The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1922-01-26

"He viii Infringe the Order II It's
Made, RoIsnd."
order from England to keep Mr.. Cal
houn te his estate and to punish him,
If he infringes the order"
Sheila started. "He will infringe
the order If it's made. Boland. But
the governor will be unwise to try to
impose 1t. / will tell him So"
Shella had changed since she saw
Dyck Calhoun last. Her face was thin
ner, but her form was even fuller than
ii was when she babe him g0od-by, as
1t seemed to him, forever, and as 1t at
first seemed to her. Through anxious
days and nights she had fought with
the old passion; and at last 1t seemed
the only way to escape from the tor
ture was by making all thought Of him
impossible. How could this be done?
Well, Lord Mallow would offer a way.
Lord Malow was a man Of ancient
Irish family, was governor, had abil-
ity, was distinguished looking in ii
curious, lean way; and he had real
gift with his tongue. He stood high
In the opinion of the big folk at West
minister. and had a future. He had a
pernlciously attractive way with her
sex, and to herself he had been deli
cately persuasive. He had the ancient
gift of picturesQueness without orna-
mentation. He had q strong will and
healthy imagination. He was man
of mettle and decision.
or all who had entered her field
outside of Dyck Calhoun lie was the
most attractive; he was the nearest
10 the possible husband which she
must one day take. And + at any day
at all, why not now, when she needed
4 man. as she had never done-when
She needed to forget? ,al,
She was delpdng herself TO believe
that what she was doing was I'LL for
the best; ,thqt the clouds were rising ;
thht her, fate bad fairer aspects than
had seemed possible when Dyck Cal
houn told her the terrible tale OF the
death Of her father, Erris Boyne. Yet
memory gave touch of misery and
bitterness to all she thought and did.
For twenty-five years she had lived In
ignorance us to her paternity. 1t sure
ly was futile that her mother should
have suffered all those years, with lit
tie to cheer her, while her daughter
should be radiant In health and with
"a mind frpo frnD, eora nr co,lnnsy Nnt
the bitterest thing of all was the
thought that her father was traitor
and had died sacrificing another man.
When Dyck had told her first, She had
shiyered with anger and shnmc-but
anger aud shame had gone Only one
Thing gave her any COmfOrt--the man
who knew Erris Boyne was a traitor,
and could profit by telling 1t, held his
tongue for her own sake, kept his own
counsel, and went to prison for four
years as the price OF his own silence.
lie was now her neighbor and he loved
her, and, If the shadow of a grave WAS
not between them, would offer himself
in marriage to her. This she knew
beyond all doubt. He bad given all a
man can give-had saved her and
killed her father; in love had saved
herself. What was to be done?
In a strange spirit Sheila entered
the room where the governor sat with
her mother. She had reached the limit
OF her powers of suffering. Soon after
her mother had left the room, the gov
ernor said:
"Why do you think have come here
today?" He added to the words a note
Of sympathy, even of passion in his
voice.
ut was TO visit my mother and my
self, and to see how Salem looked after
our stay on 1t, was it notT"
"Ycs, to see your mother and your
self, but chiefly the latter. AS for Sa-
lem. 1t looks as though IA master-mind
had been at work; sre it in every.
thing. The slaves are singing. If yoll
look out on those who are singing,
you'll see they are Resin. from their
labors; that they are fighting the ennui
which most OF us feel when we rest
from our labors. Let MS look AT them"
The governor stood up and came To
the open French windows Thai faced
the fields of sugnr-Cane In the tear
distance were clumps of fruit trees, OF
hedges of lime and towering shrubs,
rows OF orange trees, mangoes, red and
purple. forbidden-fruit and grapefruit,
the large scarlet fruit of the acqui. the
uVora'lo pear. The fcathcring bamboo,
and The Jack fruit tree. with It's enor-
mons rruit-likc pumpkins. Around the
negro hulS were small, Individual
plantations kept by tile slaves, for
which Hey had one day fortnight,
hrsitlcS Sundays, free to work on lhcr
own account. Here aud Here also
were patches Of ''rroult fruit" H. the
underground vegetables we're called.
while there pissed by on their way to
the omen road leading to Kingston