The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-02-19
I. IS s YELLOW, Stub
IT EcoeSE- Lan

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scribed to ne ss intoxication."
! "And you believed that?" he asked.
hot anger mounting into his vote.
"Who told you thatT'
She answered coldly, "lsn't il suf-
ficient that ], believed it?'
He let his hands bangle limn1v
over his knees and stared unaeein elv
at the ground. EYES," he said. ii
suppose it u.s." Iistlessness vae in
his voice.
Something in his tone csueht her
Her hand went to her throet and
there was pain in her eyes. Hut he
didn't see it.
:. She touched his knee with her
hand. I'm stiN listening" she en-.
couraged.
He kept staring At the ground. His
mouth twisted queeray as he spoke.
as It. the words cost him q struggle
to utter them.
MARY" he said, "you've hurt me
more than you'll ever know. Thsv
say that I'm stubborn--that atnh.
bornness runs in the Rand fam;lv
Maybe they're riCht-maybe I'm heinz
stu bborn. It's costing me somethinS
to say this. Something tells me
shouldnt. and yet I am.
| IL was going TO explain ali ahout
this whole affair. was eoine 10 tall
you what brought me to Mensf;elS
land who this girl was and WV Il Wa
90 important for me to find Mer.
told you she tainted, ana I was min
to tell you the trouble ahe ent -
that caused her to faint.
| But you've prevented me from ID.
ing It. a man likes to feel that he
can be trusted. I don't know what
kind OF men you're accustomed to
meeting" she WINGED at the words
but l would feel that IIAsd been
robbed of some Of my selfaYsipect If
II capitulated in the face Of what
you've just said. !.
You accVse me Of holdinr n
drunken woman in my arms. from
which suppose | am to infer that I
am the one who got her drunk"
NO." she protested. II don't &C.
cuse you of it. I'm only telling you
what -,
1T makes little difference he in.
terrupted. "The point is you be-
!ieved It. suppose could dsny it.
but I'm not going to. You can be-
lieve what you like. You said had
hurt you. Perhaps it is not in my
power to hurt you again, but l hope
! can. That's what want to do. I've
been trying ia. get chance to ex-
plain, but I'm not going to. You can
draw your own differences about the
whole affair until you tell me that
you believe whoever told you that
thing he'd"
"Jim," she said. and it was the
first time she had called him by that
n D0 -
give me. ], too, say things don't
mean."
"But you did believe it. Who told
you ?"
Whoever told me must have been
mistaken" she said.
"Hc was not mistaken" he shot
back savagely. "He iied-lied DELHI
erately: Who was it?" &
"I--I prefer not to say. He didn't
want to tell me, but thought he was
doing so for my own good"
He laughed. How considerate of
the gentleman Could anything be
more quixotic than that? Iisten,
Mary. you needn't try TO shield him.
There's only one person that could
have told you--thc one person be-
sides yourself who saw US. It was
Church, wasn't it?' .1.
She flushed at the question, but
made no answer.
"Of course it was. II / had the
gentleman here think I'd punch his
head for the trouble nc has taken in
my behalf"
al don't believe you reelise what
you are saying" She was pauckinR
nervous1y ut her handkerchief. /.
"Oh, don't I?' His anger was run.
ming away from him. "Hss it oc-
CURED to you that I'm the one who
has had all the explaining to do? It
seems / got in wrong for being seen
with another girl. How about your
self? Was l to take your presence
in Mr.. Church's company for grant
ed?"
"Oh, please stop, Jim. You're only
making matters worse" She put her
hand on his sleeve, pleading.
"Who is this man Church. any.
way?" he persisted.
She turned to face him squarely,
the look Of pain sgsin in her eyes.
"He's the man I'm going to marry,"
Il stunned him. "God, mol" he
sai@ after . long silence. She. he'd
turned away, was crying: .sYou
mean," he asked, "you mean you've
promised you're eneaged" She
nodded.
"Mary." he cried. sob in his
true. I love you. Mary, I love YOU"
(To Be Continued.)