Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-07-06

unknown and yet denounced was like
being alone with truth My identity
should be hid no longer. and / resolved
to tell her that it was l she had de-
nounced. AS low as | seemed at that
moment, was not so low as to take
her hand until l had confessed all.
The past month rose before me. and
/ asked myself If l. was indeed a gen
tleman measured from their stand
point. At any rate, could not remain
one and be silent.
The colonel crossed the room and
passed out into the hall. / got up and
stood leaning on the back of the chair
In which I had been sitting.
Miss Ellen" / said. II have some
thing important TO say to you. 1t is
not what you think" for a panied ex-
preston came into her face. 1T is a
confession | have TO make"
Yes, Mr.. Palmer" she said and
turned from the window to face me.
| The sun had come from behind bank
OF clouds and crimsoned the checkered
! psnes Of glass. and her hair. catching
1 the rays that filtered through them.
/ framed her in a halo and to me gave
/ her the appearance of saint. Her face
was pale. and her long eyelashes were
/ fringed with tears.
Miss Ellen" said softly. lit was
who wrote those letters"
/ For a moment she did not speak. and
| when she did her voice seemed passion
less.
Then it was you. after ALL" was
! what she said. II had refused to en-
! terrain the thought even until you
yourself confessed it. Even now it
seems too horrible TO believe And l
stopped speaking TO my best friend
merely because she half playfully sug
gested that it might be you" She said
this more TO herself than TO me.
why did you not tell this TO me be-
fore" | said. and l would have ex-
planned"
why did not tell you?" she asked,
her voice breaking with anguish. Be
cause thought you were gentleman
and you were our guest. 1t would have
been an insult to have mentioned ii.
Such a suggestion would have been a
reflection on him you ridiCued and on
me, whom you would have made be-
lieve you loved had you dared to speak
the lie upon your lips"
Love you cried. Il would die for
you"
ut is the only way you could ever
prove II now" she said. oh" she con-
tinued, If you had only leveled your
ridicule at me alone, But father poor
OH bn
that last letter. He would hardly think
that one funny"
She looked at me. and her eyes sud
denly seemed to blaze with scorn and
contempt
Yes, / see 1t all now. and the won
der is | did not see ii before. 1t was
he whom you described as a broken
down aristocrat who descanted on
politics and wrote pieces TO the paper
telling the president how to run the
government. Ii was mother who dress
ed In WORKOUT velvet gowns and sat I'm
state at the dinner her daughter had
cooked. and II was l who cooked the
dinners and played sonatas and noe
turnes for the amusement of our
guests. God, why did / not see you
as you were? Yes, and these are the
hands," she cried In anguish and scorn,
holding them toward me that might
see them. that have cooked your
meals for the past four weeks. and
these are the same hands that played
for you while you smoked your pipe
ana heard father descant on politics!
How poor and miserable we must have
seemed TO you. All that I could have
forgiven, but you dared to soil my skin
with your kisses. They will burn
deep here" she said, pointing TO her
fingers. long after your ingrattuds
has been forgotten"
Ellen. for Gods sake have PITY
cried. Il have laughed at your power
" as If IL were my own. | am rch-I
meyer teld this 10 you beforehand |
felt that the only use Of my wealth in
the future would be 10 relieve the bur-
dens of those you love. This night
nay, this very sfternoon-I was going
TO ask you TO be my wife from which
moment your father. mother and broth
er would have been mine also. II was
this very poverty and the fortitude
with which you bore il that have made
me love you After you spoke this aft
ernoon | could not tell you Of my love
until had confessed first that I was
the author Of the letters which wound
ed you so deeDly."