Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-09-26
That's a damned lie" he said quiet

You can say so" laughed Arm
strong, but that doesn't alter the
| facts"
And I can prove II" answered the
old man triumphantly.
It was coming, the secret that she
had tried TO conceal was about to be
/ revealed, thought Enid. She made a
I movement toward the old man. She
/ opened her mouth to bid him be silent
/ and then stopped. 1t would be use
less she knew. The determination
was no longer hers. The direction of
/ affairs had been Withdrawn from her.
After all it was better that the unIov-
ing wife should be proved faithful
even if her husbands cherished mem
DRY OF aer love for him had to be de-
stroyed thereby. Helpless she list
ened, knowing full well what the old
frontiersman's next word would be.
Prove it," Knocked Armstrong
"How?"
by your own hand, out of your own
mouth, you dog" Numbered old Kirk
by. Miss Enid, where are them let
tiers I give you?"
Il" faltered the girl, but there
was no escape from the keen glance of
the old man; her hand went to the
bosom of her tunic.
Letters" exclaimed Armstrong.
What letters?"
"These," answered Enid Maitland,
holding up the packet.
Armstrong reached for them. but
Kirkby again interposed.
mo, you don't" he said dryly.
Them amt for your eyes yet. Mr..
Newbold, l found them letters on the
little shelf where your wife first struck
when she fell over onto the butte
where she died. I figured out her
dress was tore open there, and them
letters she was carrying fell out and
lodged there. We had ropes an we
went down over the rocks that way.
I went first an I picked EN- up. I new
er told nobody about it, an I never
showed EN- to a single human bein'
until I give EN- to Miss Maitland at
the camp"
Why not?" asked Newbold, taking
the letters.
There wasn't no good teIlin' nobody
then, jest fer the sake o. stirrin' I'D
trouble"
But why did you give them to her
at last?"
Because I was Altered she might
fall in love with Armstrong. l sup
posed she'd know his writin', but wen
she didn't I just let her keep 'em
anyway. I knowed it'd all come cut
somehow; there is a God above us in
spite Of all the damned scoundreIs on
earth like this 'un."
Are these letters addressed to my
dead wifs?" asked Newbold.
They are" answered Enid Matt
land Look and see"
And did Mr.. Armstrong write
them?"
He'll deny it, I suppose" answered
Kirkby.
But I am familiar with his hand
writing" said Maitland
Taking the still unopened packet
from Newbold. he opened it, examined
one of the letters and handed them all
back.
There is no doubt about it," he
said. IT'S Armstrong; hand, I'd
swear to it"
"Oh, I'll acknowledge them" said
Armstrong, seeing the absolute fulfill
ity of further denial He had forgot
ten all about the letters He had not
dreamed they were in existence.
You've got me beat between you; the
cards are stacked against me. I've
done my damndest'' and indeed that
was true.
Well, he had played a great game,
battling for high stake he had stuck
at nothing. A career in which some
good had mingled with much bad was
now at an end. He had lost utterly;
would he show himself a good loser?
MT. Armstrong" said Newbold
quietly. extending his hand, here are
your letters
What do you mean?"
81 am not in the habit of reading let
tiers addressed to other people without
permission, and when the recipient of
them is dead long since. am doubIy
bound"
You're a damned fool" cried Arm.
strong contemporary.
That kind of a charge from your
kind of a man is perhaps the highest
complaint you could pay me. | don't
know whether 1 shall ever get rid of
the doubt you have tried to lodge in
my soul about my dead wife, but"
There amt no doubt about it" pro-
tested old Kirkby earnestly. I've
read them letters a hundred times
over, havin' no scrup1es whatsoever,
an in every one of EN- he was beg
gin an pleadin' with her to go away
with him an fghtin' her refusal to do
it. guess I've got to admit that she
didn't love you none, NewboId, an she
did love this here wuthless Armstrong,
but for the sake of her reputation, I'll
prove to you all from them letters of
hisn, from his own words, that there
didn't live a cleaner hearted, more vir-
tuouS upright female than that there
wife of yourn, even if she didn't love
you. It's Gods truth an you kin take
it from me"
Mr.. Armstrong" cried Enid Matt
land, interposing at this juncture. Not
very long ago I told you I liked you
better than any man l had ever seen.
thought perhaps l might have loved
you, and that was true. You have
played the towards part and the liars
part in this room
Did I fight him like a coward?"
asked Armstrong,
No. answered Newbold for her, re
Numbering the struggle; you fought
like u man"