Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-02-16
CHAPTER XVII.



Left alone in the room she sat down
again before the fire and drew from
her pocket the packet of letters. She
knew them by heart, she had read and
reread them often when she had been
alone. They had fascinated her.
They were letters from some other
man to this mans wife. They were
signed by an initial only and the iden-
THY of the writer was quite unknown
to her The woman's replies were
not with the others, but it was easy
enough to see what those replies had
been. All the passion Of which the
woman had been capable had evil
IDENTIFY been bestowed upon the writer
of the letters she had treasured
Her story was quite plain. She
had married Newbold in a fit Of
pique. He was an eastern man, the
best educated, the most fascinating
and interesting of the men who fire.
Quented the camp. There had been a
quarrel between the letter writer and
the woman; there were always quar-
rels, apparently, but this had been a
serious one and the man had savagely
flung away and left her. He had not
come back as he usually did. She had
waited for him and then he had come
back-too latel
He had wanted to kill the other, but
she had prevented, and while Newbold
! was away he had made desperate love
| to her. He had besought her to
| leave her husband to go away with
! him. He had used every argument
that he could TO that end and the wo
man had hesitated and wavered, but
she had not consented; she had not
denied her love for him any more than
she had denied her respect and q
certain admiration for her gallant
trusting husband. She had refused
again and again the requests OF hel
lover. She could not control hel
heart, nevertheless she had kept tt
her marriage vows. But the force Of
her resistance had grown weaker and
she had realized that alone she would
perhaps inevitably succumb.
Her lover had been away when hel
husband returned prior to the las
fateful journey. Enid Maitland saw
now why she had besought him II
take her with him, she was afraid tt
be left alone! She did not dare de
pend upon her own powers any more
her only salvation was to go with thiI
man whom she did not love, whom a
times she almost hated, to keep from
falling into the arms of the man sh'
did love. She had been more or les
afraid of Newbold. She had sool
realized, because she was not blinde'
| by any passion as he, that they ha'
been utterly mismated. She had com
to understand that when the sam
| knowledge of the truth came to him
: as 1t inevitably must some day, moth
ing but unhappiness would be thei
portion.
Every kind Of an argument In &C
dition to those so passionately &C
duced in these letters urging her I
break away from her husband and I
: seek happiness for herself while ye
there was time, besieged her hear
: seconded her lovers plea and assaile
{ her will, and yet she had not give
way.
Now Enid Maitland hated the w
man who had enjoyed the first youn
, love of the man she herself loves
I She hated her because OF her priorit
, of possession, because her memor
/ yet came between her and that mai
She hated her because Newbold wa
: still true to her memory, becaus
i Newbold. believing in the greatness {
t her passion for him, thought 1t sham
s and dishonor to his manhood to b
e false to her, no matter what love an
I longing drew him on.
! Yet there was a stern sense OF ju
d tee in the bosom Of this young "
4 man. She exulted in the successfr
q battle the poor woman had made fl
d the preservation of her honor and ID
, good name, against such odds. It va
q a sex triumph for which she was gla
e She was proud of her for the steI
g rigor with which she had refused
!, take the easiest way and the despe
r alton with which she had chung
{ him she did not love, but to who
b she was bound by the laws Of God al
d man, in order that she might not ia
into the arms of the man she did Low
In defiance Of right.