Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-03
CHAPTER XXXIII Continued

CHAPTER XXXIII Continued
"Ah, it's fine of them!' paeaned
Katharine. Il can imagine the men
who knew about that dreadful affair,
in their southern chivalry, drawing a
Gordon Of silence about the name of
that girl with her broken heart! For
If she loved one of the two, it must
have been Sassoon-not Valiant, else
he would have stayed. How terrible
to see ones lover killed in such a
way. :. . 1t was quickly ended for
him, but the poor woman was left to
bear it all the years! She may be
living yet, here maybe, some one whom
everybody knows. suppose am i'm
aginative," she added but | can't help
wondering about her | fancy she
would never wholly get over it, never
be able to forget him, though she
tried"
Shirley made some reply that was
lost in the whirring wheels. The
others words seemed almost an echo
of what she herself had been thinking.
Maybe she married after while,
too. A woman must make life for
herself, you know. If she lives here,
it will be sad for her. this opening of
the old wound by Johns coming. .
And looking so like his father
Katharine paused There was a
kind of exhilaration in this subtle
batting. Determined as she was that
Shirley should guess at the truth be-
fore that ride ended. welding
was not to her taste. She perferred
the keen needle-point that injected its
poison before the thrust was even
felt. She waited, wondering just how
to say
Shirley stirred uneasily. and in the
glimpsing light her face looked
troubled Katharine's voice had
touched pathos, and in spite of her dis
taste of the subject Shirley had been
entering into the feeling of that sup
posititious woman. There had come to
her, like touch of eery clairvoyance,
the suggestion the other had meant to
convey Of her actual existence; and
this was sharpened by the sudden
recollection that Valiant had himself
told her of the resemblance that
Katharine recalled.
The Judge on the front seat, was
telling lowtoned story over his
shoulder for the delectation of Nancy
and Betty, but Shirley was not listen
Ing Her whole mind was full Of what
Katharine had been saying. She was
picturing to herself this woman, her
secret hidden all these years, hearing
of John Valiant's coming to Damory
Court, learning of this likeness, shrink
ing from sight of it. dreading the
painful memory 1t must thrust upon
her.
Suppose, katharine voice was
dreamy-"that she and John met sud
denly without warning. What would
she do? Would she say anything?
Perhaps she would faint. -
Shirley started violently. Her hands,
as they drew her cloak uncertainty
about her, began to tremble, as If with
cold Something fell from them to the
bottom of the surrey.
Through her chiffon veil Katharine
noted this with a slow smile. 1t had
been easier than she had thought
She said no more, and the carriage
rolled on, to the accompaniment Of
giggles over the judges perovation.
AS 1t neared the Rosewood lane she
leaned toward Shirley.
"You have dropped your FAM said
she and your, gloves. too. .
might have reached them for you.
Why, we are there already. How
short the drive has seemed"
Don't drive up the lane, Lige,' said
Shirley, and her voice seemed sharp
and strange even to herself. "The
wheels would wake mother" Kathar-
inc babe her good-by with careful
sweetness. as the Judge bundled her
down in his strong friendly arms.
mo" she told him, don't come
with me. It's not bit necessary.
Emmaline will be waiting for me-"
He climbed into her vacant place
as the girls called their good nights.
"We'll all sleep late enough in the
morning, I reckon" he said with a
laugh, "but it's been great SUGGEST"