Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1917-11-02
"1 am ready" he announced. Iet


and he left Sophy at her rooms. Be-
fore she got out, she held his arm for
a moment.
."John." she said, remember that
Louise Is very high-strung and very
sensitive. BE careful !"
"There Is only one thing to do or
to say" he answered. "There Is only
one way In which | can do it,
He drove the car down Piccadllly
like a man In dream, steering as
carefully as usual through the traffic
and glancing every now and then with
unseeing eyes at the streams of peo-
pie upon the pavements. Finally he
came to standstill before Loulse's
house and stopped the engine with de-
liberate care. Then he rang the bell,
and was shown into her little draw
| ing-room, which seemed to have become
perfect bower of pink and white
| lilac.
He sat waiting as IL in n dream,
unable to decide upon his words, I'M
| able even to sift his thoughts. The
| one purpose with which he had come,
| the one question he designed to ask,
was burning in his brain. The min
| utes of her absence seemed tragically
! long.
Then at last the door opened and
Louise entered. She came toward him
with a little welcoming smile upon
her lips. Her manner was gay, al
most affectonate.
"IIave you come to take me for
ride before lunch?" she asked. "Do
you know, think that / should really
like II. We might lunch at Ranelagh
on our way home"
| The words stuck in his throat. From
where she was, she saw now the writ
ing on his face. She stopped short.
"What is it?' she exclaimed.
"Ever since / knew YOU" he said
| slowly, there have been odd moments
when l have lived in torture. During
the last fortnight, those moments have
become hours. Last night the end
came"
"Are you mad, John?' she demand
ed.
perhaps" he replied. "Listen. When
left you last night. / went to the
|
well-known critic there, comparing you
and Latrobe. on the whole he fa-
vored you, but he gave Latrobe the
first place in certain parts. Latrobe,
he said, had had more experience in
life. She had had dozen lovers
lyou, only onel"
She WINGED. The glad freshness
seemed suddenly to fade from her
face. Her eyes became strained.
"Wen?"
81 found Graillot. L cornered him.
asked him for the truth about you.
He put me off with an evasion.
came down here and looked at your
window. 1t was three o'clock in the
morning. dared not come In. A very
demon of unrest was in my blood. l
stopped Mt the night club on my way
back. Sophy was there. / asked her
Iplainly to put me out Of my agony.
She was like Graillst. She fenced with
me. And then-the prince Gamer
"The prince was there?" she fall
tered.
"IIe came up to the table where
Sophy and were sitting. / think
was half mad. l poured him glass of
wine. told him that you had prom
Used TO become my wife. He raised
his glass; can see him now. He
told me, with II smile, that it was the
anniversary of the day on which you
promised to become his-w
Louise shranl back.
Gle told you that?"
John was on his feet. The fever
was blazing once more.
"He told me that, face to face"
"And your"
"If we had been alone" John an
swered simply, II should have killed
him. / drove the words down his
throat threw him back to the place
he had left, and hurt him rather badly
I'm afraid. Sophy took me home
somehow, and now I am here"
She leaned little forward on thu
couch. She looked into his face search
ingly. anxiously as If looking fol
something she could not find. His llp'
were set In hard, cold lines. Tit
likeness to Stephen had never beef
more apparent.
"Listenw she said. "You are Puri
tan. While I admire the splendid self
restraint evolved from your creed, II Il
.. partly temperamental, isn't It? l wa
brought up TO see things differently
and | do see them differently. Tel
me, do you love mc"
Glove you?" he repeated. "Yo'
know It, Could | suffer the torture
of the damned Il l didn't? Gould
come tn you with mans blood upo
my hands If | didn't? If the prime
lives, it is simply the accident of fate
I tell you that IL we had been alone
should have driven the breath out O
his body. Love YOU"
e He rose slowly to her feet. Sh
> leaned with her elbow upon the mar
telplece, and her face was hidden fo
n moment.
: LET ME think !" she said. II don
> know what TO say to you. | don
know you, John. There isn't anythin
left of the John l loved. Let me loo
> again I"