River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1916-03-23
Copyright, by Louis Joseph vance.)

Iessness and instability Of character
and purpose He couldn't look upon
this girl and listen to her voice and be-
lieve that she wasn't at heart as sound
and sweet and tender and loyal as any
that ever breathed!
A wave Of tenderness and compass
sion swept his heart, and he realized
that he didn't matter, that nothing
mattered so long as she was spared
one slightest pang of self-reproach.
He said very gently: II wouldn't
have you distress yourself on my ac-
count, Miss Shannon. / quite under
stand there must be things l can't I'M
derstand-that you must have had
YOU reasons for acting as you did"
EYES," she said evenly, but again
with eyes averted-"I had; but they're
not easy, they're impossible to explain
to you"
"Yet-when al's said and done-I've
no right to exact any explanation"
"Ah, but how can you say that, re-
Numbering what we've been through
together?"
"You owe me nothing" he insisted.
whereas / owe you everything, even
unquestioning faith. Even though |
fail, / have this to thank you for-this
one not ignoble impulse my life has
known"
"Tou mustn't say that; you mustn't
think it. / don't deserve 1t. You
wouldn't say tiff you knew"
Perhaps l can guess enough to sat-
isfy myself"
She gave him a swift. sidelong look
Of challenge, instinctiyely on the de-
fensive
why" she almost gasped, what do
you think"
Does it matter what think?"
1T does, to me. | wish to know!"
Well" he conceded reluctantly, Il
think that, when you had chance to
think things over calmly, while you
waited for me there in the garden, you
decided it would be better to-to use
your best Judgment and-extricate
yourself from an embarrassing en-
tanglement-"
"But you were wrong!" she pro-
tested vehemently = quite, quite
wrong! l ran away from myself-not
from you-and with another motive,
too-one that / can't explain"
"You ran away from yourself-noS
from me?" he repeated, puzzled.
Don't you understand? Why make
it SO hard for me? Why make me say
outright what pains me 500"
"Oh, beg Of you"
"But if you won't understand other
wise-I must tell you, suppose" She
checked herself, breathless, flushed,
and trembling. "You remember our
talk after dinner that night-how
asked you, what if you were to find out
you'd been mistaken in me, that | had
deceived you; and how | told you it
would be impossible for me ever to
marry your"
II remember" he assented gravely.
1T was because of that" she said, Il
ran away; because hadn't been talk
ing idly when | said what I did; be-
cause you were mistaken in me, be-
cause l was deceiving you, because l
could never marry you, and because
suddenly came to know that, If l
| didn't leave you then and there, l
might never find the strength to leave
you, and only greater suffering and un-
happiness could come of it. I had to
go, as much for your sake as for
| mine"
You mean me to understand that
you found you were beginning to-to
care little for me?"
She made an effort to speak, but in
the end answered him only with a
dumb inclination of her head.
"And you ran away, then, because
love wasn't possible between us?"
Again, silently, she bowed her head.
Because / had bssn a criminal,
! presumed"
You've no right to say that"
What else can think? You tell me
you were afraid might induce you to
become my wife-something which,
for some incomprehensible reason, you
claim is impossible. What other ex-
PLANTATION can l infer? What other ex-
PLANTATION is needed? It's ample, it
covers everything, and I've no warrant
to complain-God knowsl"
Butt" she began, when he cut
her short.
There's one thing I don't under
stand at ALL" he protested. IF that
were so, if it was your repugnance for
criminal association-why did you go
| back to Bannon?"
She started and glanced at him fur
lively, a frightened glance.
"You knew that?'
II saw you-last night-followed
you from Wells to the Elysee Palace
hotel"
And you thought" she flashed In .