The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1909-03-25

Eyes"
"In-in her own home in westches-
terT'
yes"
There was n silence. His eyes shifted
to his plate; rerlnined fixed as he said;
"Then YOU knew her--father?"
"Yes. Phil" she said quietly, II knew
Mr.. Varlnn."
"was there anything g-anythlng un-
usual-about HMM those daysT'
"IIave YOU heard that for the first
time?' asked his sister.
He looked up. Yes. What was IT,
Nina?"
She became busy with her plate for
awhile. lie sat rigid, patient one hand
resting on his claret glass. And pres
entity she said without meeting his
/ eyes
at was even farther back-her grand
parents-oue nf them She lifted
her rcld slowly. THAT is why II so
deepl, concerned MS. Phil, when we
heard of your marriage"
/ W ubl tOntfIliCu aul
"The chance of INTERCHANGEABLE risk
of the taint-of transmitting It, Her
fathers errafic briliancy became more
than eccentricity before knew him.
would have told YOU that had I
dreamed that you ever could have
thought of marrying Alike Varian.
Rut how could I know YOU would meet
her out thp-e I'm the orient? II was
your cable to Us was like thunder
| bolt And when she-she left YOU so
suddenly-phil dear feared the true
reason-.thc only possible reason that
could be responsible for such an insane
act"
What was the truth about her IA
therf" he said dogrcdly. "Hc was &C.
centric. Was he ever worse than thatT'
"The tru;h was that be became men
tally irresprrsl'l' before his DEATH"
"You know this?"
"AllXe 'old me when we were school
girls. AID for days she was haunted
with the fear OF what might one day
be her Inheritance. That Is all know
Phil"
He nodded und for awhile made some
pretense of eating, but presently lean.
ed back ana looked ut his sister out OF
dazed eyes.
"Do you suppose" he said heavily
"that she was not entirely responsible
when-when she went away"
II have wondered" said Nina simply
"Austin believes It,"
II can't believe It," he said, staring
at vacancy. Il refuse to-" And. think.
ing of her last frightened and excited
letter imploring an interview with him
and giving the startling reason, What
scoundrel that fellow Ruthven is" he
said. with a shudder.
That night he wrote to Alike:
II Ruthven threatens you with divorce
on such a ground he himself is likely TO
| be adjudged mentally unsound II was a
brutal, stupid threat nothing more, and
his insult to your fathers memory was
| more brutal still. Don't be stampeded by
| such threats. Disprove them by your
| calm self control under provocation. Dis
prove them by your discretion and self
| confidence. Give nobody single possi-
| BILE reason for gossip. And, above all,
| Alike. don't become worried and morbid
over anything you might dread as in
| heritance. for you are as sound today as
you were when / first met you and you
| shall not doubt that you could ever be
| anything else. Be the woman you can
be. Show the pluck and courage to make
the very best out OF life. / have slowly
| learned TO attempt II, and II is not diff
cult II you convince yourself that Il can
| be done.
To this she answered the next day:
will do my best. There is danger.
| treachery. everywhere, and II It becomes
uncomfortable / shall put an end to II in
| one way or another. AS for his threat
| incident on my admitting that did go to
your room and defying him to dare be-
lieve evil Of me for doing It'll can laugh
at II now, though when / wrote you
| was terrified, remembering how mentally
| broken my father was when he died.
But, as you say. am sound, body and
| mind. know II. i don't doubt II for one
moment-eXcept, at long intervals. when
apropos OF nothing, faint sensation OF
dread comes creeping.
But am sound! / know II so absolute
| ly that / sometimes wonder at my own
| perfect sanity and understanding, and so
| clearly 80 faultlessly, so precisely does
my mind work that-and this never told
| you'll am often and often able to detect
mental inadequacy in many people around
me, the buBHteSt DEVIATION from the nor
NAL, the least degree OF mental instabil-
ity. And It would amaze you. too, II
should tell you how many, many people
you know are in some degree more or
less insane.
He's only serenely disagreeable to me
now, and we see almost nothing of one
| another except over the card tables Ger
aid has been winning rather heavily,
am glad to say-glad as long as l cannot
prevent him from playing. And yet
may be able to accomplish that yet in a
roundabout way, because the apple Wis
aged and hawk beaked Mr.. Neergard has
| apparently become my slavish creature
quite infatuated. And as soon as I've
fastened on his collar and made sure that
Rosamund can't unhook 1t I'll try to
make him shut down on Gerald's play
Ing. This for your sake, Phil-because
you ask me and because you must al
ways stand for all that is upright and
good and manly in my eyes. Ah Phil
what fool ! was! And all. all my own
fault too! ALIKE.
This ended the sudden eruption Of
correspondence, for he did not reply to