The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1924-06-19
Found Proof
of His Wife's
Devotion
By REIMERT

GISSING crouched behind the tree
- his rifle at his shoulder, waiting
for the sound Of Halls footsteps. Wher
Hall stepped out from among the tree!
Into the tiny glade he meant to shoot
to kill him.
1t was Glssing's cabin in the North
woods. Hall was his and Mrs. Giss.
ing's guest. Hall was a younger man
than Gissing-about Mrs. Gissing's age.
No wonder that the two attracted each
other. Mrs. Gissing was thirty and
Gissing was ffty-three.
He had been q fool to marry her,
Gissing knew, but that couldn't be rem
edied. Gissing had watched the dawn
ing intimacy between the pair for
months. Hall was constantly at the
Gissing home. That was in New York,
In the suburbs. While Gissing was
busy at his office Hall, Of course, was
paying court to his wife
He had brooded over it until 1t had
become almost a monomania. And
gradually the resolution had come to
Gissing to kill Hall. That was why he
had invited him to his cabin in the
North woods for the deer shooting.
Both Gissing and Mrs. Gissing were
fond of the sport, and spent a month
north in the fall.
Gissing saw, in imagination, Hall,
lying on the ground after he had re-
ceived the bullet. He saw the stricken
man, grooming in his death throes. Oh,
they would be death throes all right
Gissing knew how and where to place
his bullets. He would tend Hall SO
carefully, and carry him back to the
cabin, and only in his dying a would
dent, but design.
And Mrs. Gissing? Well, he would
let her suspect, he would be careful
to see that she suspected, but he
would leave her no peg on which to
hang an accusation of murder. That
would be part of her punishment, the
not knowing. The never knowing
whether it had been an accident or
not.
The crackle Of a twig somewhere In
the distance brought Gissing sharply
to the alert. He peered through the
trees, trying to locate Hall. But the
sound ceased. Hall must have gone
off in another direction. Gissing sti-
fed curse.
They had left Mrs. Gissing at home,
and the two men had started for oppo-
site sides of the copse in which they
believed some deer were lurking.
Promise you won't shoot each
other" Mrs. Gissing had said.
Was it a premonition O. was 1t
fear?
Before Gissing could answer that
question he heard the crackle of the
footsteps again. And suddenly an out
line of a human being appeared among
the trees. Gissing fired.
With a scream Mrs. Gissing tottered
forward into the glade and fell. Gissing
ran to her side. The blood was pour
ing from a wound In her shoulder. She
had tainted.
Grinding his teeth, Gissling kneeled
down and bandaged up the wound. For
tunately it was not serious. Some ex-
traordinary luck had DETECTED the bull
let. Gissing had not wanted to kill
his wife. 1t was Hall he wanted, Hall.
the traitor.
Hosting her upon his shoulders,
,aoaa +la 1o,1p,,Avr hoaly 70 tho /
cabin. When he was nearing it he
called Hall, but no answer came.
When he entered, bearing his wife's
body, the place vas deserted. Evil
1ently Hall had not returned.
He laid her down on the bed and
forced brandy between her lips, BY
md by Mrs. Gissing's eyelids luttered !
open. She looked into her husbands
she remembered.
She slghed-and to Glssing's amaze :
nent her arms went around his neck, :
Amazed and incredulous he kneeled J
beside her. For this was proof to him. I
lie knew that, If she had loved Hall, [
t would have been impossible for her {
o have embraced him at that moment. :
"Haye you seer him?" The voice
vas the ~faintest whisper,
Hall? No. Where Is he2 / meant
o kill him ~ The words were drawn
rom him against his will. "Nita, for
i've me. l have been made with jeal-
usy for months"
She stroked his face. IT know. III
vas afraid. That's why / went into
he woods. But he's gone. I told him
to come back, because / hated
i'm when he tried to make love to
lie. There's no one but ourselves for
another henceforwardf