The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1910-02-10
CHA PTFR XIV.

ton During that drive she was absent
and preoccupied; Joe had once or twice
to ask the same question several times
before she heard him, and her far-
away eyes saw no one in the crowd or
faces that she passed along the streets.
She had certainly never noticed poor
4lgy inger-who imagined himself
to be Intentionally sighted. and VINO
went his way to say hard words about
her 10 his friends at the club.
Are you feeling i'll, Irene?" inquired
Joe Taunton, looking down anNousiy
at her, after they had driven 10 hei
home.
Il have a headache" she answered
evasively.
That day at Chatswell yesterday
was too much fer you Your aunt
shouldn't have allowed you TO So
What is the use of your tagging your
self over a parcel of ragged children
Il like going there" she repileu'
family. But she knew that Mr.. Tauh-
ton was right. and that it was the DAY
at Chatswell that had upset her'
IT seemed to her now to be certain
that she had been the victim Oh CIR
cumstances of almost unparalleled Ia
talitv: and at least one-half of sthe
hard things she had laid to Rupert
ca,ro,rs account had no truth in them.
He had been prevented by a rufnaniy
and brutal assault from returning 10
her at Chatswell: and this assault had
aDparentlv been made upon him in err
ror and because he was curiousiy IKE
some other man. 1t had now become re-
veaIed to her, little by little. that II
was this other mysterious person wRoni
she must have mistaken on several oc-
casions for HIN. He it must have been
whom her aunt had seen and spoken
to- long ago, and who had denied all
knowledge of herself and her motner-
He again was the man she had seen al
Monte Carlo; then at Lady Clothiida
ball; and lastly at the picture gallery.
Who was he, this double or Rupert
CarrolPs. who resembled him In sucn
an extraordinary manner?
She said to herself, with mingled
feelings of self-reproach and of joy:
How could 1 suppose that Rupert
would cut me? How would 1t have
been possible for him to do that? what
a fool / must have been not to know
that he was incapable of such base
ness"
Yet still there remained the fact of
his marriage. That. she could neither
understand nor get over.
Why had he married? Why, when
he got well enough. did he not write
to her at once and tell her what had
happened TO him, and explain his ST.
lence? She thought and thought about
IT till her brain went round. and there
was no untruth In the statement she
made to Joseph Taunton, that she had
a headache.
Come" he said to her. seeking to
cheer her up. "let us go to old McGil-
lup's and get you new bracelet i
saw a beauty there yesterday"
You are very kind. Joe. but 1 don I
want anything
Then after a moments pause she
said suddenly:
Joe IL / weren't to marry you after
all. would you care very much?"
Mr. Taunton started so violently that
he pulled his handsome bays back al
most on TO their launches.
Irene, What an awful thing TO
say" he cried, his rudy face paling
into a pasty yellow. You can't mean
IT, Irene, You can't mean it," he re-
peated with such a face of horror and
dismay that she laughed again. But
her laugh died away into an uneasy
sigh, and she did not say that sire die
not mean it,
Suddenly he turned round to her and
said:
Il know that you are million times
too good for me, Irene, / know II
quite we'll; you are such a beauty, and
such little lady. too, and / am only
<.f cl,o rx-ffl y, IL.
on earth but my money to recommend
me-"
II was an unanswerable truth, and
Irene could only bend her hear an6
murmur:
"Oh, joel"
Yes. that is ALL" he continued; "ant
i used to think lot of my money once
and that / could buy anything with Il
anything. including a wife, my dear
and when 1 saw you 1 said to myself
that you were the wife for my money
and that / would buy you. But Nv,
found out lately that there is just on,
thing all the money in the world cam
buy, no, nor yet the diamonds, nor tn,
horses and the carriages either, ant
that is girls heart
Joe" she said below her breath. I'd,
you-do you wish to be rid of me?"
Rid of you. my dear? No. no, no
that, You know i worship the yer,
shadow of You. but that is Just VIII,
somehow / don't want to tie you dowr
If it's not to make you happy / DON
want 10 be one Of your fashionabl
husbands. whose wife is surrounded b,
other men, and who would rather b,
along with any one of them than viii
her own husband. / want my wife I,
be my very own, and to like me bette
than all the rest-but I'm pretty sur
you couldn't do that. no. not If 1 wer,
to buy up all the diamonds and all tn
finery in London TO give you,"
Then Irene lifted her beautiful gre
eyes, and looked at him gravely an,
flxedly.
joe" she said. little TREMENDOUSLY
81 have never liked you so well in al
my life as / like you at this moment
did not know it was In you to be s
good and so generous. / feel mysel
to be mean and hateful. because hav
taken so much from you. and l ca
give you back so little. But, anyhow
won't deceive you like you and
honor you-but | don't love you, joe
and what is more. l never shall. be
cause I love someone else"
He turned away from her to hide tn
distress that her words caused him.
You shall be nay Judge, joe" sh
continued, laying her hand softly an
caressingly on his coat-sleeve: 1T 1
you who shall decide for me. This ma
Il knew him long time ago. and w
were engaged, then we were parted
an accident-that seems like the wor
of a malevolent fiend so strange and S
mysterious was it-divided us as com
pletely as death itself could have don,
Until yesterday | did not know tn
truth. I believed him to be false an
base and cruel, and / strove with a
my might and main to hate and to for
get him.
And yesterday" he inquired. faint
ly. Did you see him yesterday"
She shook her head sadly.