Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-09-18

rest of the summer folk. tn take him.
self out of her life She admitted that |
there would be gap. But that had .
to be. No word other than friendly |
ones would ever pass between them. !
He would 60 away. and she would go |
IN as before. That was all. She was |
scarcely aware how far they had tray
led along that road whereon travellers |
converse by glance Of eye. by subtle
Vrehension of consequences seized her.
a fear that tragedy of her own making
might stalk grimly in that room.
Sitting beside window, chin In hand,
her lower lip compressed between her
teeth, she saw Fyfe, after the lapse OF
ten minutes, leave by the front en-
trance, stopping to chat minute with
Linda and Charlie Benton, who were
moving slowly toward the house. Stel-
ia rose to her feet and dahbcd at her
! face with a powdered chamos. She
| couldn't let Monohan 90 like that her
heart cried out against 1t. Very likely
| they would never meet again.
She flew down the hall to the living
room. Monohan stood just within the
front door gazing irrcsolutely over his
/ shoulder. He took a step or two to
meet her. His clean cut face was
drawn into sullcn lines, deep flush
mantled his check.
Listen" he said tensely, i've beer
made to feel like-like-- Well, l con
trolled myself. knew it had to be
that way. 1t was unfortunate. l think
we could have been trusted to do the
decent thing. You and l were bred to
do that. I've got little pride. can't
come here again. And l want to see
YOU once more before I leave here for
good. I'll be going away next week.
That'll be the end Of 1.-THE bitter fin
ish. viii you slip down to the first
point south Of Cougar bay about 3 In
the afternoon tomorrow? It'll be the
last and only time He'll have you for
life; can't talk to you for twenty
minutcsT
mo" she whispered forlornly. Il
can't do that. I-oh, goodby; goodby' y
stella, Stellar she heard his vi
brant whisper follow after. But she
ran away through dining room and
hall to the bedroom, there to fling her.
self face down, choking back the pas
sionate protest that welled up within
her. She lay there, her face buried in
the pillow, until the sputtering exhaust
Of the Abbey cruiser growing fainter
and more faint told her they were gone
She heard her husband walk through
the house once after that. When din
ner was served he was not there. 1t
was II o'clock by the timepiece on her
mantel when she heard him come in,
but he did not come to their room. He
went quietly into the guest chamber
across the hall.
She waited through leadcn period
Then, moved by an impulse she did not
ATTEMPT to define, mixture OF motives
pity for him, a craving for the outlet OF
words, a desire to set herself right be
fore him, she slipped on dressing
robe and crossed the hall. The door
swung open noiselessly. Fyfe sal
slumped in a chair, hat pulled low OF
his forehead, hands thrust deep In his
pockets. He did not even look up. His
eyes stared straight ahead, absent, un
seeingly fixed on nothing. He seemed
to be unconscious Of her presence or t
ignore II, she could not tell which.
"Jack." she said. And when he made
no response she said again tremuous
". that unyielding silence chilling her
. Jack"
He stirred little, but only to taxi
l. off his hat and lay it on table beside
Y him. With one hand pushing back me
l. chemically the straight, reddish tinge'
c hair from his brow, he looked up a
l. her and said briefly in tone barren o
t all emotion:
l. "WellT
;, She was suddenly dumb. Words fail
h ed her utterly. Yet there was nue.
G to be said, much that was needful t
S say. They could not go on with clou
n like that over them, cloud that ha
:. to be dissipated In the crucible Q
If words, Yet she could not begin. Fyf'
s. after prolonged silence, seemed t
e grasp her difficulty. Abruptly he bt
]. gan to speak, cutting straight to tn
heart Of his subject after his fashion.
d "It's a pity things had to take thl
e. particular turn" said he. But no.
1t TINT you're face to face with somethin
It definite, what do you propose to d
II about it?'
ID Nothing she answered slowly.
S can't help the feeling. It's there Bt
It, I can thrust 1t into the background an
lc 90 on as IL 1t didn't exist. There
ot nothing else for me to do that l ca
IL see. I'm sorry, Jack"
T. $50 am t. he said grlmly. "Still,
was chance we took--or took. rat
er.. seem to have made mistake {
two in my estimate Of both you an
10 myself. That is human enough, su
M pose You're making bigger mistal
NJ than I did, though, to let Monoha
in sweep you off your feet"
If There was something that she rea
~ for contempt In his tone. 1t stung he
Gle hasn't swept me or my feet,
10. you put It." she cried Good heaven
~. do you think I'm that spineless sort