Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-10-31
have always felt there. was primitive

stopped again. ~
Mrs. Mendall felt that her husband
was trying to consider what she had
told him in an impersonal way, and
she was a little ashamed OF her own
warmth. 81 have really tried to like
Marie, Carl. 1 have tried hard, for
her mothers sake, but from the very
beginning my secret knowledge got in
the way. 1 am afraid my. prejudices
are very deeply rooted. have often
wondered whether it would have been
possible for me to have loved Eugene,
II I had known. Even. as a little girl
I don't believe I could have done it.
Even If Marie were gay and lovable
like her mother, ] think my feeling Of
repulsion would have been the same.
I should have been sorry for her-I
sorry at times-but I don't believe that
in any case I could have loved her.
And perhaps Marie has ~instinctively
felt~1ny repulsion. and that is the rea.
son she has kept herself a sealed book
to me. 1t is a fearful thing to have
I her, inheritance, and I am genuinely
sorry. for her and her father. They
are neither of them to blame for her
being" s@. ! NJ
Mendall was not thinking Of what
was saying. He was trying to
adapt his many surmises and his dis
coveries to this revelation. 1t
MacAllister. i y
But Carl Mendall was not shocked
He was simply very much surprised
and interested. And he knew in
stantly why Margaret had parted with
her secret. She had been driven by
alarm to. take what would appear to
her an effective measure. She count
ed upon his having the same feeling
OF. repulsion that she had. She had
tive; he had never horrif1ed her BIZ
unnecessary revelations.
Mendall had no feeling Of repulsion,
because he had mo- prejudicea He
had told Marie the truth when he had
said that all nationalities were much
the same to him. He had been fas
cinated by the mixed people of the
Isthmus. In fact he had a much
higher regard for. the Tehuana who
house n for Mrs. Bagsby's sort. The
Tehuana, was a woman; Mrs. BagsbJ
q warped product Of civilization.
He was nj in the least shocked
On the contrary, as soon as he recov.
cred from surprise, he had a feeling
Of relief. This then was the explana.
ton of Marie's devotion to MacAllis.
ter. and his love for her; the thins
that had tormented him. . HI
definitely apart: out Of the reach
suttors.s No wonder she looked Jun.
happy rs she had walked between
Ellis Kraup and himself. No wonder
she had been pallid and then enraget
when he had shown that he suspected
her secret. He had been right from
the beginning: she had dark blood ii
her. He was. glad the mystery wa
cleared. IT brought her closer to him
He was probably the only man sh.
would ever know to whom It woult
make no Indifference.
Mendall had never actually lied Il
!, his wife about anything o. anybody
perhaps because she had never mad,
i 1t necessary for him to lie. But h,
determined, swiftly, that he would IL
itf she drove him to fl; he. would al
anything rather than return to tii,
maddening blank which Marie's com
ling had filled.
He, asked q question to which Ii,
Ing something: Why didn't.yo tel
me all this before, Margaret?"
II was 80 veryicertain that you dis
liked her, Carl, and i didn't. want !,
a prejudice you still more. II eouldn.
see how any Fonecould like her. .Bu
tonight I realized that she would b,
DANGEROUS to almost any mar.
Thought you ought to know. Any mai
who !. drawn by her y courtini
That's true enough. I'VE Away
Thought her, DANGEROUS" IS
.IH HE cool ssdtacuesion Of Mari
brought Mrs.: Mendall some relief.
Laid not completely satisfy her. 81,
had been too terrified. Most swiye