Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1916-08-19
CHAPTER VII.
slowly.
Doubiv a Villain.


Larry Redmond paused, dazed, and
dropped her hand, while he looked at
Ethel uncomprehendingy
Married." he stammered, mo. no,
it can't be- You're playing some
game! It can't be true.
I'm secretly married" she con
fessed.
He looked at her I'm amaZement.
Secretly? But why-why?"
Il can't explain. even to you. Larry
except that it's for my happiness to
keep it secret. now"
Bitter realization came to him then.
But he would not press her further
And you're happy" His eyes sought
hers sadly.
She could not keep back the whole
truth from him, no matter how much
she wished to. Larry Redmond's hon
esty was too patent to make dissem-
bling an easy matter in his presence.
ooh, yes, Larry! / was happy-un-
til you came back just now" she said.
Then why did you marry him" he
demanded. There was no anger in his
voice-Only regret and wonder.
Because when you left ! was-des-
perate," she admitted
You" he exclaimed, more than ever
at a loss to understand her.
Eyes" Ethel said Il waited-wait-
ed for you until a month ago. I'd
never heard from you-never heard of
you. l thought you were dead. If
you'd been alive, felt that my love,
my wanting you so very much would
bring you back to me"
Dear God" There was no mock
reverence in that soul-wrung wall
straight from his Celtic heart.
"And all my money had gone Oh!
it doesn't matter now! And 1 came
here as governess to Sir Georges
daughter. He's been very helpful.
And this NANNY husband
came along. He seemed very fond Of
me" she smiled wanly-"quite des-
perately in love- l was wretched, mis-
cradle, lonely. and oh! so tired
wanted someone to take care of me-
And so, l married"
And it's all my faultr' That was
like Larry Redmond-to condemn him
self instead Of her.
She could not bear to hear him up
braid himself.
please, aren't we suffering enough
now?" she protested.
He made up his mind, then, that for
her sake he must put things in differ
ent light. And goading himself to his
duty, he sat down and looked at her
YEARLY
But you've got to realize" he be-
gan, you've got to realize that it's
best you shouldn't have married a
coward-and l was that Two months
ago ! nearly finished it all"
Larry Ethel exclaimed In sudden
fear. The mere mention Of such
thing shocked her inexpressibly.
All, yes. l meant tor he continued
ruthlessly. And 1t was another man
almost a stranger-who stopped me"
when was it," Anxious as she
was, she could not forbear asking him
that 1t seemed inconceivable that the
COY Larry she used to know should
ever have been near self-destructi0u
Two months ago" he said. And
he stopped abruptly then, as If his
thoughts had momentarily taken him
far away, Two months ago. in Eer-
lin" he resumed, pulling himself to-
gether 10y a visible effort. 1T was one
Of those gorgeous, moonlight nights.
was thinking of you, my dear. and
thinking how futile it all was. What
was the use? Ii was n one
Of those little SIDE streets off Inter den
Linden stood there behind tree
when suddenly this fellow came up
from behind and grabbed my re-
volver"
All at once his recital brought back
to Ethel's mind another similar story
In her agitation she could NOT at first
recall exactly where OF under what
circumstances she had heard H. And
then. in a fash. she remembered Her
husband bad told Der a tale Ike that
only an hour before
III Berlin this was-not Paris?' she
asked him quickly.
-No-Berlin."
That's curious" she said Il heard
just such another story little while
ago"