Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-08-16
Two Rings
The One Led to the
Other
By-F. A. MTG lei
By F. A. MITCHE Ell
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

7 ciat'oh' I'LL 4
In the city of Charleston during the
middle Of the last century a young girl
sat in window opening on to u gar
den. She was not one of the delicate
willowy creatures Of whom poets love
to sing, but magnificently formed, tall
woman with a remarkably handsome
face. Though the year was nearly
spent. the leaves OF the trees had not
vet ali fallen, and balmy breeze came
! I'd rro2 tie south. The garden into
which MARGARET Lemoine looked be-
longed 10 an adjoining house, and two
gentlemen were smoking on rustic
bench aimo-t directly beneath the win
dow she occupied. They were both
Young raen o. the world and were chat
ting about social matters. Charles Ihi-
badaaux Wa; speaking.
THE northern city most fancy IN
America" lie said, is New York, AT
least it Is to me less Objectionable, puri.
lanically considered, than other north
ern cities. But my delight Is our own
beloved New Orleans. In the Crescent
City the men are brave to recklessness
and The women are beautiful. | spent
last winter there"
-, no was the most beautiful woman
!: New Orleans society last winterT
asked the speakers companion, Ed
ward Remington.
THE most beautiful woman, to my
| thinking. was q widow-a Mrs. LIE.
moline. Though nearly forty. she retain
I'd her youthful appearance. She was u
aueenly beauty, tall, splendidly formed
md with a face devoid Of single
~rin.,..a. But l am sorry to say there
ere unpleasant things said about her.
olur past indiscretion had cast a
blemish upon her good name"
Margaret Lemoine paid no attention
| to what the young men were saying
| till she heard her mothers name
| spoken then naturally she pricked
ND her ears. When she heard the as
persion cast upon her mothers good
name the blood rushed to her cheeks
and her eyes lit with a sudden fire.
She leaned forward to hurl back the
accusation. but words failed her. The
| young men, unconscious Of what was
above them. smoked on. Miss Lemoine
withdrew from the window and began
to pace the floor.
at is time" she said, that this
woman's s!anderers received a check
But how? Oh. that she were man and
were n man! Women are defenseless
against each other. Men can at least
| die in defense of their good name. II
| rom had lived he could have made this
nan who has treated mothers good
name SO lightly eat his words. Why
! was not born masculine"
Yielding to an impulse. she seated
herself before q writing desk and
dashed off the following:
have overheard your aspersions on the
good name Of one love and respect.
demand whatever of satisfaction you may
De able to afford me. Since l prefer to
remain incognito I shall conduct my own
side of this affair. If you are not cow
ard write me making an appointment for
/ meeting MARK RENARD.
Hastily folding the paper on which
this communication was inconsiuer-
ately written. Margaret went to the
window and tossed 1t Mt the feet Of
the young men. Both reached for 1t,
but Thibadeaux secured it. Then after
a glance upward and with no sight OF
any one who might have thrown 1t he
read its contents aloud to his friend
The two looked at each other with
a serious expression.
"Ned." said Thibadeaux presently.
Il don't like the situation"
"Ncr I. In listening to your re-
marks am as culpable as you who
have made them"
"You have nothing to do with the
matter. The responsibility. rests on
me-"
After conference it was decided
that Thibadeaux should write = note
TO this Mark Renard, whoever he
might be, and it should be left at the
door Of the house from which the note
had been thrown. 1t said that the
writer acknowledged himself to be
otan%ble in repeating scandal for
which he had no proof and apologized
therefor Ii after this apology Mr..
Renard still insisted on meeting his
! demand could not be denied. A reply
| would be looked for the next after
noon. sent in the same way as the
! first message
Naturally Thibadeaux was DESTROYS
| Of knowing something Of the mystic
rious challenger. Early in the after
| noon appointed for the reply he took
| position behind the blinds OF win
| dow commanding view Of the house
from whence it should come. In time
he saw shutter open just far enough
for q hand to pass through and toss
note on to the bench on which he had
sat the day before. The distance was
too great for him to discover that the
hand was deilcately formed, but he