The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-10-26
CHAPTER Y
Continued.

quite without sympathy. i expect
his state of mind has more to do with
the dreadful things he lives on than
Audrey's cruelty"
Jacks lips twitched. Lise was al
most sure he was going to smile, but
he was much too full OF moral
strength for such a fall, and he pulled
himself together.
Its not a laughing matter" said
he. Her heart sank.
Cant you get them to give up this
ridiculous idea?" he demanded. Lise
flushed.
Il shouldn't think of such a thing!'
cried she. The fact that it had never
occurred to Jack to be glad that Mich
ael was going to be married drove
her to the verge Of despair. And
I had to sacrifice a great DEAL" she
went on hastily. She realized with
relief that her temper was now swift
ly rising. Il had to lose n of my
best friends"
Il thought you were tired OF
Audrey" he said indifferently.
Her black eyes blazed at him. 81
didn't NEAR Audrey. I meant Mich
aek. I shall lose a good, kind. affec-
tionate, sympathetic, unselfsh friend
when he marries her. 1 suppose you
didn't think of that"
you'll find another idle youth to
hang about and pour his ready sor-
rows into your sympathetic ear, no
doubt"
Lise sprang from her seat. "Oh!"
she cried. You are ~unbearable. How
much longer is this kind of thing
going to last? How much longer am
I to live this life-to endure this tor
ture?r
Her husband watched her with
puzzled eyes as she paced restlessly
up and down in the old way, and he
thought once more what 4 pity it
all was. So pretty, sc graceful, so
impossible to live with in peace. He
sighed as he watched her.
About forty years, 1 expect" he
answered sadly.
L uSSSI w d. lulHS W plSdSe
you!" she cried.
"Do you ever try?"
"You never understand me-"
"God knows who could"
She flung herself into a chair and
buried her face in her hand. An old,
old attitude. An attitude he knew
too we'll.
"Lise," he said in a softer tone,
"you don't like Audrey much, do
you?"
She looked up in surprise.
Il wonder if you have been doing
this to save Nigel"
ITO save him" Her bewildered
tones we're answer enough, but he
would give her the full chance of ex-
planning.
at is possible" he said kindly,
shat you have realized the truth;
that you have seen hat she isn't
good enough for Nigel, and want to
get her out Of his way. Was that
it,"
Lise shook her head.
NO." she said; sit never occurred
to me. Thank you very much for the
loophole you have given me, Jack,
but I won't take advantage of it.
! think Audrey is peculiarly suited
by nature to almost any man.
think she will be able to make any
man happy. She finds it as easy to
make people happy as I do to make
them miserable" A quick glance
out of the corner of her eyes showed
that her husband was quite un-
touched by this obvious truth. She
set her lips.
Jack" she said, show long are
we to go on like this?" .
For forty years or so, I suppose
he said again.
mo! 1 can't bear it. We must
separate. You must 80 your way,
and III go mine"
Likely to turn out the broad path
we've both heard so much about,
don't you Think" he suggested lazily.
Not at ALL" said Lise quickly.
ave must take care that the paths
don't meet, that's all. We stumbled
into this marriage like a couple OF
blind children, and row"
Now We pay the fiddler" he sug-
gested mildly. "Our relations having
called the tune"
He understood Lise in this mood,
and his bad temper had evaporated.
IF had known," she cried furious
ly, "sSwould rather have
"Died?" suggested he, with an ag-
~gravating glance at her. so would
/. You have the DEVILS own temper,
Lise."
Temper" she cried furiously.
~Thank God 1 have some spirit! !
would rather be a cabbage growing in
a garden than feel so little one way
or another as you do"
You wrong me-" Jack rose to
ring the bell. Il feel, for instance,
very strongly on the subject of this
elopement. I can hardly tell you how
strongly. And I would rather live
with a thousand cabbages in a hun,
dred gardens than listen ~eternally tc
a person who feels SO much about
everything-or says she does!"
CHAPTER XI.
The day Of the elopement was a