The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1912-05-09
CHAPTER V.
JUST AN OBVIOUS DUTY.

CHAPTER V.
JUST AN OBVIOUS DUTY.
But 1t was she who gave him an
opening. e"'e ~ az
Luke, she. said, its all very well.
out the matter does concern vol, in 4
way Tar more so, in fact, than it
Goes Lord Radcliffe. Nothing can make
any uliIerence to Lord Radclyffe, but if
~,a Lnis young man asserts is all
srue, then 1t will make a world of Diff
ference to you"
trouble" W JUS Tie
You were thinking of yourself? ?"
NO. l was thinking of YOU"
Yes" he said, now very abruptly,
lulte and crudely, not choos-
ing his words lest they helped to betray
what he felt, and all that he felt, IF
What this man says is true, then I I'M
d pennlless %nonentity whom you are
not going to marry"
You are talking nonsense. Luke.
ana you know it," was all she said,
AND she said it very quietly, very de-
elsively. lie was talking nonsense, of
course, for, whatever happened or
aldht happen, there was one thing in
.ne world that was absolutely, unde-
nlaply impossible, and hat was that
she should not marry Luke.
whist she, Louisa Harris, plain, I'M
interesting, commonplace Louisa Har-
RS, was OF this world, her marriage
n m.en Luxe must be. People, in this
present day, m~atter-of-fact world,
dldn't have their hearts wrenched out
OF them; they were not made to suffer
impossible and uncomfortable fortunes:
then why should she, Louisa Harris,
De threatened with such a cata-
Il am not" he was saying rather
tonelessiy, talking nonsense, Lou. 1
nave thought all that over. It's over
eight days since that letter came;
elght times "a hours since 1 seemed in
a way to see all my future through
a thick, black cloud and I've had time
TO think. saw o just as you are,
exquisite, beautiful, like a Jewel that
should forever remain in a perfect set
ting. l.
he broke off abruptly, and, mechani-
caMy 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
think me, LOU"
She looked straight at him, pure of
soul, simple of heart, with a passion
OF tenderness and self abnegation as
yet 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
have o think that they were tears
as they met n held his own.
Ihey 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
from childhood upward, from the time
when, after a fall and a cut lip or
broken tooth, the tears have to be held
pack, lest the words SWIVEL" 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 that was how
erlng over these two as yet; nothing
really tangible. INC the shadow was
not between them. She would not let
1t come between them. If it covered
him. it should wrap her too. The COM
monplace woman had no fear Of its
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.
DC you think" she retorted, that
I should? Just because you had no
money!"
Not" he owner, because Of that.
But l should be such a n%onentity. l
have no rea 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. l ave read for the
bar, out beyond that wha 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 I mean, Lou
What do you mean?"
IT mean that
He paused a moment, Their added
with seeming i~rrelevance:
I'VE all know hat 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"
1.-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 I must look at possibilities.
Yes, DEAR" he continued moro forcibly,
st is possible that this story Is true.
No good saying that it is impossible:
Improbable If you like, but not impos-
sible. Look at it how you like, you
must admit that it 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 h a
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 SO little as all that,
Luke?"
He did not reply, but continued to
walk beside her, just a yard or SO
apart from her, turning his steps in the