Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-10

fashion he had made the best of it.
women are said to have moods he
told himself in time she will grow
used to me. and 1 will learn how 10 ma n
age her.
He seated her carefully, facing the en-
CINE. He arranged the window to her
taste, so far as he could elicit from her
preoccupied answers what might chance
to be her taste. Then, placing himself
opposite. he turned admiring. smiling
faint smiles in return. obviously forced
and unsatisfactory.
THE rain has cleared" she said
Darling. we shall have a heavenly fort
night
She avoided his ardent eyes and MUIR
INJURED some incoherence.
After we have passed the junction,
he reflected. 81 shall take her in my arms
and kiss her and melt away this intoler-
able ice-wall.'
But the plans of mice and men gang
aft asley''
about to start. Pamela, who had risen
and was standing by the door. said sud-
denly, in an excited voice, John, feel
faint. Quick, please, get flask Of eau
de- cologne from my dressing bag" She
put a key into his hand and pointed out
a bag at the farther end of the carriage.
Concerned. he hurried to open it. He
found no flask amid it's many furnishings.
With nervous hands he took out one
silver capped bottle after another.
The train began slowly to move What
sort OF bottle is ii, DEAR" he de-
manded.
Receiving no answer. pam. dear" he
insisted, what sort Of bottle?''
Still receiving no reply. he turned, sur
prsed. There was nobody there.
The train was now moving rapidly out
of the station. In two strides he was
at the carriage door, but porter was
before him and. with running effort.
banged and fastened it. By the time he
could reopen it the engine had attained
such speed that it would have been fool
hardness to jump out.
He had one glimpse of what he believed
br Do etc ~ad
air upon the platform. He threw him
self back upon a seat.
"Great heavens" he cried. distracted
What does it mean? Has she gone sud
denly mad?''
He caught sight OF a small triangular
note upon the seat before him. He tore
il open and read, written in a tremulous
hand:
II shall leave you at the junction Why
didn't you tell me the truth. John? 1
have waited until the last moment, and
if you had only spoken I could have for
even in spite of your having so wronsed
me. l cared enough for you to marry
YOU to save your honor. The truth about
the will was leaking out. Now nothing
can be said. The money is honorably
yours. But 1 cannot be the wife to one
l cannot respect. You will never see me
again.
He broke out into passionat tie exclama-
tons.
ooh, did ever a dear. romantic little
woman think and write such rubbish 80
he exclaimed "-As though l will leave a
stone unturned before 1 find her. As
though l will not find her and that soon"
For two whole hours. until, indeed, he
honeymoon, he paced the carriage like a
mailman.
what a fool-an utter fool was not
to tell her everything he brooded. What
would she do? Would she return home
He could not think it. She would not
face her old friends and resume the old
life in this new. anomalous position.
When the train at length stopped he had
fumed himself quiet. He got out and
collected his baggage-her baggage also.
He took the next train to the junction.
Almost he expected to find her waiting
for him on the platform, rcpentant, lonely
and unhappy. But she was not there.
Had she been weak enough for this
she would have been too weak TO do
the thing she had done.
When Pamela slipped out of the car
riage she had not left everything to
chance. She had made her plans. and
her single dread was lest the ruse Of the
faintness and the search for the flask
should fail in aiding her flight. Her one
hope was to escape without a word OF
explanation between them. Should he
begin to persuade her-she was afraid
OF herself She was assured that should
she be persuaded her Judgment Of him
and her forfeited sen-respect would
stand forever afterward between them
and happiness. Better thousand times
;fa