Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1909-10-02
CHAPTER XIV.

Slowly Maitland returned to the
study and replaced the lamp upon his
desk; and stood briefly in silence, long
fingers strol1ing his well-shaped chin,
his face a little thin and worn-look-
ing, a CLEAN of pain in his eyes. He
sighed.
So she was gone!
He laughed a trace harshly. This
surprise was nothing more than he
might have discounted, of course; he
had been a fool to expect anything
else of her, he was enjoying only his
just deserts both for having dared to
believe that the good in human ma
ture particularly in woman's nature)
would respond to decent treatment,
and for having acted on that asinine
theory.
So she was gone, without word,
without a sign!
He sat down at the desk, sidewise,
one arm extended along it's edge, fin
gers drumming out dreary little tune
on the hard polished wood; and
thought it all over from the begin
ming. Nor spared himself.
Why, after all, should it be other
wise? Why should she have stayed =?
Why should he compliment himself
by believing that there was aught
about him visible through the veneer
acquired in score and odd years of
| purposeless existence, to attract a
| young and pretty woman's heart?
He enumerated his qualities spe-
| officially; and condemned them ALL I'm
| prints, he was a conceited ass A
| fascinating young criminal had but
| to toss her head at him to make him
| think that she was pleased with him,
| to make him forget that she was what
she was and believe that, because he
| was willing to stoop, she was willing
! to climb. And he had betrayed him
self so mercilesslyi How she must
| have laughed in her sleeve all the
time, while he pranced and bridled and
| preened himself under her eyes,
blinded to his own idiocy by the fame
i of sudden infatuation-how she must
have laughed!
Undoubtedly she had laughed; and,
/ measuring his depth-or his shallow
4 ness-had determined to use him to
her ends Why not? 1t had been her
! business, her professional duty, to
make use of him in order to accom-
plish her plundering. And because
she had not dared to ask him for the
| jewels when he left her in the morn.
i ing, she had naturally returned in the
| evening to regain them, very con
\ fident, doubtless, that even if surprised
second time, she would get off scot
free. Unfortunately for her, this fell
4 low Anisty- had interfered. Maitland
] presumed cynically that he ought to
be grateful to Anisty. The unaccount-
able scoundre1, Why had he returned
! How the girl had contrfved to es-
cape was, of course, more easy to nm
4 derstand- Maitland recalled that sud
den chatter of hOofs in the street, and
! he had only to make a trip to the
! window to verify his suspicion that
/ the cab was gone. She had simply
overheard his concluding remarks to
| the cabby, and taken pardonable ad,
| vantage of them. Maitland had footed
l the bill. She was welcome to that
4 however He, Maitland, was wen rid
/ of the whole damnable business. Yes
! jewels and all
What We're the jewels to him. Be
| yond their sentimental associations, he
| did not hold them greatly in prize OF
4 course, since they had been worn by
| his mother, he would spare no ex-
1 pense or effort to trace and re-collect
4 them, for that dim sainted memOry's
| sake. But in this case, at least, the
| traditional usage of the Maitlands
| would never be carried out 1t had
| been faithfully observed when, after
his mothers death. the stones had