The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-10-05

rate, man and Dol01ef-ne would De
ready to fight-to settle this thing a.
men should do. And when he had
killed Steele he could send Leslie
away-perhaps force her to live in abb
solute isolation in some remote village
under penalty Of never seeing her son.
That Leslie should have dared to
love any man but him! 1t was afro
cious; 1t was monstrous; it was auda-
cious. He would not have brooked a
king as rival. Perhaps she would
infamy and blow her brains out.
Leslie had not yet come. He threw
Off his motoring rig, and drank bran
dy and soda thirstily. He had eaten
nothing for many hours. He sat in his
study, smoking continuously, listening
intently for the sound of wheels halt
ing before the door. He caught sight
of his dishevelled self in the mirror.
A curious instinct inherited from his
sires decided him to dress ceremonial
ly. After all this was a solemn occa-
sion-something grave and memorable
since it was an event In the history
of his family. For the next half hour
he was busy in his dressing room.
Steele Agrees to Come
to Sir RaIph's Room.
The telephone bell rang. He rushed
to it. Galveston was speaking. steele
telegraphs that he will come over to
my rooms this evening. Am l to bring
him round to you?"
Eyes, at once Don't let him suspect
that we have discovered anything"
He would trap them in the same
cage; neither should escape him. Cor
rectly clothed and groomed, he took
up position with his back to the fire
place and waited for his wife. He
heard the crunch Of a taxicab's tire
abruptly hating. Every muscle in him
went taut and tense.
He heard her voice giving orders.
There was a weary note in 1t. he
thought. He ground his teeth. "A guilty
conscience" he murmured.
He found himself using convention
al phases and adopting conventional
standpoints which in other men had
often excited his derision.
The door opened and she came to-
ward him. Her pretty, pale face was
flushed about the cheeks, her red hair
was tumbled and a lock or two had
strayed down across her forehead.
She was tired and travel-stained after
her long journey from the west of
oCOLlaQU, Out IL SCIuCh Hill ludI BIG
had never been more beautiful.
She did not remark the GOODNESS OF
his greeting. They had long been an
undemonstrative couple. She threw
off her light cloak and loosened the
veil around her hat.
'"They told me you wanted to see
me here at once" she said, a queru-
lous note in her voice, 80 came up
without changing. Please don't look
at me- - Well what's the mat
ter? Your telegram was rather i'm
perious. wasn't it? Why didn't you
stay in Paris?"
/. He continued to observe her. In
deed, in the light of this discovery she
seemed a strange woman. This was
Leslie Steele, he told himself, the
wife of another man. A different per-
son quite from his wife, to whom he
had hidden adieu in Paris 1t was COM
ic to think that he knew alu about it,
and she sat there supposing him to be
ignorant, herself in blissful ignorance
of what was coming.
He laughed and she looked at him.
Her expression changed.
There's a storm brewing, isn't
there?" she asked.
He nodded. Eyes. You and l are 60
ing to have a row, a big row."
She rested her forehead against her
hand and looked away from him wear
lily. For the past month she had been
living in the shaved of a volcano. Now
the eruption was at hand. She won
dered what he knew. She was SO tired
of it all she would gladly have made
a clean breast of it there and then,
but she checked herself. BY such sur
render she might unnecessarily alarm
him as to Jimmy's position; she would
at the best inflame him with hatred
and contempt for another man. Even
that silly half-Egyptian woman's secret
deserved a little consideration.
She crossed her ankles and assumed
an air of resignation.
Fire away" she said to him.
His fingers played with the crum-
pied marriage certificate in the peck
ct of his coat and he longed to thrust
it under her eyes. 1t would be fine to
hear her scream, but he waited to see
if she would lie.
II have heard funny rumors about
you and Steele" he said, watching her
narrowly.
She made no start Of surprise, but