Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-03-22
CHAPTER XVI,


CHAPTER XVI
The Crash.
The several day following Dawes
/ unexpected call ct Las rnlHlaS Alaire
spent IN II d.lighi'ni rpverIc. she had
so often wrp>tlcd with the question rt
divorce that she lad heS;ua 90 weary
Of It. She gavr up trying ut length,
and for The tlme btiag rested content
/ in the kHoWlodg" that she loved and
was loved \ week passed while She
/ Rugged her thoughts to hei hreast. and
/ then enc evening she rode home to
/ learn that Ed he'd returned from san
/ Antonio.
put I'd was ILL., AID he did not mp.
+ pear ~ dinner. II he'd been years
since either had dared invade HE 9th
rr's privacy and now. inaNnuch aa h"i
husband did net send for her Alaire
did no; presume to offer har services aS
nurse. IS q natter o. fact, She con
Sidcrcd Tits fatc unnecessary. for she
felt sure that he vas either suffering
the customary Hfter-rtipcts of Il visit to
the city, or else that he lacked fhe
moral courage to undertake an eNpa-
nation of his hurried t.ght from the
ranch In either event She was glad
he kept 70 his room.
When Austin made his appearance
on the day following his return, his
blcured eyes. his pGTr. pHSty cheeks
his shattered nerves, showed plainly
enough how he had spent Ibis time Al
though he WAS .unpy and irritable. he
seompd determined by an assumption
Of hiel. spirits end exaggerated FRIEND
illness to avert criticism. Since tlarp
spared him all rrproHchcs. his efforts
seemed to mcetnWitll admirable sue
cess. Now Eds opinion Of women was
not hgh, for tllose with whom no In.
bitllally associated were of small In
teligpncr: and. seeing that his wife
continued 10 manifest complete in
difference TO his past actions. he do
cidpd thut his apprehenS!onS had been
groandles>. II Alairr remembered the
Cu:man affair at all or II she had Sue-
pccte, him of complicity in II, time had
evidently duiicd her suspicious. and he
was Il little sorry he had taken pains
90 stay away so long
Before hany days. however, he dis
covered that dis Indifference OF hers
was nor assumed, and that in some
way or other she had changed. Ed
was accustomed, when he returned eX-
hauSted from dehauch. 10 seeing IN
his Wifc'S eyes Il strained misery: he
had learned to expect in her bearing
n sort of plying, hopeless resignation.
But this ,lme she Was not In the least
depressed On the contrary, she APP
peared happier, freshcr, and-yolnger
than he had seen her for Il long time.
1t was nlyStifying When, one morn
ing. he overheard her singing in her
room he WAS shocked over this phe-
nomenon he meditated with growing
amG2ement and 4 faint stir of resent
mcnt IN his hronSt for he lived q self
conferred lie. considering himself the
! pivot upon which revoked all the af-
fairs of his little world. 10 feel that
he had lost even the power To make
his wife unhappy argued that he had
ovcreStimatod bis Importance.
At length having Sufficiently rocov.
: cred his health to b,Gin drinking agnin,
he yielded one evcsin:: to IN alcoholic
: impulse. and Just as AIairG babe him
good night, clulpsliy sought 10 force
an eXltlilmtlo'r "'
"Sorihcro he SLOT at hcr, "aWhqfs
, the matter with yon latelfT lie. saw
that he had startled her, and that she
/ made qn effort to Collect her wander
/ ing thoughts "Yo,irc n'o0t rs warm
and wifo!y US q stone IDOL"
Am ! any different 10, WhNt have
, always hecn?" s..
+ "Ilnmph. You havont been e&acily
= sympathetic Of late, Here !,eone. home
sick, and you treat me like one Of the
help. Don't you ,lhlnI; have feelings
| love, I'm lonoHouc. =. 49,. j ,
Al0Irc Regarded him Fpeculqtirqly
then shook her head ~ II lnrgnswer &c
, some thought.
, In an obvlouS and somewhat too mel
low effort to be friendly Ed epntihupd
: "Don't let's 20 0a Ike iAis, A.aire. You
, hanc, lae for going AWAY SO much, bat
whom Fms hnpin | Tpnl Ike un Ant ~.
lopcr. You treat me like II coWthief.
, I'm sorry. Eve tried to be every
. thing should. I'm the interlopcr."
"NonSense! IT we only got along
I together us well as we seem to frOl The
1 outside, II wouldn't be bad ut all. Bu
I you're too severe. You seem To think
/ Il man should be perfect Wen, non,
I of Us are. and I'm no worse than III,