The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-04-25
Copyright, 1911, by W. c.. Chapman

er most damaging mistake at this
juncture.
1--WE are alone here, and I am mas
ter, remember" he said meaningly.
Come. let's make up. Give me kiss
for my pains and"
Il have been alone here for a month
with another man." answered Enid
Maitland who was strangely unafraid
in spite of this threat. "a gentleman,
he has never SO much as offered TO
touch my hand without my permits
sion; the contrast is quite to your dis
advantage"
Are you jealous of Louise Rosser?"
asked Armstrong suddenly seeing that
he was losing ground and casting
about desperately to account for 1t,
and to recover what was escaping him
why, that was nothing, a mere boy
and girl affair."" he ran on with a spe-
cious good humor as If it were all a
| tri1e. THE woman was, l hate to
| say it, just crazy in love with me, but
really never cared anything espe-
| c1ally for her; it was just a harmless
| sort OF Irritation anyway. She after
ward married this man Newbold and
! that's all there was about it,
The truth would not serve him and
in his desperation and desire he stalk
ed everything on this astounding lie.
with her face as rigid as a mask.
You won't hold that against me,
will your pleaded the man. Il told
| you that I'd been a man among men,
yes, among women, too, here in this
rough country, and that l wasn't
worthy of you; there are lots of things
In my past that ought to be ashamed
OF and | am, and the more l see you
the more ashamed I grow, but as for
/ loving any one else, all that I've ever
thought or felt or experienced before
now is just nothing"
And this indeed was true, and even
Enid Maitland with all her prejudice
could realize and understand it. Out
Of the same mouth, was said of old,
proceeded blessing and cursing, and
from these same lips came truth and
talsehood; but the power of the truth
i % influence this woman was as moth
ing to the power Of falsehood She
could never have loved him, she now
knew; better man had won her af-
rections, nobler being claimed her
i heart; but If he had told the truth re.
garding his relationship to Newbold's
wife and then had completed it with
his passionate avowal Of his present
love for her, she would have at least
admired him and respected him.
You have not told me the truth
she answered directly; you have de-
liberately been false"
Cant you see," protested the man
drawing nearer to her, "how much |
love your"
"Oh, that; yes [ suppose that is
true; as far as you can love any one
L Will admit that you do love me-"
So far as | can love any one?" he
repeated after her. Give me a chance
and I'll show you
But you haven't told the truth
about Mrs. Newbold. You have calum-
mated the dead, you have sought to
shelter yourself by throwing the bur
den OF guilty passion upon the weak.
er vessel; it isn't manlike, it isn't
Armstrong was bold fighter, quick
and prompt in his DECISIONS He made
another effort to set himself right. He
staked his all on another throw of the
dice, which he began to feel were
somehow loaded against him
You are right" he admitted. won.
dering anxiously how much the woman
really knew. 1T wasn't true. it was
a towards act, I am ashamed Of il
I'm so mad with love for you that ]
scarcely know what | am doing, but
l Will make a clean breast of it now
l loved Louise Rosser after fashion
before ever Newbold came on the
scene. We were pledged to each 9th
er; foolish a. rel arose, she was
jealous of other girls
And had she no right to be-"
"Oh, suppose so. We broke if of
anyway and then she married New.
bold, out of pique l suppose. or what
you will. l thought was heart brok-
en-. at the time, it did hit me pretty
hard; 1t was i've or six years ago; I
was youngster then, | am a man
now. The woman has been dead long
story about her falling of a cliff and
her husband being compelled to shoot
her | didn't believe it at the time
and naturally l have been waiting To
get even with him. l have been hat
ing him for five years, but he has
been good to you and We will let by.
cones be bygones. What do I care
for Louise Rosser, or for him, or for
what he did to her, now, I am sorry
that L said what / did, but you will
have to charge it to my binding pas
| sion for you. | can truthfully say that
| you are one woman that | have ever
| craved with all my heart. l will do
| anything, be anything, 70 win you"
1t was very brilliantly done; he had
not told a single untruth; he had ad-
| mitted much, but he had withheld
the essentials after all He was play
ing against desperate odds, he had 10
| knowledge OF how much she knew, or
where she had learned anything. Ev-
| cry one about the mining camp where
| she had lived had known Of his love
for Louise Rosser, but he had not sup
| posed there was a single human soul
| who had been privy 10 its later devel-
opments. and he could not figure out
| any way by which Enid Maitland could
| have learned by any possibility any