Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-04-27

for Meade, as to let Shurtliff infer
that she was convinced that he had
been telling the truth in what he had
said.
After time she deftly appealed to
him to know If he could not help her
discover the truth she tactfully main
tained even in face of the evidence that
Shurtliff had given. And she did this
in such an adroit way that Shurtliff
became convinced that she did not con-
meet him with any wlllful deception,
and that she believed that he was de-
luded himself and occupied the posi-
ton of an innocent abettor. And Shurt-
lift, in his strange, old, self-contained
way, finally grew to like Helen Hing
worth exceedingly. Indeed he started
in his work with natural antagonism
to Colonel Illingworth, and when he
sensed, as he very soon did, the diff
ference that had arisen between father
and daughter, he espoused the cause of
the latter. He was the kind of man
who had to devote himself to some
body. He began to wonder if there
was any way to secure the girls hap
piness without betraying the elder
Meade.
She compassed the secretary. who
was, Of course, old enough to be her
father, with sweet Observances and he
found 1t increasingly hard to keep true
to his falsehood. Now she was cap
able of fascinating bigger personalities
than Shurtliff, although she cared lit
tie for that power and rarely exercised
it. The old man actually got to think
ing Of her as a daughter. Sometimes
when they had an hour together he
found himself seconding her arguments
for the innocence of the younger
Meade, for she had progressed that far
by now, with little details which his
knowledge and experience of the two
men could supply. Trifling in them
selves as were these contributions, as
Rodney pointed out when she repeated
them to him, they nevertheless added
something to the cumulative force of
the argument so laboriously built up
by the friend and woman. And they
were decidedly indicative of a growing
mental condition on the part of Shurt-
lift from which much might be hoped
and expected.
But Shurtliff could not bring him.
self to come out boldly and confess,
and his failure to do that made him
more and more miserable. At first his
conscience had been entirely clear. He
had viewed his conduct in the light of
noble sacrifice for the great man
Now he began to question: Was II
right to blast the future of the living
for the sake of the fame of the deadi
Probably he would have questioned
that eventually without regard tC
Helen Illingworth, but when he begar
to grow fond of the woman and when
he realized. as she Enthusiastically dis
closed it to him, that her own happi
ness was engaged and that he was mo-
only running the career of a man bu
wrecking the life and crushing tn,
heart of an entirely innocent woman
, he had a constant battle royal will
himself to pursue his course and t
keep silent.
!, Yet such is the character of a TEN
: perament like that of Shurtliff, mar
q rowed and contracted by a single pas
sion of life and lacking the breadtl
h which comes from intercourse wit
9 men and women, that his compunction
n of conscience only made him the NOR
: resolved. The lonely, heart-broken oil
r. man swore that he would never tel
O The young man could go his own gal
r and work out his own salvation, or
II damned, If he must. The woman
o heart might break, pitiful as ths
q would be, but he would never tell. II
was as unhappy in that determinatiO
p as any other man fighting against hi
Ie conscience must inevitably be.
II Sometimes looking at the misery
IT the old mans face (for on his count
ID nance his heart wrote his secret
ri Helen Illingworth experienced cor
s. FUNCTIONS of conscience of her Ow
N which she told to Rodney in defau
II of other confessor. That fine your
" man appreciated fully the woman
feelings and understood her keen Sc
Or sibilities, ans his comprehension was
I'd great comfort to her. He encourage
no her to persevere. Since it was on
he through Shurtliff that the truth cOu
re be established, she must not ialt
d. nor reject any fair and reasonat
IL meahs 10 gain his whole coniiden