Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-08-19

enough, ne was AFRAID, 10 QoIodt TTlue
O. Life.
Yes. Anthony Strangways devoutly
wished that this parson had not
turned up to exercise a disturbing in
fiuence over Olive Vanstone. And
what did that odd, yelled reference to
the police signify?
"The act will be over in a few min
utes, now" he said.
He crossed the stage, spoke to the
stage manager-an irritable, red-faced
man with the vocabulary of a ships
bo'sun-who seemed to be unable to
conduct the rehearsal without great
deal of explosive language, then spoke
to- Olive Vanstone.
Presently he returned to Ruthen
'I'll take you to the managers
room. She'll see you there
In the room Stephen waited several
minutes; then the door opened, and
Olive faced him.
1t was a moment that held sense
of constraint both for the woman, who
had paused on the threshold with
halfdefiant challenge in her dark
eyes, and the man facing her in
silence across the dividing gulf Of
love outworn-the man, whose clerical
dress struck an odd note of incon-
gruity against the room, with it's med
ley of framed theaterical photographs
with famboyant signatures and the
sketches for posters and stage-cos-
tunes pinned against the walls.
Olive Vanstone was the first to
break the waiting pause. She closed
the door, but still stood just inside the
room, her hand resting on the knob.
why have you Gomez" she broke
out suddenly. "Oh, know | treated
you badly, that l deserve any re-
proaches you may heap upon me, but
81 have no wish to utter one word
that is a reproach," he said, quietly;
but his voice was not quite steady.
The sight of this woman he had once
loved had touched so many buried
dreams and memories, and they
stirred within him like an imprisoned
pain.
plies, then" she said, quickly, half
! defiantly.
| She paused, looking at him, then the
lines of her face suddenly softened;
she made a step forward towards him,
and the hard note went out of her
voice.
stephen, don't think too hardly of
me-" she went on, in low tone. You
were always kind, far kinder than
| deserved-such a wild, hayward crea-
| ture of moods! And l treated you SO
| badly. The thought of your kindness
that night l came to you in the
church, i'll and almost beside myself,
makes me feel ashamed; made me
shrink from the thought of meeting
YOU again. Only'-she drew a deep
/ breath.-"I had to do what l did; |
couldn't stay in the rectory, where
everything reminded me OF the hor'
ror of Philips death. / knew that you
and your sister had conspired to help
his murderer to evade justice; and
| that made me angry and bitter-it
seemed as though you were siding
with my enemies-made me more de-
| termined than ever to go away from
Wildfell, free and unquestioned. Can't
you understand how l felt-that l
must snap every link that fettered me
to the place associated with that hor'
ror?" And little shudder ran
through her as she spoke. Then the
offer of a stage career came to me;
| knew that if I told you, you would
try to dissuade me. 1t seemed a
chance of finding new interests, OF
living for the present and future; |
wanted so much to shut the door on
the past and it's sorroW.''
He had listened to the woman's de-
tense so far in silence; now he broke
in with sudden vehemence:
'"But there's no key that will lock
that door, or keep it fast shut! We
don't leave the past behind; it fol-
lows us-it always follows us! It's
about that very crime, Philip Hume's
murder, that I have sought you out
now" he cried because | felt that
after keeping silence SO long 1t would
be less of a shock to you to hear the
truth from me rather than from the
police"
Olive shrank back, startled at the
words.
What do you mean?" she cried
What have to do with the police?''
more than you realize. On the
night Philip Hume died l came upon
you and the dead man together. You
were bending over him in the snow"
81 was there? You must be dream
ing, The assertion is madness!" she
cried. staring at him with d1latlne
eyes.
mo, it is true. l found you had
left your room that night whilst the
nurse slept, and 1 went in search OF
YOU. found you bending over dead
Philip Hume, grasping the weapon
that had killed him."
ITO be continued.1
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