Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-11-25
THEWLFE
By Jane Phelps.
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RUTH FINDS BRIAN's MEssAGF TO
MOLLY.
CHAPTER XCIII.

CHAPTER XCIII.
Tears filled Ruth Is eyes as she threw
her arms around her old nanny
| II was going to surprise him, mann
myl l thought he would be so pleased
"Don yo 60 fer to sprise him ne
time, honey. He amt comm home
much when you's away. He sholy ain It!
Ruth wanted to ask nanny about
the number of evenings Brian had
spent out while she was away, but Bit
her lip to keep the questions back
Not even to old NANNY, who had
known and loved her all her life, would
she express curiosity about her husband
or seem to pry into his actions.
"Go take yo things off, honey. I'LL
git yo some dinner in a jiffy."
Ruth did as Rachel told her. But she
could eat very little of the tempting
dinner Rachel brought her. She was SO
disappointed that she could scarcely
keep the tears back; yet Brian might
come in at any moment and he must
not find her crying.
Her dinner finished, she could set her
self at nothing, although she tried to
read. But her thoughts were constant
ly straying, always Brian-ward.
sI'll write Aunt Louisa!" she said
aloud, and moved over to her desk. Idly
she fingered the blotter then her at
tehtion was arrested by the heavy lines
blottcd upon it. She smiled as she
thought: cBrian has been using my
desk to write--perhaps he wrote me
again last night"
Brian g lavish use of ink had al
ways rather AMUSED Ruth His bold
chirography with the heavy shaded
lines was unmistakable. Now she looked
closely at THE blotter. At first she
only made out word here and there
-" dear' and Rachel" and trouble
"He was writing me-" Ruth said
aloud. cI wish l had telegraphed him.
Perhaps he was so lonely he went to
the theatre or movie.''
Again she bent over the blotter. This
time more carefully. Without much
trouble, she finally had the entire note
Brian had written Mollie before her.
That is, enough of it to know it was
not for her.
"Don't eall--house again, dear Ra-
Observation-Disclosures trouble. y
The missing words made Brian IS
meaning different altogether from what
ho had intended to convey to Mollie.
He had said "Rachel might NOT un-
derstand" but the mot" was unde-
eipherable. "Who could this note be
intended for7' Ruth asked herself. the
answer already in her mind: ''Mollie
King.n
But what was it that Rachel would
understand, and make trouble about
And he had called her "dear'-
warned her not to call the house be-
cause of this fear that old nanny
might understand something he didn t
want her-Ruth to know. Of course
she would be apt to repeat to Ruth any
thing she thought her young mistress
should know, of what went on while she
was away.
"What can I do9' Ruth moaned,
resting her head on her hand while
slow tears dropped upon the blotter
which had told her SO much "What
sholl do9 Oh. Brian, l love you SC,
and you care-for her.'
Ruth really considered what she had
read, proof that Brian was doing some.
thing of which she would disapprove
that would make trouble between
them if she knew What could it be.
sove that he was fond of someone else
--Mollie probably9 Ruth never had
objected to anything else he did; never
once found fault with him. And only
once had she spoken of his intimacy
with Mollie.
"0h, Brianl" laying her head down
on her folded arms, she sobbed until
Rachel, hearing, came in to comfort
her.
'Don' cry, honeyl hel be home
soon, he sholy will" "
al can't help it, Rachel. | am so dis
l wanted to surprise and
please him. And''--she broke ont
afresh.
"Thar honey Yo remember what ole
Rachel tells yo. Don sprise folkes
Tain 7 de ting to 10, honey"
81 never shall again. Ruth return
ed 81 am going to take bath and
go to bed. You go to bed, Rachel. /
wont cry any more.n
Rachel drew the bath for Ruth, made
her bed ready, then went to her own
room muttering things which, could
Brian have heard, he would have found
anything but complimentary. In fact
she called down all sorts Of punish
ments on his head for making "missy
Ruth" cry.
Ruth was tired with her journey and
the excitement caused by giving way
to her emotion. She dropped off to
sleep about midnight. But when the
clock struck four 1t wakened her. She
lighted the light to be sure she had
heard Alright. Yes, it was four o clock.
and Brian had not vet come in.
In agony, she said the sentence she
had found on the blotter over and over.