The Wagner post. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1912-current, 1912-05-10
CHAPTER ".
JUST AN ORVIOITS Dirty

JUST AN OBVIOUS DUTY.
But 1t was she who gave him an
opening.
Luke" she said, its all very well,
out the matter does concern you in q
way; FAR more so, in fact, than it
does Lord Radcliffe. Nothing can make
any dlfrerence to Lord Radcliffe, but if
what this young ma asserts is all
true, then it will make a world of diff
ference to YOU"
Il know that. That's just the
trouble"
You were thinking of yourself?"
NO. was thinking of you"
"Of me?" s
YES" he said, now very abruptly,
quite roughly and crudely, not choos-
ing his words lest they helped to betray
what he felt, and all that he felt. IF
Wnat this man says is true, then 1 am
d Pennies nonentity whom you are
not going to marry"
n you know it," was all she said.
And she said 1t very quietly. very de-
clslVely. He was talking nonsense. of
course, for, whatever happened or
didn't happen, there was one thing in
the world that was absolutely, unde-
she hould not marry Luke.
mist she, Louisa Harris, plain, I'M
interesting, commonplace Louisa Har-
rls, was Of this world, her marriage
with Luke must be. People, in this
present day, matter-of-fact world.
oidnt have their hearts wrenched out
or them; they were not made to suffer
impossible and uncomfortable tortures:
then why should she, Louisa Harris,
be threatened with such a cata-
clysm?
Il am not" he was saying rather
tonelessly, talking nonsense, Lou. l
have thought all that over. It's over
elgnt days since that letter came:
eight times "a hours since l seemed in
a way to see all my future through
a thick, black cloud and I've had tins
to think. I saw you just as you are.
exquisite, beautiful. like a Jewel that
mould forever remain in a perfect set
ting. T."
He broke off abruptly, and, mechani-
cally his hand went up to his fore
mead and eyes. Where was he? He
gave a sudden, quaint laugh.
What a dwelling fool you must
hin me. Lou"
She ooked straight at him. pure of
soul, simple or heart, with a passion
OF tenderness and self a%bnegation as
yet dormant beneath the outer crust
or a conventional education and of
commonplace surroundings, but with
the passion there nevertheless. And it
was expressed in the sudden. strange
luminosity of her eyes-I would not
nave you think tina they were tears
as they met and held his own.
They didn't say anything more Just
then. People of their type and class
In england do not say much, you know.
under such circumstances. They have
oeen drilled not to; drilled and drilled
rom ch1idhood upward. from the time
When, after a fall and a cut lin or
broken tooth, the tears nave to be held
BACK, lest the words 'snivel" or "cry
baby be mentioned. But quietude
does not necessarily mean freedom
from pain. A cut lip hurts worse when
1T is not wetted with tears.
1t was only the shadow h vas how
ering over these two as yet: nothing
really tangible. And the shadow was
not W them. She would no let
1T come between them. If it covered
him, it should wrap her too. The COM
monplace woman had no fear of it's
descent, only as far as it affected him.
Nothing" she said after awhile,
could make a difference to our mar
riage, Luke. Except of course, if you
ceased to care"
Or you, LOU" he suggested meekly.
ID you Think she retorted, that
l should? Just because you had no
money!"
Not he owner, because of that,
But l should be such a n%onentity. 7
have no real profession, and there are
the others. Jim in the Blues costs a
fearful lot a year, and Frank in the
diplomatic service must have his prom
ised allowance. | have read for the
bar, but beyond that what am II"
Your uncle's right hand" she re-
torted firmly, "his agent, his secretary.
his factotum. all rolled into one. You
manage his estates, his charities, his
correspondence. You write his speeches
and control his household. Lord Rad
clyffe-every one says it in London
would not be himself at all without
Luke de Mountford behind him."
That's not what / mean, Lou"
What do o mean?"
Il NEAR that"
He paused a moment, then added
with seeming i~rrelevance:
w all know that Uncle Rad Is a
curious kind of man. If this story turns
out to be true, he would still say
nothing, but he would fret and worry
himself into his grave"
The story" she argued o~bstinately,
will not turn out to be true. It's not
like you. Luke. to jump at conclusions
or to be afraid Of a nightmare
II am not afraid he rejoined sim
ply. But l must o at possibilities.
Yes, DEAR" he continued more forcibly,
st is possible that this story is true.
No good saying that it is impossible:
improbable II you like, but not impos-
sible. Look at it how you like, you
must admit that 1t is not impossible.
Uncle Arthur may have married in
Martinique; he was out there in 1881;
he may have had a son his telling no
one about his marriage is not to be
wondered at; he was always reticent
and queer about his own affairs. This
Philip may possibly be Uncle RAIDS
sole and rightful heir, and I may pos
sibly be a beggar."
She uttered an exclamation of incre-
dulity. Luke, a beggar! Luke the one
man in all the world, different from
every other man! luke ousted by that
stranger upstart.
God hath too much sense of humor
to allow so ridiculous a fate to work
her silly caprice.
And" she said with scorn. because
OF all these absurd possibilities you talk
of breaking Off your engagement to
me. Do you care 81 little as all that,
Lukey''