Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1922-02-23

sion, was that would never see you
again! But I'm glad to hear you say
this, Roy" she added, in a gentler
tone. "Tm glad you-felt sorry. Our
going away was a mere chance. Fred
! Davenport was offered position on
a Brooklyn paper, and we all moved
from Watertown to Brooklyn. 1 was
grateful for it; l only wanted to dis
| appear! Linda stood by me, her chill
dren saved my life. I was nursery
maid for a year or two-T never saw
anybody or went anywhere! look
back" Harriet said talking more to
herself than to him, and walking
swiftly along in the golden sunset that
streamed across the old back road,
"and 1 wonder I didn't go stark, star
ing mad!'
Don't think about it." he urged,
with concern.
''No; I'll not think about 1t. Royal,
don't think that all my feeling was for
myself. 1 thought of you, too.
missed you. Truly, missed what you
had given my life!"
A dark flush came to the mans face,
and when he spoke it was with an
! honest shame and gratitude in his
voice that would have surprised the
women who had only known him In
his later years.
you are generous, Harriet" he
said. "You were always the most
! generous girl in the world!"
| Moro cfirrod fhon hn Nx-fchad fa.
show herself, Harriet walked on, and
there was a silence.
LINDA and Fred made it. hard for
your" he asked.
"Oh, no! They were angels. But Of
course in their eyes, and mine, too
I was marked"
Silence. Royal Blondin gave her a.
glance full Of distress and compunc-
ton. But he did not speak, and it
was Harriet who ended the pause.
"Well, that's what a little girl of
eighteen may do with her lifeI" she
said. 81 have been fool-I have
made a wreck of mine!"
"You are the most beautiful woman
in, the world" Royal Blondin' said,.
steadily, you are established here:
they all adore you! Why do you say
that your life is a wreckT
81 am the daughter of Professor
Field" said Harriet, "and at twenty
seven / am the paid companion of
Mrs. Richard Carter's daughterI Oh,
well-I was happy enough to have the
opportunity. What Of yourself? Where
have you been"
But he was not quite ready to drop
the personal note.
Harriet, now that we have met,
We'll be friends? My life now is among
these people; you'll not be sorry If we
occasionally meet"
''In this casual way-no. we can
stand that!" she agreed! The fears
of the night rose like mist, melted
away. 1t was bad enough, but it was
not what her inf1amed and fantastic
apprehension had made it. He was;
no revengeful villain, after all! He
did not mean to harm her.
"Pve been everywhere" he said, an
swering her question. 81 made two
trips to China from San Francisco. 1
was interested in Chinese antiques.
Then l went into, a Persian rug thing,
with a dealer. We handled rugs; I
went all over the Union. After that,
four years ago, went to Persia and
India, and met some English people,
and went with them to London
Then 1 came back here, as a sort of
press agent to a Swami who wanted to
be introduced in America, and after he
left rather took up his work, Yogi
and interpretive reading, 'Chitra' and
'Shojo'-you don't know them?"
She shook her head, sufficiently at
ease now even to smile in faint de-
rision.
"And what's the future in it, RoyP'
Now that the black dread was laid, she
could almost like him.
'The present is extremely profit
able" he said dryly, land L suppose
there might be-well, say a marriage
In it. some day"
"a rich widow?" Harriet suggested
simply.
"Or a little girl with a fortune, like
this little Carter girl" he added,
lightly.
Harriet gave him swift look.
"Don't talk nonsenSet Ntna'S only
a chfld!"
s"She's almost eighteen. isn't sheF
The girl walked swiftly on for full
minute.
"You weren't-Quite-a child at
eighteen" he reminded her.
The color flooded her transparent
dusky skin.
"That's-exactly-w l was !" she
said dryly. "But talk to Nina, if you
don't believe me! Everything that is
school-girly and romantic and undevel-
Oped, is Nina. She is absolutely mex
perienced; she's what l called her, a
child! It's-prepOsterous"
81 suppose" the man drawled, that
that is a question for the young lady,
and her parents, and myself to decide"
Harriet bit her lip. This was utterly
unexpected. Into her calculations. up
to this point, she had taken only Royal
Blondin and herself. If his words COW
cred any truth, then the matter did
not stop there Nina was involved,
and with Nina, Ward and Nina's
father and Isabelle
The complications were endless her
heart sickened before them. And yet,
the conviction that Royal dared not
betray her had been flooding Harriet's
heart with exquisite reinsurance dur
ing this past half hour. She was safe /;
her life at Crownlands took on a new
and wonderful beauty with that knOwl-
edge And If she was fit to continue
there, Nina's companion, Isabelle's
cOnfidante, guide and judge for the
whole household, could she with any
logic warn them against this man?
He had her trapped, and she saw IL.