Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-02-10
CHAPTER XVII.
Two Letters.

TWO Iey0Sf0s
And all that day Elsa had been
waiting patiently to hear sounds Of
Warrington in the next room. Never
could she recall such long, weary
hours. Time and again she changed
piece Of ribbon, bit Of lace, and
twice she changed her dress. all for
the purpose Of making the hours pass
more quickly. Whenever Martha ap-
preached Elsa told her that she
wanted nothing, that she was head.
achy, and wanted to be left alone.
Discreetly Martha vanished.
To prevent the possibility Of miss
ing him, Elsa had engaged the room
boy to loiter about downstairs and to
report to her the moment Warrington
arrived. The boy came pattering up
at a quarter to SIX
HE come. He downside. 60. he
come topside?"
mo. That viii be all"
The following ten minutes tested
her patience 20 the utmost. Presently
she heard the banging Of trunk lid.
He was there. What was she going
to say to him? The trembling that
struck at her knees was wholly q new
sensation. Presently the tremor died
away, but It left her weak. She stepped
toward his door and Knocked gently
on the jamb.
She heard something click a. 1t
stxuck the floor. Ut was Warning
tons Guilty, which he had carried for
seven years, now in emithereens.)
She saw . hand. raw knuckled and
bleeding slightly. catch at the curtain
and swing It back upon its rings.
Miss Chetwood?" he said.
Eyes Oh. you've been hurt"
she exclaimed. noting the cash upon
his forehead. A strip Of tissue paper
Tin lieu Of court plaster) lay soaking
upon that wound-a trick learned in
the old days when razors grew dull
overnight.
Hurt? Oh. ran against something
when wasn't looking" he explained
lamely. Then he added eagerly: II
did not know that you were on this
gallery. First time I've put up at a
hotel in years." 1t did not serve.
you have been fighting! Your
hand"
He looked at the hand dumbly. How
keen her eyes were.
was Il Mallow? Did you
whip him?'
81 !. did," Initiating her tone
and hesitance. It was the wisest
thing he could have done, for It re-
Taxed the nerves Of both Of them.
4sElsa smiled, smiled and forgot the
substance Of al her rshearsals. forgot
the letter OF credit warm with the
heat Of her heart. II am q pagan. -
she confessed.
"And / am q barbarian. I ought to
be horribly ashamed Of myself"
"But you are mott"
For moment their eyes drew. Hers
were like dark whirlpools. and he felt
himself drifting helplessly. irresist-
IDLY. He dropped his hands upon the
railing and gripped: the illusion of
fighting q current was almost rea. q
him. Every fiber in his body cried out
against the struggle.
mo, not in the least" he said. look
Ing toward the Sunset. Fighting 40
riff-raff business, and I'm only riff-
raffer at best"
Rather, aren't you Paul Ellison.
brother, twin brother. Of the man
said was going home to marry!
How far away her voice seemed!
The throb In his forehead and the dull
ache over his heart, where some Of
the sledge-hammef blows had gone
home, he no longer felt.
Don't deny it. 1t would be useless.
Knowing your brother % do. who
could doubt itf'
He remained dumb.
II couldn't understand, Just simply
couldn't They never told me; In all
the years have known them, in all
the years I have partly made their
home my own. there was nothing. Not
q trinket. Once saw . camera pic
ture. know now Why Arthur snatched
It from my hand. It was you. You
were bending over an engineers tri.
pod. Even now I should have doubted
had not recalled what you said one