The Taney County republican., 1912-10-03

"And here" said the man offering
the other article, "is something that
no human eye but mine has ever
seen since that day. II is a locket
took from her neck. Until you
came wore 1t next to my heart"
And since then?"
"Since then l have been unworthy
her as I am unworthy you, and l
have put 1t aside"
Does It contain another picture2"
"Yes."
"Of herr"
"a mans face"
"Yours?"
lie shook his head.
Look and see" he answered.
Press the spring"
Suting action to word, the next
second Enid Maitland found herself
gazing upon the pictured semblauce
Of Mr.. James Armstrong; She was
utterly unable TO suppress an excla.
nation and a start Of surprise at the
astonishing revelation, The man
looked at her curiously; he opened
his mouth to question her but she
recovered herself in part at least and
swiftly interrupted him in q panic
Of terror lest she should bctfay her
knowledge.
And what is the picture Of anoth.
er man doing in your wifo's lochet?"
she asked TO gain time, for she very
we'll knew the reply; knew it, in.
deed, better than Ncwbold himself,
Who as It happened, was equally in
the dark both as to the man and the
reason.
"a don't know" answered the 9th,
er.
do you know this man."
II never saw him In my life that
can recall"
and have you--dld you--"
did suspect my wife," he asked.
Never, ! had too many evidences
that she loved me and me alone for n
ghost Of suspicion to enter my mind
Ii may have been a brother, or her
father In his youth"
And why did you wear IT."
Because | took It from her dead
heart. Some day ! shall End out who
the man Is and when | shall know
there will be nothing to her dlscredit
In the knowledge"
Enid Maitland nodded her head.
She closed the locket, laid 1t on the
table and pushed it away from her
So this was the man the woman had
loved, who had begged her to go
away with him, this handsome Arm
strong who had come within an ace
Of winning her own affection, to
whom she was in some measure
pledged
How strangely does fate work ont
its purposes. Enid had come from
tAe Atlantic seaboard to he the sec.
ond wonan that both these two men
loved!
II she ever saw Mr.. James Arm.
strong again, and shs had nc doubt
that she would, she would have some
strange things to say to him, She
held In her hands now all the threads
Of the mystery, she was master Of
all the solutions, and each thread
was a chain that bound her.
my friend" she said at last with
q deep sigh, you must forget this
night and go on as before. You love
me. thank God for that, but honor
and respect interpose between us.
And love you, and l thank God for
that, too, but for me as well the
same barrier rises Whether we
shall ever surmount these barriers
God alone knows. He brought us
together, he put that love In our
hearts, We will have to leave 1t to
him to do as he will with US both.
Meanwhile we must go on as be.
fore"
mo-" cried the man. you impose
upon me tasks beyond my strength;
you don't know what love is. you
don't know the heart hunger. the aw-
ful madness feel. Think, have been
alone with a recollection for all these
years, man in the dark. in the night;
and the light comes, you are here.
The first night I brought you here |
walked that room on the other side Of
that narrow door like lion pent up
in bars Of steel. ! had only my own
love, my own passionate alteration to
move me then, but now that ! know
you love me, that see It in your eyes,
that ! hear it from your lips, that
mark ii in the beat Of your heart, can
/ keep silent? Can | live on and on?
Can | see you, touch you, breathe the
same air with you, be pent up in the
same room with you hour after hour,
day after day, and go on as before?
can't do It, 1t Is an impossibility
What keeps me now from taking you
in my arms and from kissing the color
into your cheeks, from making your
lips my own, from drinking the light
from your eyes?" He swayed near to
her, his voice rose. WHAT restrains
me?' he demanded.
Nothing" said the woman, never
shrinking back an inch, facing him