The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1913-07-13
"Indeed?" queried Grace.

"Indeed?" queried Grace.
"You haven't heard anything?"
asked Wanda. "They haven't told
you? Your father hasn't told you any
thing about me?"
please be more explicit"
you have heard" exclaimed Wan.
ia. and yet you can stand there as
If nothing had happened
Nothing has happened that could
cause any of US real nervousness.
This boyish folly of my brothers."
"Your brother's?" echoed Wanda in
q bewilderment whose genuineness
Grace could not doubt. "Have they
dragged him into it, too?"
miss Kelly" said Grace, Eve seem
to be talking at cross-purposes, VIII
you kindly come to the point? What
Is 1t you think | have or haven't
heard?"
about their scheme to wreck Mr..
Standish-'
"Mr Standish!"
The exclamation was out before
Grace was well aware Of it. But she
managed, none the less, to give the
| quickly spoken words a turn Of civil
| inquiry, and her face did not change.
YES" hurried on Wanda. They're
digging up the old scandal They've
unearthed it all except the Woman's
name They must get that before they
can go ahead When they get that
name they'll use the story to ruin him
and her"
"Yes?' returned Grace. her sweet
voice bare of emotion and her express
! sion one of polite boredom. And why
! should you come to me with this
story? / am not interested in the
seamV side of politics"
ooh, all right said Wanda despon
/ emily. N that's the way you take it
} it's no business of mine. But you're
Tom Blake's sister and l couldn't let
you run into the trap without warn
ing you I've done it, And I've been
! called impairment for my pains. When
] first found out it was you who were
mixed up in the case, l said to my
self: Let Jim Blake go ahead. Let
him hit out in the dark at the Wom-
an, and smash his own heart with the
blow. It'll be fair Then, | got to
thinking 1t over. And-well, found
couldn't quite bring myself to pay off
my own debts by spelling another
womans life | guess I'd be failure
at politics" she ended with little
laugh of selfdisgust. That's all
Goodby."
"And So" said Grace slowly. you
came to me-just to help me? You
didn't think for an instant that. out
of gratitude, might help you'"
Help me? How?"
'By making it easy for you to carry
out your idea of marrying my brother
Perhaps by using this scandal story as
threat to force me into helping your
Wanda looked at her for a full half
minute in blank silence. Then, turn
| ing to the door, she said:
q guess was fool to butt in
"One moment" interposed Grace
adding, as Wanda paused; 'You-yot
made certain insinuations about me
| Just now. You must prove them-yo,
must give me your reasons for thu
absurd supposition that / might know
anything about this Standish scandal.
Mrs. Robertson replied Wanda
her hand still on the door-knob, Tn
not In your class. | don't know jus
how women in your station of lif
manage such things. But it seem
rather tough that you can't find wa
TO defend yourself without insulting
me- Let that go. You want to know
how l found out? I'll tell you. Earl
this evening Mr. Standish learned O
this scheme to wreck him He know
the story couldn't be used without th
! Woman's name. And Blake bluffe
him into believing the machine woul
have the name before midnight. Nj
Standish's first thought was to war
the Woman Just as Blake had know
it would be He called up your hous
in New York
What of that? I was not at HON
this evening. was ON my way her
to-"
But Mr., Standish didn't know that
And" pursued Grace fereely, jus
because Mr.. Standish CHANGED to ca
up my husbands New York hom
you've evolved this insane theor.