Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-11-08


and tell him, and then she stopped
Woman as she was she had re-
spect for the binding conditions and
laws Of honor as well as he. Chance,
nay Providence, had put the honor
Of this woman, her rival. In her
hands. The world had long since
forgotten this poor unfortunate; In
no heart was her memory cherished
save in that of her husband. His
idea of her was false one to be
sure, but not even to procure her
own happiness could Enid Maitland
overthrow that ideal, shatter that
memory.
She sat down again with the let
tiers in her hand. II had been very
simple a moment since, but 1t was
not so now. She had but to show
him those letters to remove the great
barrier between them. She could not
do 1t. 1t was clearly impossible. The
reputation of her dead sister who
had struggled so bravely to, the end
was in her hands, she could not sac
rifice her even for her own happi-
ness.
"Quixotic," you say? / do not think
so. She had blundered unwittingly.
unwillingly, upon the heart secret of
the other woman; she could not be-
tray it. Even IL the other woman
had been really unfaithful In deed as
well as in thought to her husband
Enid could hardly have destroyed his
recollection of her. How much more
impossible It was since the other wo-
man had fought Sc heroically and so
successfully for her honor. Woman
hood demanded her silence. Loyal
ty, honor. compelled her silence.
A dead hand grasped his heart and
the same dead hand grasped hers.
She could see no way out of the diff
ficulty. So far as she knew no hui
man soul except old Kirkby and her
self knew this woman's story. She
could not tell Newbold and she
would have to impose upon Kirkby
the same silence as she herself
exercised. There was absolutely
no way in which the man could
find out He must cherish his dream
as he would. She would not enlight-
en- him, she would not disabuse his
mind. she could not shatter his ideal,
she could not betray his wife. They
might love as the angels of heaven
and yet be kept forever apart-by
scruple, an idea, a principle, an abb
straction, honor, a name.
Her mind told her these things
were idle and foolish, but her soul
would not hear of it. And in spite of
her resolutions she felt that even
tually there would be some way. She
would not have been a human wo-
man II she had not hoped and prayed
that. She believed that God had Gre
ated them for each other, that he
had thrown them together. She was
enough of fatalist in this instance
at least to accept their intimacy as
the result of His ordination. There
must be some way out of the dilem-
ma.
Yet she knew that he would be
true to his belief and she felt that
she would not be false to her obli-
cation. What of that? There would
be some way Perhaps somebody
else knew. and then there flashed
into her mind the writer of the let
ters. Who was he? Was he yet
alive? Had he any part to play in
this strange tragedy aside from that
be had already assayed?
Sometimes an answer to a secret
query is made openly. At this juno
lure Newbold came back. lie
stopped before her unsteadily, his face
now marked not only by the fierce
ness of the storm outside, but by
he f1ercer grapple of the storm In
IFS heart.
You have right" he began, ito
NOW everything now. I can with
lold nothing from you"
He had in his hand a picture and
yellow that cleaned in
he light. There" he continued ex-
ending them toward her. sis the pic
ure Of the poor woman who loved
ne and whom INkilled, you saw 1t
)nce before"
YES" she nodded, taking II from
lin carefully and looking again in
! strange commixture of pride, re-
eminent and pity at the bold. some
What coarse, entirely uncultured. yet
handsome face which gave no evil
lence OF the moral purpose which
The had displayed.
And here" said the man offering
he other article, 'is something that
10 human eye but mine has ever
een since that day. 1t is a locket
took from her neck. Until you
:ame | wore It next to my heart"
And since then?"
Since then have been unworthy
Ter as l am unworthy you, and !
lave put It aside"
Does 1t contain another picture?"
yes"
"Of herr"
"A mans face"
'Yours?"
He shook his head.
Look and see." he answered.
Press the spring"
Suiting action to word. the next
econd Enid Maitland found herself
,azing upon the pictured semblance
r. Mr. James Armstrong; She was
Utterly unable to suppress an excla- |
nation and start Of surprise at the |
revelation. The man