The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-01-17
(Continued.) CHAPTER XI.

ully with indifference in ore of the opposite sex is a rarity. Dislike and ,rher kindred regards may pique and rritate her, but she understands hem, and can deal with them. Love md friendship are equally within her zen, and she delights to hold them, wen though she sets no higher value m them than on that of the dog which lawns upon her. It is a small ,eminine vanity which no reasonable naIe will begrudge her. But indif- erence, It is an attitude which rous- .s all that is worst in her. It is some hing which she cannot understand, with which her arts cannot deal, and , he existence of which she hates even 10 admit.
 As weeks passed and Mary return d to doubtful health, a painful truth breed itself upon her-the task of winning her husband back to her again was beyond her powers. There vas neither anger nor condemnation n his attitude. But she feared his .old reserve, and slowly but surely Ill her plans collapsed before ths misery that grew up in her warm. :iraple heart. Her first refusal to zee Guy Chalmer after he recovery vas a mere flash in the pan. He same again, and yet again; and the hird time he came he found her in he right mood, and consequently was admitted.
 He came with all the assurance of rictory. The memory of his com pact with her husband was spur which encouraged: he felt his task vas easy. That he loved Mary there .ould be no doubt, but neither could here be any doubt that his brief pas- lion for the chorus girl had merely ,een followed up by an even baser ,asdon for the married woman. Be- tides, had not her husband declared his intention of standing aside in his .avor? And if he did so in the man. aer prescribed, would not Mary be a great heiress?
 He. thus entered upon his twelve months contest with a light heart. He did net dream of failure, and had such a thought occurred to him he would merely have laughed in his cynical way at the thought of carry Ing out his side of the bargain. He believed himself to be quite beyond The reach of compulsion; he believed ne knew the strength of his position. Tn his shallow. inconsequent way he dubbed his rival a fool; quixotic ass who deserved no mercy at his hands
 It was not possible that he could Fisit the farm often without meeting Eiwood He had considered this and decided upon his line of action. He rather courted than avoided such meetings He treated the man to a cheery bonhomie that to any other nature than Ferman Elwood's might we'll have been insupportable. But he stronger man accepted the posi-
 
 great St. Bernard dog accepts the inn oudent gambols of a toy-terrier. He 1nsmilingly encouraged the mans in- imacy. never failing to draw him on :o discuss those affairs of their owu world which interested them both The great paws were there stretched put. powerful, heavy. but they re nained immovable to the terriers widest efforts. They required the controlling will of their owner to lift ,ne of them to strike the blow that would break the back of the tormen- or
 From the time of Guys first admfs. sion after Mary's illness other meet ngs occurred in swift succession. Ir her first angry pique she took a painful pleasure in his coming. She thought to force Ferman into active protest It was all she wanted. Once ne showed his hand she would know where she was, and it would be sim pie enough for her to put things straight
 But time went on, and the desired change did not come. All 1t brought her was a nervous apprehension oi everything, and to others a general understanding that an intrigue was being carried on under her husband': nose- Tanta was distressed; Emil, gerricker grew angry. and all ths white folk in the district were dis. Eusted at what was going on, and xondered what Elwood could be thinking about to allow his wife to behave as she was doing.
 Then came the inevitable time back, but she found it was easier tc step into the mire than to step out of it.
 It was about rnis ume she found herself one afternoon sitting on the ytocp with Guy. Ferman was away She made up her mind to give thi: man his dismissal. The farce she had begun out of pique was threaten ing to overwhe:Tn Her. and draw hel into a vortex pf shame from which there would be no escape.
 Guy was sitting on the wooden fiool of the stoep with his back against one ,f the posts tapping the leg of neai