Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1916-09-08


postscript sheet into half open
drawer, she went back to her hateful
task of dishwashing.
But today the routine Of household
labor was tenfold more irksome than
ever before.
There had been another line OF,
two after the postscript's end. But
Nellie had painstakingly crossed them
out, mixing away every syllable, to
make the obliterated words wholly
unreliable. This second postscript
had read:
"Your mother tells me she and your
father are starting from New York
in a day or two to pay you flying
visit. I'm sending my love by them"
Nellie had belatedly remembered at
this point that Mrs. Austin had told
her the visit was to be surprise to
Leila Hence the careful erasure.
After an interminable time, the last
of the cheap, thick dishes was washed
and dried Logging a boiler of hot
| water from the back of the stove,
Leila filled the wooden washtub and
| proceeded to toss carelessly into 1t
the pile of soiled clothes.
The cabin door swung open and
Tom Carter tramped in-the mud on
his boots blotching the none-too-clean
floor.
at isn't time to get dinner ready"
said Leila, defiantly, as she glanced
at the chimney-shelf clock. "Tm-"
ct know it isn't" he returned, life
lessly, as he threw his broad-brimmed
hat on a peg and slumped into the
nearest chair. "And we'll be lucky if
we get any more dinners at all. We're
broke! We've gone as far as we can
on the cash we've got. The gold is
there. I'd stake my life on that. It's
there! And with capital we could get
to it. 1t may lie only one days work
farther into the rock. Or it may be
a years work farther in. But it's be-
yond us. My cash has given out"
Something in the overweight girls
brain seemed to snap. Here, then,
was the end Of the golden dream!
Sudden anger f1ared up within her.
ct won't stand it," she ragged. 81
won't stand it,"
flush, dear!" he soothed her.
Don't take it like that. We have
each other. And"
"And nothing else!" she interrupted,
beside herself with fury, you've
cheated me! You've robbed me!
You've stolen my youth, my prospects,
my happiness! And you've stolen my
money!"
"Your-what?" he said, unbelieving-
ly.
"My money!" she cried, shrilly.
''The $4,000 my father gave me. 1t
was my own money. You cajoled me
into putting it into your worthless
mine! Where is. my $4,000, Tom
| Carter? Give 1t back to mel"
Her husband was staring at her,
aghast, his jaw dropping, his eyes a.
bulge. He did not recognize his brave
| and loyal little wife in this tempestu-
Gus tempered visage.
He rose and went hurriedly toward
| his wife, his arms outstretChed. But
| she recoiled from him, crying hysteri-
cally:
Don't touch mel Give me back the
| $4,000 put into your empty mine!"
Now, Tom Carter knew pitifully lit
| tie about women. Had he been more
experienced he would have understood
that Leila needed only good cry and
perhaps a day or so of absolute rest
or change Of scene.
Without a word he went over to a
wall cupboard, rummaged in it and
returned to the sobbing girl with a
sheaf OF papers.
Here are the stock certificates for
the mine" he said; forcing himself to
an outward semblance OF calm. They
are made out in your name, all of
them. Every share is yours. And the
mine is yours. I didn't tell you, be-
cause I wanted it to be a surprise to
you when the Leila A. made our for
tunes"
Toni"
eff we had struck 1t rich the whole
thing would have been yours" he went
| on unheeding. "All my work, all my
hopes were for you: not for myself.
The mine was bought with your cash.
And it is yours by rights"
TONI" she walled, all her babyish
reseu tment dying down. Tom! I'm
so sorry. darling! Please forgive me!
/ was just upset and nervous. Won't
you try to forget it, please? And
didn't mean what said. / want you
| to keep the certificates. +"
For answer he took up the sheaf OF
papers, crossed to her dresser and put
them into its top drawer.
They are yours, Leila" he said.
sYou must take them I've put them
| in there for you. I'm Only sorry you
think / have been dishonest toward
you"
Dishonest" she wept, her arms
about his neck. why, Tom. you are
| the most honest, most honorable man
in the whole world. Oh, won't YOU
please forgive mew