The Springfield herald., 1912-09-13

| 1t was coming, the secret that she
had tried to conceal was about to be
revealed. thought Enid. She made
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affairs had been withdrawn from her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 1t was better that the unlov
ing wife should be proved faithful.
even If her husbands cherished men,
ory of ner love for him had to be de.
stroyed thereby. Helpless she list
ened. knowing full well what the old
frontiersmans next word would be.
Prove it," Knocked Armstrong.
"How?"
BY your own hand, out of your own
mouth you dog" thundered old Kirk
by. Miss Enid, where are them let
ters give your
I'll" 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?"
"lhese, 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. ! found them letters on the
little shelf where your wife first struck
when she fell over onto the butte
where she died. l 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.
l went first an picked EN- up. new
er told nobody about 1t, an never
showed 'em to a single human bein'
until l give EN- to Miss Maitland at
the camp"
why not?" asked Newbold, taking
the letters.
"Ther, wasn't no good tellin' nobody
then. Jest fer the sake o stirr'n' up
l'But why did you sfve them to h&
at last?"
Because l was Altered she might
fall in love with Armstrong. sup
posed she'd know his writin'. but wen
she didn't Just let her keep 'em
anyway knowed it'd all come out
somehow; there is God above us in
spite of all the damned scoundrels on
earth like this 'un."
Are these letters addressed to my
dead wife?" asked Newbold.
They are" answered Enid Matt
land. Look and see."
And did Mr.. Armstrong write
them?"
Hell deny 1t. suppose" answered
Kirkby.
But ! am familiar with his hand
writing" said Maitland
Taking the still unopened packet
from Newbold. he opened 1t, examined
one of the letters and handed them all
back
There is no doubt about It," he
said. IT'S Armstrong; hand. I'd
Z. swear to it."
"Oh. I'll acknowledge them," said
Armstrong. seeing the absolute fulfil
ity of further denial. He had forgot
ten all about the letters. He had not
dreamed they we're 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 great game,
battling for high stake he had stuck
at nothing. 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?
r,,I ~
quietly, extending his hand. here are
your letters"
What do you mean?'
II am not in the habit of reading let.
ters addressed to other peoIl lie without
permission, and when the recipient OF
them is dead long since. | am doubly
bound"
You're a damned fool" cried Arm
strong contemptuously
THAT kind of charge from your
kind of a man Is perhaps the highest
complaint you could pay ME don't
know whether | 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
TeaQ lnem letters u HuuuIeu tilHes
over, havin' no scruples whatsoever
an in every one of 'em he was beg
gin an pleadin' with her to go away
with him an fightin' her refusal to dc
/, it. l guess I've got to admit that she
didn't love you none, Newbold. an she
did love this here wuthless Armstrong
, but for the sake of her reputation. IL
: prove to you all from them letters oi
hisn, from his own words, that there
: didn't live cleaner hearted, more vir
tuous upright feemale than that there
wife of yourn, even If she didn't love
you. It's Gods truth an you kin take
1t from me-
"Mr Armstrong" cried Enid Matt
land, interposing at this juncture. "No
very long ago l told you liked yot
better than any man l had ever seen
, | thought perhaps l might haYe loved
you, and that was true. You have
played the coward's part and the liar.
part in this room"
Did l fight him like coward?'
, asked Armstrong.
NO." answered Newbold for her, re
? membering the struggle; "you Tough