The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1940-01-04

into his own hand, and without re-
moving his eyes from their gaze
upon vacancy, he drained the liquor
to the last drop. Autumn took the
glass from him and saw that his
clenched hand relaxed upon the
arm of the chair.
THANK you, my dear, thank you"
he said.
Let us talk quietly-and slowly,
d." Autumn said. 81 shall under
stand"
She heard herself speaking, as
though the words were coming
through her from someone else,
someone who had fortitude beyond
fortitude, a stoicism she had never
known.
His eyes rested upon her in a
brooding gentleness. He seemed to
be contemplating her, she thought
with a qualm, from beyond death.
She rose quickly, took cushion
which she placed on the floor at his
feet, and seated herself with her
head against his knees. So they sat,
looking into The flames that licked
at the great logs of the fireplace,
while Jarvis unfolded the tragic
past, sometimes stroking Autumn's
hair, sometimes letting his hand
fall in absent idleness upon her
shoulder, as though he were COM
muning with himself and had quite
forgotten her presence.
She did not interrupt him while
he talked, but sat gazing fixedly
into the fire. 1t seemed to her as
if each detail of his story were fan
tastically visible there.
"Your mother was a siren and an
angel, Autumn" he said, las her
mother had been in her time. Your
grandmother's hunt breakfasts were
the talk of the Okanagan-she had
sent to England In the early days
for hounds and hunters and brought
them all the way round the Horn.
Her daughter, Millicent, was even
more lovely than she was. You
must know this if you are to under
stand what I am to tell you about
your mother-and if you are to Judge
her kindly"
He paused, and into the monotony
of his voice came a break.
Every man who met your moth
er, Autumn, fell in love with her."
he went on. at was so before our
marriage-and it was so after our
marriage. I never found that hard
to understand had fallen in love
with her myself. Nor was it hard
for me to understand how she came
to fall back somewhat into her ways
of coquetry after we had been mar
ried for few years. Men would
not leave her alone. They could
not, it seemed. She loved mel
have never doubted that. But was
many years older than she and she
loved life and youth and gayety. I
was too set in my ways, perhaps. 7"
He sighed, and Autumn patted his
knee affectionately without speak
ing.
There was nothing serious in any
of these = these AFFAIRS as she
called them-and she always tired
of her admirers as soon as the now
city wore off, and as soon as they
began to grow serious. 1t was an
innocent sort of vanity with her,
which she INDUCED quite openly.
She loved the admiration of men,
but she loved even more to let the
world about her see that she was
being admired She would have
found no pleasure in any sneaking
love affair that was carried on
where others might not see."
He paused while the clock on the
mantel struck the hour. It was
midnight.
mot long after you were born,"
he continued, Godfrey Lander
came here from the Old Country and
bought the ranch that lay next to
mine. We had been boys together
IN England. He was younger than
la sort of ne'er-do-wen who had
married woman of his own age
who thought she might make some
thing of him, I think. She had writ
ten to me and it was on my advice
that they left England and came
here to settle. I was as anxious to
bring him around as if I'd been his
brother"
One of the great logs broke softly
IN two, the sparks cascading into
the glowing embers.
Godfrey was restless and reck-
less and full of charm. Millicent
fell IN love with him-ard he with
her. 1t was new kind of love for
her, but I mistook it for another of
her brief infatuations. knew it was
different when it dawned on me
that she never made anything of
him when they were in public to-
gether. Discretion-that was new in
Millicent. And then one day she
told me-confessed that Geoffrey
had won her heart"
ITO BE CONTINUED