The Raymer enterprise., 1918-02-28

aries In the newspapers, or anything
like that"
The man got upon his feet rather
unsteadily.
THAT'S the limit" he said definI.
lively. "lm q man now, Corona; too
much of man, | hope, to hide behind
another mans grave. I'm going back
to Brewster. today!'
The young woman made a quaint
little grimaee at him. "IIow are you
going TO get thereT she asked. "It's
twenty miles, and the walking is aw-
fully bad-in spots"
"But / must 60. Can't you see
what everybody will say Of me?-that
| was too cowardly to face the music
when my time came? Nobody will be-
lieve that | wasn't eonsenting party
to this hlde-away."
"Slt down." she commanded calmly |;
and when he obeyed: From day 10
day, since I began coming out here,
John, I've been trying to redlscover
the man whom l met just once. one
evening over A year ago, at Cousin
Adda's house In Guthrieville: / can't
find hlm-he's gone"
Corona !" he said. "Then you rec
ognlzed mef'
Not at first. But after a while
things began to come back; and what
you told me-about Miss Rlchlander,
you know. and the hint you gave me
Of your trouble-dld the rest"
"Then you knew--or you thought
/ was crimlnalf
She nodded, and her gaze was rest
Ing upon the nearby gravel heaps.
cousin Adda wrote me. But that
made no difference. l didn't know
whether you had done the things they
said yon had, or not. What | did
know was that you had broken your
shackles In some way and were try.
Ing to get free. You were, weren't
youT"
Il suppose so: In some blind fash
ion. But It Is you who have set me
free, Corona. 1t began that night In
Gutlrieville when / stole one Of your
gloves: 1t wasn't anything you said |;
1t was what you SO evidently believed
and lived. And out here: was SIM
ply raw savage when you first saw
me. / had tumbled headlong into the
abyss Of the new and the elemental,
and IL l am trying to scramble out
now on the side Of honor and clean
manhood. II Is chiefly because you
have shown me the way"
"When did I ever, Johni''-with an
up-glance Of the gray eyes that was
almost wistful.
always. and with a wisdom that
makes me almost afraid Of you. For
example, there was the night when /
was fairly on the edge OF letting Jlb-
hey stay in the mine and go mad if
he wanted to: you lashed me with the
one word that made me save his life
instead OF taking 1t. How did you
know that was the one word to sayw
How do We know anything?" she
inquired softly. 'The moment brings
Its own inspiration. 1t broke my
heart TO see what you could be, and
TO think that you might not be 1t,
after all. But I came out here this
morning to talk about something else.
What are yol going to do when you
are able TO leave Sunrise Gulchg
"The one straightforward thing
there is for me to do. l shall 60 back
to Lawrenceville and take my medl-
cine"
"And after that?"
THAT Is for you to say. Corona.
Would you marry conylct?'
"You are not guilty."
THAT Is neither here nor there. They
viii probably send me to prison, just
the same, and the stigma will be mlno
to wear for the remainder Of my life.
| can wear 1t now, thank God But to
pass 1t on to you--and to your chill
dren, Corona II I could get
my own consent to that, you couldn't
get yours"
"Yes. l could, John; / got 1t the first
time colonel-daddy brought me out
here and let me see you. You were
out of your head, and you thought you
were talking to Billy Starbuck-in the
automobile on the night when you were
going with him to the fight at the dam.
1t made me 60 down on my two knees,
John, and kiss your poor, hot hands,"
He slipped his one good arm around
her and drew her close.
Now can 60 back like man and
fight 1t through to the end" he exulted
soberly. "Jlbhey will take me; know
he is wearing himself out trying to
make me believe that he can wait, and
that Verda understands, though he
won't admit 1t. And when 1t Is all
over, when they have done their worst
10 me"
With quick little twist she broke
away from the encircllng arm.
"John, DEAR she sald, and her voice
was trembling between a laugh and a
sob. "rm the wickedest, wickedest
woman that ever lived and breathed-
and the happiestl / knew what you
would do, but / couldn't resist the
temptation to make you say 1t. LIS
ten: this morning colonel-daddy got a
night-letter from Billy Starbuck. You
have been wondering why Billy never
came out here to see you-it was be-