The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1914-12-12

He wrote your"
Il returned the letters, unopened"
That wasn't square. You might
have been wrong"
He wrote five letters. After that
he went to India, to Africa and back
to India, where he seemed to find con-
ISOLATION enough"
Harrigan laid 1t to his lack of nor
NAL vision, but to his single optic
there was anything but misery in her
beautiful blue eyes. True, they
sparkled with tears; but that signifled
nothing; he hadn't been married these
thirty-odd years without learning that
a woman weeps for any of thousand
and one reasons.
do you care for him still?"
mot a day passed during these
many months that l did not VOW
hated him."
Anyone else known"
THE padre. l had to tell some one
or go mad. But l didn't hate him.
could no more put him out of my
life than l could stop breathing. All,
l have been so miserable and I'M
happy!" She laid her head upon his
knees and clumsily he stroked it. His
girl!
That's the trouble with us Irish,
Nora. We jump without looking. with
out finding whether we're right or
wrong. Well, your daddy's opinion is
that you should have read his first
letter. If it didn't ring right, why,
you could have jumped the traces. l
don't believe he did anything wrong
at all: 1t isn't in the mans blood to
do anything underboard"
"But saw her." queer look In her
eyes as she glanced up at him.
Il don't care q kioodle if you did.
Take it from me, 1t was put-up job
by that Calabrian woman. She might
have gone to his room for any num-
Der of harmless things. But l think
she was curious"
"Why didn't she come to me, If she
wanted to ask Questions?"
II can see you answering them. She
probably just wanted to know if you
were married or not. She might have
been in love with him, and then she
might not. These Italians don't know
half the time what they're about, any
how. But don't believe it Of Court
landt. He doesn't line up that way.
Besides. he's got eyes. You're thou
sand times more attractive. He's no
fool. Know what l think? Az she
was coming out she saw you at your
door; and the devil in her got busy"
Nora rose. flung her arms around
him and kissed him.
Look out for that tin earl"
"Oh, you great big. loyal, true
hearted man! Open that door and
let me get out to the terrace. want
to sing, sing!"
HE said he was going to Milan In
the morning."
She danced to the door and was
gone.
Moral" he called, impatiently. He
listened in vain for the sound Of her
return. We'll, I'll take the count when
it comes to guessing what woman's
going to do. I'll go out and square
up with the old girl. Wonder how this
news will harness up with her social
bug?"
Courtlandt got into his compartment
at Varenna. He had tipped the guard
literally not to open the door for any
one else. unless the train was crowded.
AS the shrill blast Of the conductors
horn sounded the warning of "all
aboard" the door opened and heavily
yelled woman got in hurriedly. The
train began to move instantly. The
guard slammed the door and latched
1t. Courtlandt sighed: the futility of
trusting these Italians, of trying to
buy their loyalty! The woman was
without any luggage whatever. not
even the usual magazine. She was
dressed in brown, her hat was brown.
her veil, her gloves, her shoes. But
whether she was young or old was
beyond his deduction. He opened his
Corriere and held 1t before mis- eyes;
but he found reading impossible. The
newspaper finally slipped from his
uStuuS W Iuc uOOi, WuoAo ~ oWdyOO
and rustled unnoticed. He was star
ing at the promontory across Lecco,
the green and restful hill, the little
earthly paradise out of which he had
been unjustly cast He couldn't under
stand. He had lived clearly and de-
Gently; he had wronged no man or
woman, nor himself. And yet. through
some evil twist of fate, he had lost
all there was in life worth having.
~he train lurched around a shoulder
of the mountain. He leaned against
the window. In q moment more the
villa was gone.
What was it? He felt irresistibly
drawn. Without intending to do so,
he turned and stared at the woman