Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1910-01-25


thing now beyond your keeping, Cap
tain Ireton," he quavered, at length.
mumbling the words as do the palsied.
Since you are Margery's father,
owe you anything dying man can
pay" said /.
Words; empty words" he fumed.
IF it were thing to do. now
You need but name ~the thing and
will do it willingly"
Who is your next of kin. Captain
Ireton?"
"Septimus. of the same name, master
of Iretondene. on the James River. and
a major in the Virginia line" 1 an
swered.
IF you should die intestate. this
Septimus would be your heir?"
"As next of kin. should suppose he
would. But I have nothing to devise"
You've claimed my daughter as
your wife before them all. and when
you die tomorrow morning you'll leave
her neither wife nor maid. 1 think
you'd best make that lie of yours the
truth"
If one of his thin hands that clutch
ed the chair arms had pressed secret
spring and loosed a trap to send me
gasping down an oubliette. l should
have been the less astounded. Indeed,
for some space / thought him mad;
yet, on second thought, l saw the
method in his madness. Could Mar
gerry be brought to view it calmly, this
was a sword to cut the knot of all en-
tanglements.
1.-The jade will do as she is bid" he
said. wrathfully. And now about the
settlements, Captain Ireton; you'll be
making her legatee residuary?"
At this l saw his drift again, most
clearly: that he would never sickle for
his daughters honor but for the quiet
ing of his title to my fathers lands-a
title that my cousin Septimus might
dispute. 1t was enough to set me OBJ
stinate against him; but constrained
myself to think of Margery and Rich
ard Jennifer, and not at all of this
poor petty miser.
I'll sign a quitclaim in her favor, II
that is what you mean" 1 said. But
tits a mere pen-scratch for the lawyers
to haggle over. AS you said a while
ago, the wife will be the husbands
heir-at-law in any event."
True; but we'd best be at 1t In due
and proper form" He rose and hob
bled to the door and was so set upon
haste that his shaking hand played a
rafting tattoo on the latch. TIL go
and have the papers drawn, and you
will sign them, Captain Ireton; l have
your passed word that you will sign
them?"
AYE; they shall be signed"
He went away at that. Twas past
midnight, with Tybee doing in his
chair, when next 1 heard some STIR
rings in the corridor AS before, 1t was
the lifting of the wooden bar that rous-
ed my friendly guard, and when he
went to parley at the door / stood
apart and turned my back When I
looked again my company was come.
At the table, busted with a parchment
that might have been ducal title deed
for size. stood Gilbert Stair and the
factor-lawyer, Owen Pengarvin. A
little back of them the good old Faith
err Matthew had Margery on his arm.
And in the corner Tybee stood to keep
the door.
Il would have a word or two in pri-
vate with your daughter before this
matter ripens further. Mr.. Stair" l
said.
My lady dropped the priests arm
and came to stand beside me in the
window bay. | offered her a chair but
she refused to sit. There was so little
time to spare that / must needs begin
without preliminary.
What has your father told you,
Margery?" I asked.
He tells me nothing that l care to
know"
but he has told you what you must
do?"
Yes" She looked with eyes that
saw me not.
"'Tis not a pleasing thing. I grant
you. Margery; notwithstanding. of our
two evils it is by far the less. Be
think you moment: it's but the say
ing of a few words by the priest, and
the bearing of my name for some short
while till you can change it for a bet
ter"
Her deep-welled eyes met mine. and
in them was a flash of anger.
rs that what marriage means to
YOU. Captain Ireton?"
NO, truly. But we have no choice.
'Tis this. or l must leave you in the
morning to worse things than the bear
ing of my name. / would 1t had not
thus been thrust upon us. but l could
see no other way"
See what comes of tampering with
the truth" she said. and 1 could see
her short lip curl with scorn. why
should you lie and lie again, when
any one could see that it must come to
this-or worse?"
Il saw II not" l said but had |
stopped to look beyond the moments
need and seen the end from the begin
ming. fear should have lied yet other
times. Your honor was at stake. dear
lady"
MY honor."-this in bitterest irony
What is a woman's honor. sir. when
YOU or any man has patched and sew
| ed and sought TO make 1t whole again
will n { say the word you'd have me
say"
But you must say It,. Margery. IT'S
but the merest form: You forget that
shall not live to make YOU rue it"
You drive me TO it-listen. sir. YOU
drive me to it. And shall hate YOU
for II. Come; tbs but mockery. as
YOU say; and they are waiting"
And so that deed was done In such
sorry fashion as the time and place
| constrained. All through this farce
which was in truth the grimmest of all
tragedtes-my lady played her part as
one who walks in sleep: and at the end
she let her father lead her out with not
a word or look or sign to me.
You'd guess that I would take It hard
her leaving OF me thus. as I made
sure. for all eternity: and did take il
hard. For when the strain was or. and
! there was no one by 20 see or hes;
save my good-hearted death-watch.
must needs go down upon my knees
| beside the bed in childish weakness
and sob and choke and let the hot tears
come as had not since at this same
bedside had knelt a little lad TO take