Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-03-23

~ reassuring?"
He colored, and boggled his answer
I can't tell you" he admitted in the
end
Why can't you tell me?"
He stared at her miserably. I've no
! right. In spite of all I've said, in
spite Of the faith you so generously
promise me, in your eyes l must still
figure as a thief. liar, an impostor-
self-confessed. Men aren't remade by
| mere protestations, nor even by their
own efforts, in an hour, or a day, or a
week. But give me a year. If 1 can
live year in honesty, and earn my
bread, and so prove my strength
/ then, perhaps, I might find the cour-
age, the-the effrontery to tell you
why want your good opinion. Now
I've said far more than I meant or had
any right to. I hope" he ventured
pleadingly, you're not offended
Only an instant longer could she
| maintain her direct and unfinching
| look. Then his meaning would no
more be ignored Her lashes fell, a
| tide Of crimson flooded her face, and
with a quick movement, pushing her
chair little from the table, she turned
away from him. But she said moth
| ing.
He remained as he had been, bend
| ing eagerly toward her.
And in the long minute that elapsed
before either spoke again, both became
| oddly conscious of the silence brood
ing in that lonely little house Of their
isolation from the world, of their COM
mon peril and mutual dependence
I'm afraid" Lanyard said after a
| time-"Im afraid | know what you
must be thinking One can't do your
| intelligence the injustice to imagine
| you haven't understood me-read all
| that was in my mind and'-his voice
| fell-'in my heart. I own that I was
| wrong to speak so transparency, to
| suggest my regard for you at such a
! time, under such conditions. I am
truly sorry, and beg you to consider
NOW, yesterday, Ekstrom came to
. the surface in London with those self
same plans to sell to England Chance
threw him my way, and he mistook
me for the man he'd expected to meet
Downing streets secret agent Well
no matter howl got the plans from
| him and brought them over with me,
meaning to turn them over to France,
to whom, by rights, they belong"
Without consideration? the girl in
Quired shrewdly.
mot exactly. I had meant to make
no profit of the affair-Im a bit
squeamish about tainted money-but
under present conditions, if France in
| sists on rewarding me with safe con-
duct out of the country, shan't re-
fuse it. Do you approve?"
She nodded earnestly at would be
worse than criminal to return them to
Ekstrom."
That's my view of the matter
But these?" The girl rested her
hand upon the jewel case.
Those go back to Nine Omber. She
| has home here in Paris that | know
well. In fact, the sole reason why l
didn't steal them here was that she
left for England Unexpectedly, just as
| was all set to strike. Now purpose
to use my knowledge of her house to
| restore the jewels without risk of fall
ing into the hands of the police That
will be an easy matter. And that
brings me to the one great favor
would beg of YOU
She gave him a look so unexpected
ly kind that it staggered him. But he
had himself well in hand.
you can't leave Paris now before
morning-thanks to my having over
| slept" he continued. There's no hon.
fIease, you mustn't spoil it! You've
paid me the finest of compliments, and
one I'm glad and grateful for-and
would l might think l deserved! You
say you need year to prove yourself?
| Then-1'ye no right to say this-and
| you must please not ask me what
mean-then l grant you that year. A
| year | shall wait to hear from you
| from the day we part, here in Paris.
And tonight 1 will go with you, too,
and gladly, since you wish me tot"
And then as he, having risen, stood
at loss, thrilled and incredulous, with
brave and generous gesture she Of
/ fered him her hand, across the table
whereon still rested the spells Of his
final coup
Mr.. Lanyard, promise"
To every woman, even the least love
ly, her hour of beauty-it had not en-
tered Lanyard's mind to think this
woman beautiful until that moment.
Of her exotic charm, Of the allure Of
her pensive, wistful prettiness, he had
been well aware, even as he had been
| unable to deny to himself that he was
all for her, that he loved her with all
the strength that was his; but not till
now had he understood that she was
the one woman whose loneliness to
him would dim the beauty Of all other
women
And for a little, while he held her
hand tremulous upon his finger-tips, as
though he feared to bruise it with
| ruder contact, he could not take his
eyes from her.
Then reverently he bowed his head
and touched his lips to that hand-and
felt it snatched swiftly away, and start
ed back, aghast, the idyl roughly dissi-
pated, the castle Of his dreams tum-
bling in thunders round his ears.