Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-12-28
The
Fighting
Hope
NoveHsed b.
VIRGINIA LEILA WENTz
From ~ Psay By
WILLIAM ]. MDRlbURT
CsSvsitht. 1917. by American Press
.id Association
cssvsitht. 1873. BY American Press
4 Associations
CHAPTER K.
THAT FANcHoN WOMAN.


sprans to her feet ana whirl
3 cd nercely toward the elder
woman. kept the securities in his
own name to buy the woman he need
ed most; buy Rose Fanchon or buy his
own wife! A moment ago you heard
him practically offer them to me for
my silence.
Even then, knowing he had sold his
honor for money. was ready to be-
lieve he had done It for the best.
was ready to believe his excuse of me
and the children. But he has betray-
ed me. His eyes smile lies; his lips
speak lies; his lips
She rubbed her hands almost brutal
~ over her mouth. as though trying
to rub away the brand Of some foul
disgrace With one last desperate ef-
fort for self mastery she walked to
the door through which her husband
had passed and commanded In voice
Of deadly calm:
'4Come out! Come here!'
ssYes, Anna, I'm here" answered be.
appearing with smile. Absorbed in
his own thoughts. he had not noticed
tho tone Of her words.
"Robert Granger. how did you dare
tell me you needed me! say. how
did You dare! What kind of IA thing
arc you? You thought you could buy
your own wife. You'd take the money
from-from Rose Fanchon-and hand
It to me-to me! You don't need her
Just now: you need mel Rose Fan
chon or me or another, It would be all
the same And that's the man mar
riedr' She paused for breath. spent
with the fury Of her scorn.
Granger stood staring whitley at
her. the incarnation of shame and de-
SPAR. Finally he tried weakly to set
right the thing that never could be set
right; tried to explain it away and
bully or beg himself back into his
wife's heart.
"Of course I-sE-well. Anna. want
to apologize about Rose-Rose-
Fanchon woman. It was all her fault
anyhow. Men are up against an awful
lot with some women. r. With his
practiced cunning he saw he was on
the wrong track. He changed his tao
tics, little venomous bully that he was.
when was up there" he nodded
across the Hudson. "a man came to
see me one day and he said-weY. Of
course. laughed him down-he said
my wife was living here with Burton
Temple, living here with an unmarried
man. Well. as say, laughed him
down; wouldn't let him see"-
He paused for second, arrested by
Annals instructive recoiling. Two lit
tie steps she took. steadying herself
BY both hands on the table back O.
her. The pupils Of her gray eyes were
black and big with horror.
"oh. you needn't take it like that"
he went on magnanimously. why,
I'm not going to ask you single ques-
ton, not one. I won't try to learn
how far it's gone: I'll overlook-we're
both Of us-well, it'll be all right Only,
really, I must ask you to come along
now; I've no time to spare"
II have met Absurdity in my time
and hobnobbed with him." said Anna
at length, "but never heard anything
20 absurd as that. Could you really
fancy, Robert Granger, that l should
60 with you-nowY"
If she had burst upon him with q
storm Of words, anger, injured virtue.
reproach, he might have known what
to do. But this! This naughty, fine
disdain! It made even him realize his
own depravity.
aE'or a moment just now" she said,
s.your weakness overcame me. l was
going to-God knows what was going
to do. Then you offered to buy me.
my sympathy, as though I were a
thing to be bargained for, along with
your Rose Eanchon. And as though
that were not enough, you tried to
barter your children's mothers honor.
You knew that every drop of my blood.
every throb Of my heart, was in either
your own or the children's keeping.
You knew Il And yet. oh. what sort
Of thing are you to be made in Gods
1massr
Granger sank on his knees. catch
ing at her hand. With the loss Of hts
game went also the loss of his nerve.
Forgive, Anna" he cried, forgive,
and come with me now
But coldly, contemptuously. she babe
him rise. I've put you out Of my
life," she said
Driven into corner Ike . rat, all
his despicable cruelty came out. he
started ~ though to spring upon his
wife, and, Mrs. Mason screamed.
you'll testify against me, will your