The Monmouth inquirer., 1923-07-26
CONTINUED FROM LAST PAGE
BY PRISCILLA CRAVEN

OON AA4N 49, ~ 80
were tired Of me; thai | was a bore,
egotistical. impractical, unmasly. !
was all that. l saw it afterward when
my rage was spent. don't blame you
a bit for being sick of me. l was sick
of myself later on, and nearly slipped
out of it all. Only it seemed cowardly,
as 1 brought the thing on myself"
Her face had grown so white in the
grayness Of the room that he stopped,
almost afraid to continue. What vas
she thinking? Why did her eye look
like those of a chidden chid? What
was the shadow Of fear on her facet
"Do you mean that the letters were
not real? Who wrote them?"
Mrs. Templeton wrote them ] n col
~laboration. 1t was a scheme for a book
of letters. Love letters were booming
Just them She could not doubt him.
He had never lied to her.
"Mrs. Templeton-Ada Templeton,
the a~uthoress, who weighs thirteen
stone, and you have to speak to her
through an ear trumpet?"
He nodded.
"Yes, the same. OF course, /
couldn't publish the letters after what
happened. I paid her two hundred
pounds for s%uppressing them. l have
them all still and my replies"
"But ] don't understand" she said
with a little wall in her voice. why
then did you"
you wanted your freedom, zoe.7
he interrupted. q realized / had
failed you. 1t was the only thing I
could do for you. 1t was easily fixed
I'D with the solicitors Why, Zoe
are FOL shiyering?"
tim chilly said the whilom
wife piteously. "And we're shut up
and-and Fshatld die of cold"
He looked round and there in the
CRATE was a litter OF wood and shay
ings left by the last tenant.
Lets make a fire. Why, there's
some coal in the CRATE. Poor little
woman I'm so sorry. I'll shout out
of the window again when I've made
the fire"
ooh, you sillyi'' said Zoe, laughing
Historically, "the wood must go under
the Goals. All! that's better. It's light
ing we'll"
Put my coat round you. Sit here on
the floor by the fire. You've got to
have the coat. l insist"
"Sir," said Zoe saucily, @you cant
insist. You're not my husband now."
mo, I've lost my only claim to dis
tinction." Then coaxingly, as she still
resisted; Have half of it, Zoe. Once
upon a time we always shared,
DO you remember our first flat, it's
m~inuteness, and the infinite pains we
took over it," he continued. do you
remember the funny m%akeshifts be-
cause we hadn't enough money to fur
nish properly? You remember the
book-shelyes | made that dropped
their contents one day suddenly on
Uncle James's bald CROWN" Then,
as an afterthought: zoe, | hope he's
got plenty of money!"
Zoe caught her breath.
YES" she said b%luntly, but the
blaze OF the wood fire seemed less
bright.
I'm glad h. can give you all the
pretty things you wanted and ought to
have had. l must get you out of this
somehow. The shouting seems use
less" He went over to the window
and shook tbs iron bars. They We're
rotten witk age and two came away in
his hands. He thrust his head
through the opening and looked out.
The woman by the fire looked on with
less interest than one would have
thought becoming to the circum-
stances. Zoe" he said, Il can see in
to the flat across the way, and isn't it
curious know that it belongs to old
Major Baxter? I've often dined with
him. He told me this flat was vacant.
If only / could attract his attention.
/ can distinctly see some on sitting By
the fire"
ITS too far off," said Zoe, appar
emily rubbing e nose vigorously with
her scrap of a handkerchief
1.-THE question is, how? Zoe, !
wonder if / can remember?
He turned to her with the old
sparkle in his eyes, the sparkle that
came when some idea had got hold OF
him.
Remember what?"
Years ago out in India when / was
a kid a fellow taught me flag-signal-
ing. l wonder if / remember? Witt a
minute His arm shot out and Zoe
rather amazedly watched some strange
maneuvers with his handkerchief.
Strange how things come back to
one. Haven't done it for billions of
years. You see, if it catches the ma
jor's eye he'll be interested enough
to follow my movements. Now, let's
try. l must get you out of this"
For heavens sake don't fall out Of
the window" said Zoe; as she watched
him wriggIing through the bars which
gripped him in the middle. Il
Il can't" he said humorously. "The
49, 49, r.