Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-03-22

SC"huAhS Ny the IaDl0, ana ne neld my
book in his hands. In view Of the
armed neutrality between us, I ex.
pected to see him bow to me CURLY.
turn on his heel and leave the room.
Indeed, considering his state of mind
the night before, should hardly have
been surprised If he had thrown He'd.
da at my head. (This is not a pun.
I detest them.) But instead, when he
heard me move he glanced over at me
and even smiled a little.
"She wasn't worth it," he said, in.
dicating the book.
Worth what?"
''Your tears You were crying over
1t, weren't your"
"She was very unhappy" asserted
indifferently. "She was married and
she loved some one else"
"Do you really think she did," he
asked. "And even so, was that reas
SOM"
THE other man cared for her; he
may not have been able to help it,"
"Bpt he knew that she was mar.
ried," he said virtuously, and then he
caught my eye and he saw the analogy
instantly, for he colored holly and put
down the book
Most men argue that way" said.
''They argue by the book, and-they
do as they like"
He picked up Japanese ivory pa.
per weight from the table, and stood
balancing it across his finger.
"You are perfectly right" he said
at last. 81 deserve 10 all. My griev.
ance is at myself. Your-your beauty.
and the fact that thought you were
unhappy, put me-beside myself. It
is not an excuse; it is a weak exc
PLANTATION. l will not forget myself
again"
He was as abject. as any one could
have wished. It was my minute OF
triumph, but can not pretend that /
was happy. Evidently it had been
only a passing impulse. If he had
really cared, now that he knew l was
free, he would have forgotten him
self again at once. Then a new ex-
PLANTATION occurred to me. Suppose 1t
had been Bella all the time, and the
real SuOCh udu D00n " A11AO CA1I 0AAS
had been married!
1.-THE fault of the situation was real
~ mine" l said magnanimously; Il
quite blame myself. Only, you must
believe one thing. You never fur
nished us any amusement" l looked
at him stdewise. The discovery that
Bella and Jim we're once married
rnust have been a great shock.
1T was surprise" he replied even
ly. His voice and his eyes were in
scrutable. He returned my glance
steadily. 1t was infuriating to have
gone halfway to meet him, as l had,
and then to find him intrenched in his
self-suff1ciency again. | got up
1T is unfortunate that our acquain-
lance has begun so unfavorably," 1 re-
marked, preparing to pass him. "Un-
der other circumstances we might
have been friends"
There is only one solace," he said.
when we do not have friends, we
can not lose them"
He opened the door to let me pass
out, and as our eyes met, all the cold
ness died out Of his. He held out his
hand, but | was nurt. l refused to
see it.
Kit" he said unsteadily. Tin
an obstinate, pig-hearted brute. l am
sorry Can't we be friends, after
all?"
When we do not have friends we
can not lose them,'" I replied with
cool malice. And the next instant the
door closed behind me.
It was that night that the really
serious event of the quarantine oc-
cured
We were gathered In the library,
and everybody was deadly dull Aunt
Selma said she had been reared to a
strict observance Of the Sabbath, and
she refused to go to bed early. The
cards and card-tables were put away
ana every one sat around and guar
relied and was generally nasty, except
Bella and jim, who had gone into the
den just after dinner and firmly closed
the door
/ think it was just after Max pro-
posed to me. Yes, he proposed to me
again that night. He said that Jim's
illness had decided him; that any Of
us might take sick and die, shut in
that contaminated atmosphere, and
that if he did he wanted it all settled
And whether / took him or not he
wanted me to remember him kindly If
anything happened. l really hated to
refuse him-he was in such deadly
earnest. But it was quite unnecessary
for him to have blamed his refusal,
as he did, on Mr.. HARRISON l am
sure I had refused him plenty of times
before / had eve heard Of the man.
Yes, it was just after he proposed to
me that Flanagan came to the door
and called Mr.. HARRISON out into the
hall
Flannigan-like most Of the people
IN the house--always went to Mr..
HARRISON when there was anything
IN hn dOnn He OneO1v 9dOTn6 him