The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1914-04-24

MIN. she turned nm down. Sne sdlO
she esteemed him more than any man
on earth, but could neve marry. Her
whole life would be devoted to the
memory Of Roach.
"A month or two after that time
Horton was sent to New York upon
some business connected with his
bank. lie was stTolling through one
of the parks there and saw Roach on
a bench, looking shabby and detected
but still, unmistakable. When he got
over the shock he spoke to him.
Roach was too much surprised to
deny his identity. And so he explain
cd. He had wanted to leave Quontok-
set, where he had no relatives or
property. He had hated the idea OF
marriage. So he had taken advantage
Of the wreck TO lose his identity and
start a new life In New York. he
pleaded that 1t was the only way to
save Miss P%rudence's feelings. No
doubt she would marry somebody
else, he said. He begged Horton not
to betray him.
Horton was slow and simple. he
had given his promise before he real
lied what 1t would involve. 1t meant
that he must let Miss Prudence live
the rest of her life under the belief
that Roach was dead. Then he want
ed to thrash Roach; but he was torn
between the conflicting ideas Of duty,
a,I vananwyhNa nnanh u1fnnnh nntnfIV
away and was gone.
Horton went back to his village.
He decided that he could not break
the girls heart by letting her know.
For three years he laid siege to her,
but uselessly.
Nov. Ellsworth, + claim that the
soul of Miss Prudence knew perfectly
, we'll what was happening, and loved
Horton, and was trying its hardest to
obliterate the false image of Roach
without letting Miss Prudence know"
Ellsworth smiled i~ncredulously.
Proceed" he said.
Miss Prudence had to go to Bos-
ton on business. She had never left
: the village before. Horton was to es-
cort her there and back, on the same
: day. By this time the two we're like
brother and sister.
They reached Boston and had
lunch together, transacted the bust
ness and started homeward, taking
the elevated to the North station. Miss
, Prudence wanted the papers. They
went to the paper and magazine booth,
and there, behind the counter, stood
, Roach.
THE supreme moment had come
> Horton did not know what to do. He
stared at Roach, who had turned the
color of chalk, and both we're waiting
for Miss Prudence to look up at
Roach. She picked up one or two pa
pers and a magazine, got her purse
open, and stared full into Roach's
face.
Miss Prudence!" Roach burst out,
] and stopped again, for Miss Pru-
dence's hand was lying placidly upon
the counter, and she was staring right
i. into Roach's eyes and never saw or
heard him.
I Isn't It queer" she said to Horton,
that they leave all these papers and
\ magazines around without anyone to
sell them"
She put down the money and walk
ed away. Roach, of course, thought 1t
was an deliberately staged cut He
couldn't have understood Miss Pru-
dence. But Horton did. He knew that,
for her, Roach had been non-eviden'
tisl There was no possibility Of her
playing a trick. It was not in her, and
there was no quayer in her voice nor
a shake Of the hand as she sat down
beside Horton in the train"
Your theory is very ingenious,
said Ellsworth, when the doctor had
ended, but those cases are vel
known TO science. When one sus
tains a deep psychic wound the per
~sonality sometimes sloughs a part Of
itself away. We have those classic
T cases of double personality, for exam
pie, in which the patient is absolutely
/. unable to recognize those whom h'
has known before, and sometimes t
see them, even"
Wait a minute" said the doctor
d ION the way home Horton, who wa
il greatly distressed, renewed his suit
He couldn't restrain himself; he wal
terrified, too, and wanted to have tn,
right to take care Of the girl. H,
m asked her to marry him
why, l have loved you all m,
life, dear she answered. There WASH
the smallest hesitation on her par
7 about accepting him. She remembers
q. Roach, but she never remembers
a that she had been engaged to him
And It is my opinion that she woult
never ever have seen him, had b,
il. stood up in front Of her at any late
date, Fortunately, she was not put Il
ID the test. Roach died in a hospital
I'd year or two afterward.
of We'll, Ellsworth" said the doctor
,g rising, that is how Miss Prudenc,
i, met evil, and It's no use your telling
me there wasn't something that pre-
tected her from knowledge Of evil
from madness, perhaps. Good night.
at Copyright. 1914, by W. G. Chapman)