Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-02-27

could never have loved him, she now
knew; a better man had won her af. /
fections. a nobler being claimed her
heart; but IL 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 I
love you?"
ooh, that; yes Issuppose that is
true; as far as you can love any one
/ will admit that you do love me-"
$50 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 a 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. at wasn't true, it was
q towards act, I am ashamed of II.
I'm 80 mad with love for you that
scarcely know what I am doing, but
will make a clean breast Of 1t now.
/ loved Louise Rosser after a fashion
before ever Newbold came on the
scene. We were pledged to each 9TH
OF; a foolish quarrel arose, she was
jealous OF other girls
And had she no right to be-"
"Oh, suppose so. We broke IL OF
anyway and then she married New
bold, out Of pique l suppose, or what
you will. ! thought was heart-brok-
en- at the time. it did hit me pretty
hard; it was FIVE or six years ago; l
was q youngster then, / am a man
now. The woman has been dead long
since; there was some cock-and-bull
story about her falling of a cliff and
her husband being compelled to shoot
her. / didn't believe it at the time
and naturally / have been waiting to
get even with him. 1 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 l care
for Louise Rosser, or for him, or for
what he did to her, nowi 1 am sorry
that / said what I did, but you viii
have to charge It to my binding pas
sion for you. / can truthfully say that
you are one woman that l have ever
craved with all my heart. / will dc
anything, be anything, to win you"
It 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 nc
knowledge OF how much she knew, OF
where she had learned anything. Ev
= cry one about the mining camp where
!. she had lived had known of his low,
for Louise Rosser, but he had not sup
] d
who had been privy to its later devel
= opments. and he could not figure GU
n any way by which Enid Maitland coul;
a have learned by any possibility an.
4 more of the story than he had toll,
, her. He had calculated swiftly an,
with the utmost nicely, just how nue.
he should confess. He was a kee
witted clever man and he was fightin
{. for what he held most dear. but hi
II eagerness and zeal, as they have Of
a en- done, OVERRIDE his judgment, an
he made another mistake at this junt
ture. His evil genius was at his e
n bow.
ID You must remember" he continued
/: that you have been alone here
ID these mountains with a man for owe
Dr. month; the world
What, what do you mean" e,
o claimed the girl, who indeed kne
very well what he meant. but WI
n. would not admit the possibility.
co TITS not every man." he adde
liz blindly rushing to his doom, 9Th;
OF would care for you or want you-af
b. er that"
is He received a sudden and terrib
enlightenment.
IS You coward" she cried, with u
". raised hand, whether in protest or
IS strike him neither ever knew, for
that moment the door opened the sc
tn ond time that morning to admit a
i'd other man.