Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1912-04-25

ho was lObiHS STOuuu anu CdSlluB
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 spe-
cious good humor as II it were all a
trifle. "The woman was, hate to
say It, Just crazy in love with me, but
l really never cared anything espe-
cially for her; it was just 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.
The woman he loved looked at him
with her face as rigid as mask.
"You won't hold that against me,
will your" pleaded the man. ''Ia told
you that I'd been man among men,
yes, among women, too, here in this
rough country, and that wasn't
worthy of you; there are lots Of things
In my past that ought to be ashamed
Of and l am, and the more I see you
the more ashamed 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
falsehood; but the power Of the truth
10 influence this woman was as moth
ing to the power Of falsehood. She
could never have loved him, she now
knew; a better man had won her af-
fections, a nobler being claimed her
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 fer as you can love any one
l will admit that you do love me-"
so far as l 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; 1t isn't manlike. 1t 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. ut wasn't true, It wa.
a towards act, am ashamed OF It
I'm so mad with love for you that
scarcely know what / am doing, bu
l will make a clean breast of 1t now
| loved Louise Rosser after q fashion
before ever Newbold came on tn,
scene. We were pledged to each 9th
er; foolish quarrel arose, she wal
jealous Of other girls
"And had she no right to be-"
"oh, suppose so. We broke IL OF
r anyway and then she married New
bold, out Of pique suppose. or wha
you WILL thought / was heart.brok
en- at the time, It did hit me prett,
hard; 1t was five or six years ago;
l was youngster then, am a mai
now. The woman has been dead lonl
: since; there was some cock-and-bul
: story about her falling of cliff an,
t her husband being compelled to shoe
her. / didn't believe 1t at the time
1 and naturally | have been waiting L
get even with him. I have been hal
1 ing him for five years, but he ha
D been good to you and we will let by
+ cones be bygones. What do l car
for Louise Rosser or for him, or 70
- what he did to her. NOW! l am sorr
!. that ] said what / did. but you wi
:. have to charge 1t to my binding pa
0 sion for you. can truthfully say thu
Q you are one woman that l have eve
Q craved with all my heart. l win d
anything, be anything, to win you"
/ II was very brilliantly done; he ha
u not told single untruth; he had a
mitted much, but he had withheld
/ the essentials after all. He was pla
|, Ing against desperate odds, he had I
Il knowledge of how much she knew, I
r where she had learned anything. e
cry one about the mining camp whel
y she had lived had known of his 10,
d for Louise Rosser, but he had not 81
g posed there was single human so
q. who had been privy to its later dev,
s. opments, and he could not figure O.
II any way by which Enid Maitland cou
b. have learned by any possibility al
more Of the story than he had to
her. He had calculated swiftly al
n, with the utmost nicely, just how mu,
'e he should confess. He was Ike,
m witted clever man and he was fightil
70 for what he held most dear, but b
st eagerness and zeal, as they have o
4 en- done, OVERRIDE his judgment, al
he made another mistake at this jur
ture. His evil genius was at his
bow.
:" "You must remember" he continue
II "that you have been alone here
he these mountains with a man for ov
a month; the world
what, what do you mean?" 4,
VI claimed the girl. who indeed KIN,
ID very well what he meant, but W
y; would not admit the possibility.
nd "Its not every man. he add,