Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-04-28
COPYRIGHT BY &C necLuRc s. CO.. iers

i
Wright commanded. Can you believ
that | have not suffered"
She chose to ignore his question.
"Oh, If | had never come homel /
| had even not gone to Judge Gilbert
Office that day! 1t was fate, Joe. i
! was fate. l can see 1t all now. w
boast that we dominate circumstances
the gods laugh and are our master
still. Looking back the way we'v,
come from that first night | met you
here | can see that every step, relent
less as death. was leading to that da,
when I learned the truth about m,
| father"
And you know"
Everything. That's why I'm here
1t was really such a little time agt
that l came bac,, to Belmont, yet
seems ages. oh, WY didn't you e
away! You must have seen how 1
had to end. Since | came home ant
and grown old. And / had dreamed
such dreams!" Here she paused, as i
| to fight back the painful memories O
those rainbow dreams. Then she ad
mitted them. And they became rosiel
and rosier-because of you. Even the
disappointments my fathers lack o
| polish caused me were nothing--be
cause of you. Then you ceased to Sc.
me, and l didn't understand.
Il wanted you so very much-then-
and you did not come. | know nov
what it was; the election was comint
on, you had begun to fight my father
You knew | didn't realize his position
in Belmont. I'm sincere. want 20,
to know understand how hard it wa.
for you, my d--because-I be
lieye you loved me-sincerely.
Sincerely, Gloria" His reply was
almost a sob. You know I begged
you to go away. / would have fol
lowed you. and you would never have
known"
That's true, but the gods laugh and
are our masters still. l felt that
owed 1t to my father to remain with
him in Belmont Then came the day
in Judge Gilbert's office. Did ever &
6AAA AdNC q COul lOlAip OIOWQcu ulO udl
an hour? So short time there was
between those few words OF love and
the rude awakening which followed
that there remains to me now not
even a sweet memory of that avowal
which all girls cherish SO. And then
well, that's why I've come today.
couldn't let you go away without ask
ing you to forgive me for what
said in Judge Gilbert's office"
There's no need of speaking Of for
giveness. Please do not say any
more"
set purpose, and therefore affected not
to hear. going straight on with her
narrative.
You see, was proud of my father
All my life he'd been an ideal, not a
reality, and l thought him incapable
of anything else. 1t turned out l was
wrong-what said about you"
mo, Gloria, you just didn't under
stand"
but just the same, l was wrong
and wanted to tell you SO before
went away. l knew | should not be
here when you return, and so came
today"
You're not going to leave Bel
mont!"
Yes, | am. Do you think | could
stayi' Her tone made Wright's heart
sink mo, l lack the courage, Joe
the moral courage. There's that much
of the butterfly left in me- I'm not
strong and brave like you are"
Gloria could not know how his
strength and bravery were slipping
from him little by little as they talk
ed. Her very presence was weaving
its subtle spell about him, sharing him
with her wan beauty, maddening him
with the thought that he was losing
her. So she was going away. He
wondered why. specializing OH how she
had come to learn the truth This
led him to ask:
But your father?"
Had Wright known what a piteous
outburst this would evoke, he never
would have spoken
My fatherl What am to him?
haven't seen him from that day. Since
then I've been with Mrs Hayes. Wher
| learned at luncheon that you were
going away, | had to come because
can't forgive myself for what l sale
in Judge Gilbert's office that came
near ending so disastrously = fol
you"
Please don't think of it," he begged
Il don't connect you in any manner
with the attack on me-"
But ! do" she insisted. because
know the truth" Here was the whole
reason for her coming, she told her
self Since you're in this fight tc
stay-even though you're fighting my
own father-I want you to have all the
protection that knowledge of the truth
will afford. I've come TO warn you.
Wright saw that he had not made
her understand that he was giving III
| the fight.
| But I'm going away
Yes, you've told me; but you're
coming back again because you know
your place is here. There's work Il
| do"
He recognized instantly that 1t wa:
her wish for him to remain Her be
| lief in him, such as it was. centeret
about his efforts to make Belmont 1
better place. Not wishing to explair
what pain 1t would constantly Civ,
hiIa were he to do so. he avoided tn,
matter by referring to her own future
What are you going to do?"
Il? I'm going abroad in a few days.
What does your father say to that ?
Gloria's lip eurled with seorn at tn,
question. Her answer came with tn,
coldness of woman of the world
He can't say anything. What Il
| he 10 me? / haven't even sent hin
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