Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-04-03
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IILU5TMITD 81 LAUREN STOUT

looking at him from an ashen face.
HE told me there was no reason why
I should not try my luck" he said diff
hcultly. II asked him."
There was silence, while he gazed
at her. breathing despair. Then he
tried to laugh.
"All right" he said hoarsely. cit
It doesn't matter. Don't worry"
She stretched out her hand to him
in . gesture Of wistful pain. and he
held It . moment between both Of
his, then released It and went hur.
riedly out.
As the door closed, Shirley sat
down, her head dropping into her
hands like storm-broken flower. Val.
liant had accepted the finality of the
situation. With wave OF deeper
hopelessness than had yet submerged
her, she realized that, against her own
decision, something deep within her
had taken shy and secret comfolt in
his stubborn masculine refusal.
Against all fact. in face Of the impos.
sible. her heart had been clinging to
this-as though his love might even
attain the miraculous and somewhere,
somehow. recreate circumstance. But
now he, too. had bowed to the decree.
A kind of utter apathetic wretched.
ness seized upon her, to replace the
sharp misery that had so long been
her companion-an empty numbness
in which, in a measure, she ceased to
feel.
An hour dragged slowly by and at
length she rose and went slowly up
the stairs. Her head felt curiously
heavy, but It did not ache. Outside
her mothers door, % was her custom,
she paused mechanically to listen. A
tiny pencil Of light struck through the
darkness and painted . spot Of bright
ness on her gown. It came through
the keyhole; tho lamp In her mothers
room was burning. "she has fallen
asleep and forgotten It, she thought,
and softly turning the knob. pushed
the door noiselessly open and entered.
A moment she stood listening to the
low regular breathing Of the sleeper.
The reading-lamp shed I shaded glow
on the pillow with its spread-out sill.
yer hair, and on the delicate hands
clasped loosely on the coverlet Shir.
Icy came close and looked down on
the placid face. Il was smooth - .
child's and smile touched 1t lightly
a IL some pleasant sleepthought had
Just laid rosy fingers on the dreaming
lips. The light caught and sparkled
from something bright that lay be.
tween her mothers hands. It was the
enamel brooch that held her own baby
curl, and she saw suddenly that what
she had all her life thought was q
solid pendant, was now open locket,
wise and that the two halves clasped
a miniature It came to her at once
that the picture must be Sassoon'a,
and a quick thrill Of pity and yearn.
ing welled up through her own dejec.
ton. STOPPING. she looked At 1t close.
ly. She started as she did SO, for the
face on the little disk Of ivory was
that Of John Valiant.
An instant she stared unbelievingly.
Then recollection of the resemblance
iof which Valiant had told her rushed
to her, and she realized that 1t must
be the picture Of his father. The fact
shocked and COMPOUNDED her. Why
should her mother carry in secret the
miniature Of the man who had
killed
shirleys breath stopped. She felt
her face tingling and . curious weak.
ness came on her limbs. Why, indeed,
unless-and tho thought was like .
wild prayer in her mind-she had
been mistaken in her surmise
Thoughts came thronging In panic
haste: the fourteenth Of May and the
cape observation-disclosures might point
no less to Valiant than to Sassoop.