. Three years ago I told you
l loved you. Is not that answer
enough?"
But I deserve only that you should
hate me now," she said. feverishly.
"And yet l think knew. Stephen,
when I came to you tonight out Of
the unbroken silence of three years
knew there was one man I could
trust little as had deserved his help
and little cause as I have, heaven
knows, to believe in mans constancy
or truth or love!"
And all the intense hopeless bitter
ness of her last words, surging up re-
sistlessly from the deeps of woman's
heart outraged beyond reparation,
famed into her eyes.
"And yet, Stephen, you have no re-
proach for me-only the old gentle.
ness!"
when loved you once it was for
always. Olive, for good or i'll. 1 don't
know whether I'm unlike other meI;
it's the only way of love 1 know" he
had. 81 only thank God you have
come back. that in your need you
turned to me-"
"My need-yes!" she cried. 81 have
come to you, Stephen-selfish to the
last. perhaps-because l hate man
with hatred so deep that you can
only gauge it by the measure of your
love! The man who took ME from
you!"
"What do you mean, Oliver" The
startled cry escaped him. The strange
hysterical words that had broken
from her in the porch of the vestry
came back into his mind: ITO help
me to avenge my wrongs
stephen, think could have come
to care for you but for that man. You
appealed to all that was best in my
hayward nature" she said, feverishly.
But this mani had known him be-
fore ever I saw you; and he exercised
a fascination over me, though I knew
he was not a good man, though knew
he was man who played with
women's hearts.
when l took the post of governess
and met you, had not told HIM
this man-where was going. I
wanted to forget him. Then prom
ised to be your wife, Stephen--only
after long hesitation, you remember,
end because you pleaded SO passion
ately. You see, wasn't sure of my
self. l was afraid of that man, afraid
lest he should come again into my life
and exert the old inexplicable fascina-
ton, and so I hesitated. 1t was for
your sake, Stephen. not my own. for
you offered me a good mans love, q
home and freedom after the hateful
life of dependence with people who
treated me less kindly than their serv-
ants"
Her fingers were p1ucking at the
tiny handkerchief she held fraying
the delicate strands of lace, with a
nervous restlessness that betrayed the
Intensity of emotion prisoned beneath
the low, repressed tones.
A culver of melody stole in from
the church where the orgarist still
sat at the keys, filling the moments
pause.
stephen. he found me out The old
evil fascination drew me back resist
lessly at his bidding. He told me he
had always cared for me. For the first
time he told me he wanted to make
me his wife. He knew his power
knew that he had only to say come
and I would have followed him to the
worlds end. l thought 1 loved him
then. I have no excuse to offer for
my treatment of you, Stephen. am
only telling you the bare facts. There
was no excuse, Of course. went to
him, leaving no clue by which could
be traced, as he told me to do. and
then"
She rose suddenly to her feet, and
stood facing him firm and erect, her
faintness and exhaustion forgotten in
the quivering sense of outraged won.
anhood that filled her. She pulled a
letter from her pocket of her cloak
and held it out to him.
"Read that"
"You have probably guessed" the
letter ran, that am tired of ou1
menage; your reproaches after my
absence grow monotonous, my dear
Olive, and l have come to the conclu
sion that it is better for us both to
snap the bond that has grown irk
some. enclose you notes for $50
and from time to time. if you show
yourself reasonable, shall send you
more. If you will take my advice you
will accept the situation without max
ing any fuss. and continue to call your
self Mrs. Carr, though / may as well
tell you that your claim to style your
self married woman is of the slight
est-non-existent, in fact. When you
agree to let our marriage be in Scotch
fashion of simple declaration before
witnesses, you should have made
sure that the village where the little
simple ceremony took place was in
Scotland. AS matter of fact, 1t was
five miles on the English side of the
border, and accordingly no marriage
at all. To save you any trouble in the
quite useless attempt to trace me,
may as well tell you that my real name