Evening star., 1909-09-12

HIS man was IN waiting In ms hand he
held an envclop. unsealed Mr.. kent's
asleep; but here's his handwrite to his sister. :
he said. He wants you to read it out before
YOU hike
Van received the envelop glanced at the
man inquIr1ngly, and removed single sheet OF
paper. 1t not a note from Glen; 1t APP
peared to be the final page of Beth's own letter
to her brother
Van knew the strong, large chirography.
His eve ran swiftly over all the lines:
SO felt ought to know more about things,
and let YOU know of what IS going on. There
is more that | cannot tell | wrote YOU much
in nv former letter-much, | mean. about the
man who will carry this letter unsuspi
ciously, the man | shall yet repay if it lies
within my power. For the things he has done.
and for what he is, for what he represents, this
is the man hate more than anything or any
one else in the world! You would understand
me if you knew it all-all. Let him carry some
word from you to
Your loving sister, BETH"
Van had seen it all, comprchended it all, be-
fore he realized that some error had been made
that this piece of Beth's letter had been placed
by mistake in the enveop for him to take in
stead of the letter Glen had written.
He did not know and could not know that
Bostwick within, by the sick mans side, had
kept Glen stupid and dazed with drugs, that
the one word hate" had been love" on the
sheet he held in his hand, till altered by the
man from New York or that something far
different from utterly despicabe treachery
toward himself had been planned in Beth's
warm, happy heart.
The thing in its enormity, struck him a blow
that made him reel for moment, till he could
grasp at his self control. He made no sign as
he folded the sheet in its creases
I'm afraid you made some mistake, he
said This is not the note from Mr.. Kent
Perhaps YOU will bring the other
"What?' said the man. unaware of the fact
that Bostwick had purposely arranged this
scheme for putting the altered sheet into Van
Buren's hands. What's that?" He glanced
at the sheet in genuine surprise. keerect."
he said. I'll go and git you the letter
IVAN mounted his horse His face had taken
a strange. chseled appearance. as if it
through desert heat and flood for this, to fetch
such letter this to man he had never
seen nor cared to and whose answer he
had promised to return!
He made no effort to understand it, why she
should send him when the regular mail would
have answered every purpose. The vague,
dark hints contained in her letter-hints at
things going on, things she could not te-held
little to arouse his interest. A stabbed man
would have taken more interest in the name of
the maker of the weapon, stamped on the dag
gers blade than did Van in the detail of affairs
between Glenville Kent and his sister. Beth
had done this thing-and he had fondly be-
Heved her love was welded to his own. She
had meant 1t, then. when she cried in her pas
sion that she hated him for what he had done
Her anger that night upon the hill by Mrs.
Dicks had not been jealousy of Queeny. but
rage against himself. She was doubtless in
love with Bostwck, after al-and would share
this joke with her lover.
He shrugged his shoulders. Luck had never
been his friend. BY what right had he re-
Gently begun to expect her smile7 And why
had he continued for years to believe in man
in Fate? All the quiet JOY he had felt for
days concerning Beth and the Laughing Water
claim departed as if through sieve. He
cared for nothing the claim, the world. or his
life. As for Beth, what was the use of wishing
to understand
The came out at the door again this
time with a note that Bostwick had written,
with a few suggestions from Glen. in an un-
sealed cover as before Il told young Kent
you didn't take no time to read the other" he
said, holding up the epstle. IF you want to
read this
a. Thank you" Van interrupted, taking the
letter and thrusting it at once into his pocket.
= Thank Mr.. Kent for his courtesies. in my be-
half" He turned and rode away.
To be continued ne1t Sunday.