The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-04-05

lis friends were telling him that Aver
was determined in the matter and /,
might better be settled sooner than
later. They advised him to challenge
Aver and have it over with. All sup
posed that the origin Of the matter
was at the card table Indeed, few il
any knew that Aver was trying ia
Iorce MS enemy 10 withdraw his in
nuence from Mrs. Aver Quigley blus.
tered for awhile, but took no action.
But finally noticing a difference In the
cordiality with which his friends greet
cd MIN he gave In and sent Aver a
challenge.
aver accepted. naming revolvers at
ten PAGES. every chamber to be emptied
before the firing ceased.
This staggered Quigley, for 1t meant
death probably TO both Of the parties.
he sent message to Aver asking what
ne could do to avert the issue. Aver
replied in sealed note telling him
that he must neither speak nor write
to Mrs. Aver again. Quigley replied
that Mrs. Aver had applied for a d.
vorce and had consented to marry him
as soon as IL was obtained. To this
Aver replied that on his part the affair
would be dropped. But he did not do
this till he had looked into the court
records and found that his wife had
the day before applied for a separa-
tion.
When Aver went home that evening
he found his wife gone. His little bov
asked him what was the matter with
mamma. She had cried anu kissed
him all the morning. then had gone out
and hadn't come back. Wouldn't papa
go and bring her back?
But day after day. week after week.
month after month. passed and nam.
ma did not return. She was residing
In city where divorce Is made easy.
The child was obliged to content him
self with his nurse during the day. but
whenever his father was not mt his of,
fce he supplied so far as possible the
place of the mother. Quigley still lived
In the city. but there was not as much
swagger In him as formerly. Somehow
no one seemed to think he had come
out of his affair with Aver with credit.
and his friends were dropping Off
While 1t was known to the Ayers in
innate friends that Helen was suing
for divorce. II was not known that
she was doing so In order to marry
QuiSley. Divorces usually make It ap
pear that great wrongs are committed
by one or both parties. We are horri-
fed at tales Of cruelty. desertion. all
kinds of inhumanities. While reading
Of them we would suppose that after
such suffering neither party will ever
again consent to wear the chains of
wedlock But once the bond Is broken
up pops a man or woman hitherto
unknown in the proceedings. and the
decree Is scarcely granted before the
wedding bells are ringing.
Helen Aver had secured her divorce
had returned. and 1t was supposed by
her friends. except an intimate few,
that she would remain-after the
charges against Aver her lawyer had
drawn up for her-an unmarried wo-
man. While this was the supposition.
a marriage license was being taken out
permitting Helen Aver and SCHUYLER
Quigley to wed. They were to be pri-
vately married at ) o'clock In the eve
ming and take o'clock train for their
wedding trip.
During the afternoon the bride to be
was seized with an Irresistible desire
to see her boy once more before taking
the irretrievable step. She knew that
her husband was usually at his office il
the time and she would not meet him.
Throwing caution to the winds, she
called "A carriage. alighted near her for
mer home entered and ran upstairs to
find her son
She came upon a melancholy sight
Her boy was lying on bed, pale and
wan. while his father was bending over
him.
"Oh. why didn't you tell me? Why
didn't You send for me-" she walled
And without waiting for reply she
bent down, passiondtely encircled the
child with her arms and hugged him
to her breast. Then, flinging her hat |
and coat aside. she knelt beside the |
bed.
"Oh mamma" cried the child. how |
glad am that you have come back !"
Then. raising his arms, he placed them !
about her shoulders. "And you're new
er, never going away again, are you?"
And the woman for whom bride .
groom was waiting said:
Never. so help me heaven
Russell Aver was walking away when /
his wife seized his hand and held him.
She attempted to speak to him. but not
finding words turned again to the boy.
Then Russell knet beside her. and. rest
ing his hand on her waist. the two
turned the ebbing life back
An hour later Schuyler Quigley. as
he was about to enter "A carriage TO
take him to church where he was TO
meet his bride. was startled by mes
sage
I cannot go I viii never see you again
One of those singular and unaccount-
1T e. ..