Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1914-05-06
CHAPTER XIV.
A Question and the Answer.

l1I i COrtlandt had never known
I6aMSAI her husband to show such
E@SXsA stubborn force. Failing to
dominate him as usual, she was filled
with a strange feeling of helplessness
and terror.
"You had no right to accept such
evidence" she Stormed
"Bah! Why try to fool me? have
your own words for it. The other aft
ernoon 1 came home sick-with my
head. I was on the gallery outside
when you were pleading with him. and
/ heard it all. But he was growing
tired of you. That, you know, makes
it all the more effective" He smiled
in an agonized fury.
"You-curv' she cried, with the fury
of one beating barehanded at barred
door, "You had no right to do such a
thing even if l were guilty."
Fright. Aren't you my wife?"
The look she gave him was heavy
with loathing ''That means nothing
with us. l never loved you. and you
know it. You never could have sue
ceeded without me. All you have is
due to me-even your reputation in
the service. Your success, your inf1u-
ence, it is all mine. The debt is all
on your side. as you and ! and all the
world know"
"Who made me a manikin?' he de-
handed. with womanish fury. fury
that had been striving for utterance
these many years. l had ambitions
and hopes and ability once-nOt much
perhaps. but enOugh-before you mar
ried me. l was nothing great. but l
was getting along 1 had confidence.
too, but you took it away from me.
You-you absorbed me. You had your
fathers brain. and it was too big for
me. 1t Overshadowed mine. In a way
you were vampire. for what l had
you drained me Of But tonight, when
he got up before those other men and
dangled my shame before my eyes,
had enough manhood left in me to
strike back. Thank God for that at
least! Maybe it's not too late yet for
me to be man. Maybe if get away
from you and try His voice died out
weakly. In his face there was a mis-
cradle half CLEAN Of hope.
81 never knew you felt like that
never knew you could feel that way"
she said in a cOlOrlesS voice. But
you made terrible mistake"
'Do you mean to say you don't love
him?"
mo, 1 have loved him for a long
time. I can't remember when it be-
gan" She spoke very istlessly, look
ing past him as if at long familiar
picture which she was tired of con-
templating. Il never knew what love
was before; never even dreamed. I'd
give my life right now to undo what
you have done. just for his sake, for
he is innocent Oh. don't sheer; it's
true. He loves the Garavel girl and
wants to marry her. Pm going to tell
you the whole truth now without spar
ing myself. 1t began, I think, at Ia
boga, that night when he kissed me.
It was the only time he ever did such
a thing. It was dark, we were alone,
/ was frightened, and it was purely
impulse on his part. But it woke mf
up, and all at once l knew how much
he meant to me. When / discovered
that he cared for that girl-well, if you
overheard you must know. l frighten-
ed Garavel into dismissing him, and l
set out to break him, just to show him
that he needed me. Tonight he scorn-
ed me. That's the truth. Stephen. If
we believed in oaths l would swear it. !"
"You are shielding him. You want
to make me out wrong" But she
knew he knew.
''Those are the facts. Heaven knows
they are bad enough. but they are by
no means so bad as you thought. And
I'm your wife. Stephen. That thing
you did was brutal. Those men will
talk. l was guilty no doubt in my
thoughts. but I'm young. and you have
no right to blight my life and my rep.
utation-yes, and yours-by thing like
that. We will have to meet those men.
What are you going to do?"
crO BE CONTINUED0