The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1914-02-12
CHAPTER XXI.
The Hour Of RsckonIns.

Marx Robertson and his wife. leit
alone. together. in the other end of
the great library, faced the situation
for which Grace had 10 long bsen pre-
pairing and for which her frightened
years Of preparation had proved 20
useless.
Mark strovs for speech. But for the
first time in his roughly aggressive ca
reer, suitable words were denied him.
Alternately he longed to tell her in
naked terms what she was and how
utterly he despised her. Again. q
gush Of self-pity urged him to reproach
her for the wrecking of his ideals. the
blasting of his happiness. Vanity
coming part way to his aid. ~ framed
and left unspoken-a curt sentence
of farewell. And. in the end, all he
could say was:
why didn't you tell ms!'
1t was not what he had intended to
say. 1t was banal. II expressed none
Of the stark moods that seethed in
him. Yet AZ she did not answer. he
found himself asking once more:
why didn't you tell mel"
And now. unknown and unwished
for. there crept into his bald question
note that was almost Of entreaty.
Tell you?" she echoed. "Oh. II you
knew how I've wanted to-"
Then"
Il didn't dare. didn't dare"
Truth and honor surely"
Your love meant more to me than
truth and honor. sacrificed them to
keep 1t. would sacrifice them and
everything else to get 1t back IL
that shameless? Perhaps The truth
usually is. II had told you, you
would never have forgiven me. You
know you wouldn't. II I've wronged
you"
III you had loved me as a true WON
an loves. you would have told me-
You would have had to. You could not
have deceived me like this Love
doesn't feed on lies. 1t was my right
to know everything. SO that could
decide my own course. Instead. you
have led me into this trap. There 10
no escape now. And 1t is too late to
reproach you or to try to make you
realize what you have done You say
your love for me kept you from tell
ing! Believe that. II it is any com.
fort to you. l."
You say l don't know what true
love is" she laughed bitterly I'm
afraid can never learn 1t from you
So your love has died? Love can't
die. any more than God can die. You
have never loved me-"
q"
Never. see now that you didn't
For you don't know what love means
lived for you. Every thought and
word and act Of mine was shaped for
you. And for you alone. knew you.
I knew your faults. your follies, your
brute savagery. And I loved you for
them a. we'll 40 for the good that was
in you. But what was 1t you loved?
The woman you married-or a SNOW
white sanity reputation? II you cared
only for the reputation-that il gone
forever. But II you loved me-the
woman am-then I've been every
thing you thought was and wanted
mo to bs-sver since the first moment
you had the right to think Of me at ali.
l gave you my life. from that time on
and forever. And 1t has been all yours
Before then. It was mine
And yet you let me believe It was
everything-your whole lifs-your
dfst love
| 1T was. All that was worth tho
giving. AL that had ever been worth
the giving. 1t was my self. Oh, can't
you see that . woman's body and
heart and soul bsloos not to her first
lover but to her drst love! No woman
can even guess what love IL until she
has found It Al I found It only