The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-10-08

NOT now, answered Enid Maitland
She too was in a strange state OF
perturbation on account OF the diem.
ma in which she found herself in,
volved. She was determined not to
betray the unconscious confidence of
the dead. She hoped tcrvently that
NeWbold would not recognize Arm
strong as the man of the locket, but
II he did size was resolute that he
should not also be recognized as the
man of the letters, at least not by her
act. Newbold was ignorant of the ex-
istence of those letters and she did
not intend that he should be enlight-
ened SO far assshe could prevent it.
But she was keen enough to see that
the first recognition would be in
evitable; she even admitted the fact
that Armstrong would probably pre-
cipitate it himself. Well, no human
soul. not even their writer, knew that
she had destroyed them, she had de-
termined to do SO at the first convent
ent opportunity. Before that, however,
she intended to show them not to New.
bold but to Armstrong, to disclose his
perfidy, to convict him of the false.
hood he had told her and to justify
herself even in his eyes for the action
she had taken.
Mingled with all these quick refec-
lions was a deadly fear She was
quick TO perceive the hatred Arm
strong bore on the one hand because
of the old love affair, the long cher
ished grudgc breaking into sudden
life; on the other she realized that
her own failure to come to Arm
strong's hands and her love for New
bold, which she neither could nor had
any desire to conceal, and the Cumula-
ton of these passionate antagonisms
would only make him the more des-
perate.
Whether Newbold found out Arm
strong connection with his past love,
there was sufficient provocation in the
present to evoke all the oppugnation
and resentment Of his nature. Enid
felt as she might If the puncheons of
the floor had been sticks Of dynamite
with active detonations in every heel
that pressed them; as if the slightest
movement on the part of any one
would bring about an explosion.
The tensity Of the situation was be-
wildering to her. 1t had come upon
her with snch startling force; the I'M
expected arrival of Armstrong, of all
the men OH earth the one who ought
not to be there, and then the equally
startling arrival of Newbold, of whom
perhaps the same might have been
said. If Newbold had only gone on.
II he had not come back, if she had
been rescued by her uncle or old Kirk
by--But Ifs" We're idle, she had to
face the present situation to which
she was utterly unequal.
She had entirely repudated Arm
strong. that was one sure point; she
knew how guilty he had been toward
NeYbolds wife, that was another; she
realized how he had deceived her,
that was the third. These eliminated
the man from her affections, but 1t is
one thing to thrust a man out of your
heart and another to thrust him out
OF your life; he was still there And
by no means the sport Of blind fate
Armstrong intended to have something
to say as to the course Of events, to
use his own powers to determine the
issue.
OF but one thing beside her hatred
for Armstrong was Enid Maitland abb
solutely certain; she would never dis
close to the man she loved the fact
that the woman, the memory of whose
supposed passion he cherished, mad
been unfaithful to him in heart If
not in deed. Nothing could wrest that
secret from her. She had been in
fected by Newbold's quixotic ideas, !,
the contagion of his peryersion of com |
mon sense had fastened itself upon
her. She would not have been human |
either If she had not experienced a |
thrill OF pride and joy at the POSSIBLE
1ty that in some way, of which she yet |
swore she would not be the instrument |
blind or otherwise, the facts might be
disclosed which would enable Newbold
to claim her openly and honorably with
out hesitation before or remorse aft
er, as his wife. This fascinating fash
OF expectant hopeful feeling she
thought unworthy OF her and strove
to fight it down, but with manifest i'm
possibility.
II has taken time to set these things
down; to speak or to write is a slow
process, and the ratio between outward
expressions and inward is as great as
that between light and sound Cues
tons and answers between these three
as swiftly as thrust and parry
between accomplished swordsmen, and
yet between each demand and reply
they lad tine TO entertain these swift
the drowning compass
lie eX.e..e. COS in seconLs.
81 may not be her friend" said Arm
strong steadily, but she left me in
these mountains a month ago with
more tan half way promise to mar
~ me, and | have sought her through
the SHOWS TO claim the fuldllment"