The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1912-09-27

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Newbold had been compelled to kill
his wife, Of whom he was beginning to
grow little weary under such circum-
stances, had added immensely to his
remorse and quickened his determin-
alton to expiate his guilt and cherish
her memory. She could understand
why he would do just as he had done,
go into the wilderness to be alone in
horror of himself and in horror of his
fellow men to think only, mistakenly,
Of her.
Now he was paying the penalty of
that isolation. Men were made to
live with one another. and no one
could violate the law natural, or by
so long an inheritance as to have so
become, without paying that penalty.
His ideas of loyalty and fidelity were
warped, his conceptions of his duty
were narrow. There was something
noble in his determination, 1t 10
true, but there was something also
very foolish. The dividing line be-
tween wisdom and folly Is some
times as indefinite as that between
comedy and tragedy, between laughter
and tears. II the woman he had
married and killed had only hated
him and he had known it would have
been different. but since he believed
so in her love he could do nothing
else.
At that period in her reflections
Enid Maitland saw great light.
The woman had not loved her hus-
band after all. she had loved anoth-
er. That passion of which he had
dreamed had not been for him. By a
strange chain of circumstances Enid
Maitland held in her hand the solu-
ton of the problem. She had but
to give him. these letters to show
him that his golden image had stood
upon feet Of clay, that the love up
on which he had dwelt was not his.
Once convinced of that he would
come quick to her arms. She cried
prayer Of blessing on old Kirkby
and started to her feet, the letters
in hand, to call Newbold back to her
and tell him. and then she stopped
Woman as she was she had re-
spect for the binding conditions and
laws Of honor as we'll as he. Chance
nay Providence, had put the honor
Of this woman, her rival. in he1
hands. The world had long since
forgotten this poor unfortunate; In
no heart was her memory cherished
save in that of her husband. His
idea Of her was false one to be
sure, but not even to procure he1
own happiness could Enid Maitland
overthrow that ideal, shatter that
memory.
She sat down again with the let
ters In her hand. It had been very
simple a moment since, but 1t was
not 80 now. She had but to show
him those letters to remove the great
barrier between them. She could not
do It. It was clearly impossible. The
reputation of her dead sister who
had struggled so bravely' to the end
was in her hands, she could not sac
rif1ce her even for her own happi.
ness.
"Quixotic," you say? I do not think
so. She had blundered unwittingly
unwillingly. upon the heart secret Of
the other woman; she could not be.
tray it. Even If the other woman
had been really unfaithful In deed al
well as In thought to her husband
Enid could hardly have destroyed his
recollection of her How much more
impossible 1t was since the other wo.
man had fought 81 heroically and SO
successfully for her honor. Woman.
hood demanded her silence. Loyal
ty, honor. compelled her silence.
A dead hand grasped his heart and
the same dead hand grasped hers.
She could see no way out of the diff,
fculty So far as she knew no hui.
man soul except old Kirkby and her.
self knew this woman's story. She
could not tell Newbold and she
would have to impose upon Kirkby
the same silence as she herself
exercised. There was absolutely
no way in which the man could
find out He must cherish his dream
as he would. She would not enlight
en- him, she would not disabuse his
mind, she could not shatter his ideal
she could not betray his wife. They
might love as the angels Of heaven
and yet be kept forever apart-by
scruple. an idea, principle. an alb
stracti0n. honor. q name.
i Her mind told her these things
were idle and foolish. but her SOU
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