Omaha daily bee., 1916-06-12

In fact, she rather disguised her hand
writing, though this made little diff
ference, since David did not know it,
anyway. She dropped the little letter
into mail box with the innocent glee
of an anarchist slipping bomb with
time fuse under a millionaire's auto
mobile.
The United States postoffice au-
thorities carried the loaded letter to
David's office for her. He opened it
and read it, but could not understand
it, He read it again and understood
il, but could not believe it. He was
about to toss it in the wastebasket,
| where such messages belong. He
read II again. 1t threw him into a
black pit Of agony and consterna-
Ltion.
Now, he could, but would not, be-
lieve it. He wondered who the
"heart-breaker" might be. He re-
membered that Lois had been fond
OF Freneau years before. He dis
missed this suspicion with contempt.
He loathed the letter. Only towards
and mischief-makers write such let
tiers. He threw this one from him
as il it were something unclean. Yet
the anonymous poison gnawed away
in his brain. He clenched and I'M
clenched his hands and paced the
floor, beads Of perspiration dripping
down his face.
At last he fought it out with him
fself and decided that he would trust
Lois till she was proved unworthy,
However, the letter seemed to whis-
per to him, "A little test will do no
harm"
OF course, Lois was guiltless, but
perhaps she had been careless OF ap-
pearances. II would be better to wait
and rebuke the indiscretion when it
occurred. He had been talking of a
trip south to meeting of a beard OF
railroad directors on which his fa-
ther had placed him. 1t was not
necessary for him to go. But he
might pretend that it was ard tell
Lois goodby and pretend to leave and
them, He dared not put the scheme
into words, But he dared not let
the chance go past to make sure.
That evening when he went home
Lois greeted him with her usual
warmth Before he had quite de-
cided what to do he had told her that
he was called south for ten days and
he had not urged her to go with him.
She did not ask to go. In fact, he
thought that she took the bad news
| with just little too much philoso-
ply. He was tormented with shame
and suspicion.
The next day, when he went to his
office, he babe her, goodby as if he
were the criminal and she the saint,
He could not have imagined that Lois
only waited his departure to fling on
| her hat and her veil and speed to
Freneau before he should leave for
his own office.
! She found him and he gave her a
lcold welcome. When she told him
that David was to be in the far south
for a week. he did not seem to be
interested When she rejoiced that
now they could be together without
the annoyance OF David's presence,
Freneau solemnly reminded her OF
the danger from gossips and servants,
He must walk warily, now that he
was betrothed to bank account like
lStafford's.
To this Lois made the astonishing
answer that il New York was too
full of spies, she would go elsewhere.
\ She reminded him of beautiful vii
lage in the Catskill mountains. and
| declared it her intention OF paying il
a visit; also she advised Freneau to
happen there at the same time-his
fiancee, Gloria. was too i'll to see him,
anyway, and he could give business
trip as an excuse.
| Freneau was indignant, but Lois
was dangerous. She threatened him
again with the awful weapon OF sui,
eide, against which there was no de-
Tense. He realized that he was the
4 prey Of a kind Of. blackmailer. He
| had once thoughtNof Lois as con-
quest to be proud of: now he saw
i that he himself was the victim and she
the tyrant. With one rash act she
could not only destroy herself but
4 all Freneau's plans.
i Again he surrendered. Surrender