The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-08-10
CHAPTER xvIl.

again ,befoFe the tifu and drew from
her pocket the paeket Of letters ste
kne*tthem BY heart, she had,fead and
reread them oftenlwKef she had been
alone. { They had fnsrinatedI her.
They were letters. from some other
man 10 this mans wife. They. were
signed ,by an initial only and tie, idei,
5tity pt. the writer was quite unknown
tel her. The womah.s replies we're
nat.with the others. ,but st was ehsy
enough to see what those ffepltesFhad
beeh.nAH the pasBioniNof which the
woman had been capable bad evil
IDENTITY been bestowed upon the writer
offths letters she had streasured. s;tS !,
ssHef story was quite, plain. Z, She
ahad married NewbSld. in a at o.
iplape! He was an eastern man the
hest edicsted, the most; siasSjHah ting
and interesting Of the men who FIRE.
qgented the camp. There had been ]
quarrel between the letter write and
the woman; there were always ,qhhf.
rels, apparently. but this had been a
serious one and, the man had sayAgely
fang. away and left her. He had not
come back as he Usually did. She had
waited Tor him and then be had come
back too late! Y 3Ss;s;
- He had wanted to kill the other, but
she had prevented, andiwhite Newboid
was away he had made desperate love
to'.her. He had ;besought her 10
leave her husband Ito go away with
him. He had used every argument
that he,couId to- that end and the wo,
man chad hesltated and wayered; but
she had not consented; she had mot
denied her love for him any more man.
she had denied her respect and, q
certain admiration for = her gallant,
trusting husband. She 'ha6ls refused
again and again, the requests yof her
lover She could not /; control her
heart, nevertheless she had kept to
her marriage vows. But the force of
her resistance had grown weaker and
She had; realized that alone She would
perhaps inevitably suecumb: ~ sit''st
Her lover HAD been away when her
husband returned prior to the last
fateful Journey. Enid Maitland saw
now why she, had ;besohght him to
take her with him, she was afraid to
be- left alone! She. did not dare; de-
pend upon Sher, own powers amy more;,
'herionly salvation; was to; 60 wlth ttls
man .whons she did not love, whom at
times she almost hated, to keep. from
falling into the arms Of the man 'bhe
did love. She had been more or less
afraid Of Newbold. She had soon
realized. becausesshe was not blinded
by any passion as he, that they had
been utterly naismated. She had come
to understand that when the same
knowledge Of the truth came to him,
as II Inevitably must some day. moth.
ing but unhhppiness would ibe their
portion. Is 40 ~ ~
! Every kind Of an argument In ad.
dillon to. those so J passlonately, ad+
duced In these letters urging her to
break away, from Her husband and to
seek happiness for herself while yet
there was Sime Ebesieged shery heart,
setonded hef lovers plea and Assaiied
hefs Fiil, 7aHa yet she had mot given
way :" " 80,
- Now Enid. Maitland hated the 'wo.
man who had enjoyed the first4 young
love OF the man she herself loved,
She hated her because OF her priority
Of possession, because her memory
yet came between her and that man.
She hated her because Newbold was
still true to her memory, because
Eewbold; I believing In the greatness Of
her passion for him, Thought 1t ahane
and dishonor to his manhood 4toybe,
false to her, no matter. what love and
longing drew him on.
Yet there was stern sense OF JUS.
tiee in the bosom Of this young wo;
man, She exulted in the successful
battle. the poor woman had made, tor
the preservation OF iher honor ind her
good name, against such odds. ut was
q sex triumph for which she was glad.
She was proud OF her for the stern
rigprawith which she had refused to
take the, easiest way and the desper-
alton with which she had chung to
him she did not. love. but toI-whoif
she wa bound by the laws Of God and
man. In order that she; might not fan
Into! the arms OF the man she dld'love,
In defiance of right. ] s,Aaf.s Z; 4
!, Enid.Maitland and this woman were
as,i far. removed from each other
as'the opposite polesio f TIE earth, but
there was yet common quality in
each one of vlrtuous Womanhood, Of
lofty morality. Natural, perhaps in
the one and to be be expected. un.
natural, perhaps, and to be unexpect.
ed In the other. but there!s NowSthat
she knew what love was and what
its power and what itss force for all
that she had feltYand experienced, and
dreamed about before were as nothing
to what 1t was since he had spoken
she could understand what the strug.
&c must have been In that womat's
- a. e. H.#. d. .