The Washington herald., 1921-04-17


to you and to me whether we ever get IT or
not But we're going to get 1t for Ross
stratten--
Over the boy's face went q wave Of
despair. -rd forgotten him. he rroaned
That's the worst Of # I've been q traitor
to him. can't ever make>that straight I
wish I'd never been born what have ! 10
1--we for. anyway I'm nothing but
Lefty Williams p1N> her hand over liz
mouth -we'rs going to nght It out sbe
told him. comfortingly. a. II he were q ehild
Were going TO get II back for you and me
and Ross Come with us now But he
broke away from her hand. and nung OF the
porch. Constable. driven at last into action
in the drama. which bad unfoIded % swiftly
take you bone.- he said 70 Lefty williams
She had to pss Kendrick to come to him
Don't forget" Kendrsck told her. appar-
entity oblivious that his wife and stratton
stood within hearing. /" that IL you decide to
night merI may have eeapons-snd use
them
She made no answer. but went OF with
Constable down the path that Ted Lenen had
taken but a moment before.
The three Of them. Rendrick and Edith
and stratton, stood there In the deepening
twilight % silent and 20 tense that there
came over me the certainty that the play
which I had thought ended by Lefty Will
hams' going bad not Jet begun in earnest /
had the knovIedge that was an intruder,
and ! went back indoors for q parssol /
had brought with me. thinking to slip OF by
the other door. could not however. get
that heard Kendricks.
You won't mind. either Of you. II leave
you for awhile? You'n ind plenty 10 talk
about, am sure There's me- for one. and
Veronica Mather. for another. Queer
thought you'd married her. Stratton"
-very queer"
well. good-by for a little while Don't
miss me too much
The slam Of a door followed. In the silence
could hear the tapping Of the waves on the
shore Of the lake A loon laughed some
where near. and a bat new by with tapping
Of wings Then Edith spoke There's no
use she said in crying over spit milk
But-what did he tell you. Ross. that made
you stop writing TO me?"
He said that you were going TO marry
him
And he came back and told me you had
married We were fools. both of US. and I've
earned a FOOLS reward
Isn't he good to your
-Good!- Her laugh concentrated her bit
terness- you've seen what's happened this
evening. Well this is only one Of them
For years he's been playing this game. and
I've been one OF its pawns. I never cared
what happened TO him. or me. or any one
else, until that boy told me tonight that you
had never married. Then something ! had
thought dead came to life again in me-snd
Leren sign
what will he do TO your
what viii 1t matter? What are you DO
ing with your life. Ross?"
What do any Of us do when we've no in
eentive? Drift along. and pass the time in
work.
-Life's pretty much Of q mass, isn't itr-
NO" he said slowly. ITS a winding
track sometimes. but we come out IN the
open after awhile"
Were pretty well into the woods OF n
now" she said bitterly. Suddenly she nung
OF restraint. Il can't stand II, Ross" she
cried. i've endured it all these years BE-
cause thought you'd failed me and that
all men were alike. But can't go on"
you'll have to. for awhile he told her.
Don't you see what he'll say II you quit
now?"
Il don't care what he says-
You would. some time
But you don't know what il is
II can guess he said As II he dared
not unger on the quiczsands Of her emotion.
he veered their talk swiftly.
Have you known Ted Leffen longr' he
asked her. Long enough to know that he's
SO loyal and true that his friends Try 70 save
him from his one weskness?-
S<illfully he sought to lead away Ediths
thoughts from herself while wondered how
could get away without revealing my unin-
tended eavesdrcpping. and finally decided
upon a bolt through the kitchen and out
into the bush back Of the clearing. passed
the impassive China boy. who did not even
look up from his labors at me. and had zone
perhaps two hundred feet through the woods.
intending TO circle back to the boardwalk .
little farther beyond. when heard the sound
Of cracking brush and Of hurried breathing.
crouched back against |. tree. fearful Of