Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-07-29


you and Margie. My God! You knew
take the money What if all the others
believed me guilty! You knew-you
didn't doubt met" He stopped entreat-
ingly His eyes besought her
Come, Mol" he said gently, "let us
go home
She looked at the blue vault above,
where the stars were beginning to
tremble. The croak of the crickets
came shrilly to her ears.
1 can't she said somberly-'I
can't Every stitch that | put into
that hateful coarse sewing seemed to
take me farther away from you. OH"
she suddenly cried OFT, 'let me go!
Let me go!n She, twisted her hands
convulsively. "You don't know-you
can't understand
wounded animal With a miserable
gesture he raised his torn hat as he
stumbled blindly away.
Barton, approaching from the oppo-
site direction, stared in blank bewil-
derment at the retreating figure.
Good heavens!" he calculated.
Where's he going?"
He's going out of my existence"
replied Molly simply.
Barton whirled round on her. What
do you mean?" he abruptly inquired.
Molly stood at bay. She knew Bar
hor =
titude would affect him, and she hest
tated to reveal it. Already, in her
mind, little clouds of doubt were form
ing. In these three years Barton had
been her friend and stay, the sustain
ing, helpful figure in the foreground OF
her existence. At this juncture, half
unconsciously, she looked to him. Her
eyes were imploring, but Barton af-
fected not to observe it. She answered
him desperately:
"We-I don't think Jim and | are
suited to each other any more" she
said miserably
Barton was honestly shocked.
He's your husband" said Barton
sternly hurt that his unacknowledged
ideal of womanhood could be found
wanting Il don't know anything
about a woman's love-" he said bitter
ly, but | know how man would feel,
he added, his pity for his friend carry
| ing him away
A look of acutest pain swept over
| Molly's blanched face
you don't understandings don't
know" she said convulsively. 81 DOM
love him any longer. l wish | did
wish | did" she repeated in agony
Poor Jim-poor old fellow" sale
Barton pegretfully, the sympathy in
his voice goading her to despair. He
seated himself on an adjacent rock
and began thoughtfully punching holes
+! in the turf with his stick. He did not
meet her eyes.
| 81 remember" he said refiectively
something Jim once said to me thai
time you were SO i'll. He was pretty
white, and his eyes had the same hur
look l saw in them to-day. Barton,
he said, If my wife dies, it's all III
with me'-and | could hear him say
| ing that for a week afterwards; anC
when you were out of danger the
whole office knew it, just by the glori
fed look on his face"
He cast a quick glance at the mo
tionless figure by the rock, but he
hands were clinched, and she did no
| answer.
And when Margie was born" Bar
| ton went on, there wasn't anything
good enough for that little morsel. HI
used to stand worrying the fruit ped
dlers merely because they hadn't go
an apple big enough and red enough
and round enough to dangle befor'
her eyes | suppose" he went on, in
terrogatively, you remember that biz
fire on Main street about six year!
ago? 1t was all in the papers, o
course, and, well-the fireman whose
life Jim saved by that leap into ;
blazing hell thinks a good deal of jim
even yet. [ don't know that you
ever heard" he resumed, softly, "wha
were Jims first words as soon as h
could speak Don't tell Molly HI
said gently, and when you did come
he tried to hide his burned hands s'
as not to frighten YOU
His glance wandered down thu
lonely road. Silent and empty,
stretched away into the gloom of thu
gathering night In the stiffness the.
heard the solitary FLASHING OF tn
waves. He rose and faced Mol.
| doubtfully.
shall we go now, Mrs. Fraser?
he politely asked. 1--WE can make thu
8:15."
She broke down with a little cry
The next instant she was RUNNING
swiftly down the road.
"Jiml" she called. eagerly. "Jim!