The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-05-16

possible for him to do otherwise
than t. be true TO his troth. and
that he must forget her. as she
shouid-try to-forget him.
This nobility on her part. only
made Carleton love her the more.
and though continuul to- admire his
beautiful fancec. his real affection
was all for little u rothy
She came to dinner that night.
soft and lovely in q simple white
frock. her pathetic eyes wide open
in grief and sorrow. her rosebud
mouth dropping aud trcmulous at
the corners.
Fessenden watched her Without
appearing t. do 500. hc noted evcV
expression that fitted across her
baby face.
And he was greatly disturbed
The night before le had paid but
slight attention to her. TO be sure.
Miss Van Norman had spoken her
name in the afternoon but it had
meant little to him. and. thinking
of her merely as Mrs. Carlctou's
companion CT secretary he WASH.
sure which. he had been convention.
ally polite and no more. put to-
night she was a factor in the case.
and must be reckoncd with
As Fessonden watched her. he
saw, with a growing conviction, as
sure as it was awful that she was
relieved at Miss Van Norman's
death
Gentle. tender little girl as SHE
seemed. it was stil true that the
. removal Of the obstacle between
Carleton and herself gave her only
Joy She tried to hide this. She
cleverly simulated grief. horror sur
prise, interest-all the emotions call
ed forth by the conversation. which
unavodably pursued only one course.
In fact, Miss Burt took her cue
every time from Mrs Carleton. and
expressed opionious that invariably
conceded with hers
1t began TO dawn upon Fesscnden
that the girl was unusually clever.
/ the more so, he thought, that she
was mconsciously conccaling her
/ cleverness by cloak of demure in
nocence, and careful urostentation.
4 .
never did she show undue interest
! in Schuyler. personally.
Fessenden reasoned that the game
being now in her hands she could
afford to stand back and await de.
/ velopments.
Then came the next thought: how
came the game so fortuitously into
her on hands? Was il, even indi
rectly, due to her own instigation
''Pshaw'' he thought to himself
I'm growing absurdly suspicious.
won't believe wrong Of that cir
until | have some scrap of hint
to base it on"
And yet he knew in his owl
heart if Dorothy Burt had wanteC
to connive in the slightest degre,
in the removal of her rival, she was
quite capable of doing so, notwith
standing her very evident effect o
pretty helplessncss.
When an excessively clever younl
woman assumes an utterly inehi
cicnt air" he thought, I'll must bI
for some undeclared purpose" an,
he felt an absurd thrill of satisfac
tion that though Kitty French wa
undeniably clever, she put on no in
genue arts to hide it,
Then Kitty's phrase of "cline
ing rosebud" came to his mind, AN,
/ he realized its exceeding aptnes
, To describe Dorothy Burt Her az
pealing eyes and wistful curve,
, mouth were enough to lure ma
. who loved her to almost any dee
, OF daring.
q Even murder" flashed into hi
,. brain and he recoiled al the though
/ Old Schuyler might have been mad
to forget his lcalty; he might hay
o been unable to steel his hear
;. against these subtle charms: h
{ might have thrown to the wind
/. his honor and his faith; but surely
n never. never. could he have commit
o ted that dreadful deed, even fo
d love of this angelface siren,
t Gould She"
|. The words fairly burned into Fee
n sendens brain. The sudden though
Il set his mind whrling. Could she
@ Why, 10, OF course not, Absurd! We
, but could she? What? That child
;. That baby-eirl? Those tiny, rose-le;
$ hands, Yes, but could She?
~ NO" Fessoudcn said angrly, an