The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1924-11-27

nan she loved. II might have been
such a pledge for the interest of their
life together, such a wonderful life.
,rimful of movement and color in
which she. too, might well hope TO
lake a part. In her quiet way. she
had for years looked upon her mar
-iage with Christopher. sooner or
alter. as certainty. Without the
slightest desire i'm any way to mislead
her. Christopher had subcnnsciously
the idea She knew per-
fectly we'll that, as soon as his position
was n little more assured. he had in
tended to ask her To be his wife. In
was one of those pleasant Yet wonder
full arrangements which seemed to de-
,clcp automatically, Christopher was
well born. his friends were her friends.
his disposition accorded with hers
She could never haze married an idle
man. Christopher had many :: worthy
ambition. She MAS precisely the
wife to further them. Her money anu
her social infinence wouid save him
years of fruitless labor. He coul6
leave the bar whenever he liked. and
turn his whole attention to politics
And now the dream had crumbled.
This slip Of paper was nothing but q
friendly message. telling her Of the
success of a friend with whose career
she had no Intimate concern. Her
disposition was too kindly not to feel
q certain amount of pleasure at his
success, but that very pleasure
brought its shadow of personal grief.
She sat looking into the fire, twisting
the little slip of paper In her hands.
She knew very well that she was
cursed with that one terrible and self
notifying virtue. the unalterable
fidelity Of the woman who permits In
her mind the thought Of one man only
and who can never replace him. The
very thought of marriage with any one
but Christopher was revolving. II
seemed to her, as she sat there, that
she was doomed to a career Of love
lessness and inutility. She might
labor in good works till her hair was
streaked with gray and her face lined.
and she knew very well the fruitless-
ness Of all that she would accomplish.
The best work of a woman, as she
well knew, is the work done for the
man she loves.
1t was perhaps natural that her
thoughts should turn to MYRTLE. She
wondered for a moment, slowly and
painfully, at the instinct which had
warned her of coming trouble when
the two young men had told her of
their adventure. She had felt ii when
first she had seen the frightened child,
whose unspoken appeal for protection
had met with so cold response from
her. She had been conscious Of q
cruelty wholly foreign to her nature,
in those days at Monte Carlo. when
ever the name Of MYRTLE was men,
toned. She had puzzled Christopher
and her brother alike by her lack OF
sympathy. Well, she was punished
now. The child had justified all that
she had felt She had robbed her, IN
consciously and unwillingly. Of the
greatest thing in life As she sat
there. the telegram crumpled up In
her fingers, all that old hardness came
back to her. II seemed to her bit
ter thing that this unknown child
should have been brought into the
august household in which her own
serene days had been spent, to rob her,
the benefactress, Of the crown OF her
life, to draw the sunshine from her
days and send her down to a joyless
grave. For q moment she was on the
verge Of a passion. She hated MYRTLE,
hated the sight of her gentle move
ments, the thought Of her and all to
do with her. She rose to her feet with
an unaccustomed fire In her eyes and
swung round-to find that the slight
noise which had disturbed her medi-
tations had been caused by the en-
trance of MYRTLE herself.
There are moments when revelation
is self-illuminative. This was one of
them. MYRTLE. gazing almost in ter
ror into the face Of her benefactress,
knew that she was hated, and, with
an extraordinary insight, she knew
why. She saw the crumpled up tele-
graph form; she guessed at every
thing which had lain unspoken be-
tween them. She closed the door
firmly behind her. came across to
Lady Mary's chair, fell on her knees
and struggled with her sobs.
81 know! l know!" she cried. II
am very miserable I"
Mary looked at her coldly and crit
ically. All the natural impulses Of her
heart seemed dried up. Even her
pride refused to come to her aid. The
truth lay naked between the two.
II was a fool not to realize what
bringing you here meant" she said.