The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-11-29

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Don't use it, thanks"
Guy laughed.
"Ah do" and he drank it down
at gulp. The spirit warmed him.
| He always felt better for a tuning
up. The other producell his pipe,
and looked into the bowl.
Il just ran over for chat" he
said, knocking the ash out on 10
the floor.
Very pleased
"A small matter; but as | hate
delay | came over tonight" He pro-
duced a knife and prodded out the
cinders. which more than half fill
ed the pipe. His occupation seemed
to engross his whole attention, so
/ that his face was hidden. by the
bye he went on. without raising
his eyes, you and my wife were
lovers before | married her. I was
unaware of it. You are lovers now"
The words came quietly, but the
eyes fixed on the pipe shot a ti-
| gerish gIeam into the bowl. Guy felt
/ glad OF the warmth the spirit had
| given him. AS no reply was forth
coming Elwood looked up, and all
sign of his emotion had passed.
His eyes we're perfectly steady.
Just for a moment Guy felt like
hurting sneering defiance at the
man before him, but he checked
the impulse.
you put it bluntly,' he said in
stead.
'It is best so-then we know
| where we are"
"Wen?"
A sneer had crept into the inter
rogation Guy was wondering. He
knew he was in a tight corner, but
he couEl not see what threatened.
This man was taking it so coolly.
He was no great student of charac-
| ter; therefore he knew nothing of
the meaning Of the others deliber-
| ateness; he knew nothing of the
passion that the mans will alone
kept under. No, he didn't under
stand.
Mary will recover" Elwood went
on, in his deep voice. 80 you see
the position becomes impossible.
What do you propose to do?"
Guys wonderment grew; 1t was
plainly visible in his eyes. What
did he propose to do?" He movei
uneasily on his rough seat. Why
could not this injured husband say
or do something violent? He would
know where he was then. AS it
was, he found himself cropping, and
was forced to strike out haphazard.
"We were lovers four years ago"
he said. ut is no fault of ours.
1t is you who have thrust yourself
between us. Yes; things are precise
ly as they were, only that Mary is
now married to you"
Elwood carefully Hf his pipe,
pressed the tobacco down with his
matchbox and handed the latter
across to his companion. There was
not the smallest display of animos-
ity in his manner. They smoked
in silence for some minutes. Guy
was waiting for the husbands re-
ply in the hopes of obtaining a lead.
1t came at last.
1T Is because of these things
that ! am talking to you now" he
said quietly. Had they been other
wise-well. perhaps l shouldn't be
talking to you. Before l leave here
tonight ! intend that you shall fully
understand my views on the matter.
He paused, as though carefully Sc
lecting his next words.
Let me state at once that / do
not admit a religious side to the
state of matrimony To me the bond
is merely the humanity legal form
of one of Natures greatest laws. A
necessary contract founded by soci-
ETY. to enforce parental Obligations.
This being so, it necessarily follows
that | consf5er an engagement be-
tween man and a woman to be
inviolable. They are for each other
self-elected, self-sanctioned. There
fore, the man or woman who steps
in between these two is committing
as gnevous moral crime as il
he came between them after they
were married
Guy nodded. The others argu.
ment held him interested, in spite
of the doubt in his mind as to whith-
ed it was leading. But the warmth
derived from the spirit he had i'm
bibed had died out unuer the influ-
ence of the icy tones in which it
was put forth.