The Ely miner., 1940-01-11
CHAPTER V-Continued

Autumn heard Jarvis hands NOV
ing slowly up and down the arms
of the chair.
set must have gone a little mad
then" he went on after a pause.
'There was no use in my trying
to hold her. ! knew that. She was
gone already, you see. But I couldn't
let her go. hoped that / might dc
something to win her back, perhaps.
The weeks went by, but I soon knew
II was hopeless. She was kindness
itself to me, but she would forget
sometimes and go about the house
like one in a dream. She would sit
with me throughout whole evening
and never speak word. ! became
bold one day and went over to see
Jane Landor when Godfrey was in
town. I asked her if she knew what
was going on between Millicent and
her husband. She denied that it was
so, but / knew she was fully aware
of it. She was too proud to admit
II. ! was a little unreasonable, !
guess. I told her what thought OF
a woman who could not keep her
husband to herself She told me to
go home and look after my wife.
That was the last time I spoke to
Jane Landor, except for politeness
when we met in public"
His voice had become very low
now, but strangely controlled.
Spring came, and knew Mill
cent and Geoffrey were having rem
devious, but there was not breath
Of scandal. I said nothing at first.
I said nothing until could stand it
no longer. Then II gave orders.
! made Millicent a prisoner in her
own house. I forbade her going
anywhere beyond the grounds unless
! went with her. Perhaps / was
foolish in that. At any rate, ! kept
them apart. Millicent didn't pro-
test. If this had been one Of her
silly firtations, you see, she would
have died rather than give in to me-
But it wasn't. This was real to her
and she didn't utter a word Of
protest. She obeyed me to the let
ter. Presently I heard that Geof-
frey was drinking heavily and neg
lecting his work. The gossip of tha:
was on every tongue. When he was
found-shot to death by his own gun
it was easy enough to suppose that
it was either suicide-or accident" 1"
Autumn gathered her hands to-
gether tightly about her knees.
"I had gone up north to look at
some wolf traps I had set the day
before. I had told no one was GO
ing there, for wished to be alone
IN the woods and think over my
problem. It was early summer and
] went on foot. carried fowling-
piece with me IN the hope that
might raise a partridge along the
way. Nillicent was very fond of the
breast of partridge. It was still ear
" afternoon when went out-along
the way we go to Absolom's camp
but down the gully you wanted to
follow that morning after you came
home. At the farther end of the
birches ! flushed a couple of par
tridges and brought them down. 7
went on and inspected the traps I
had set I found them empty and
returned the same way had come.
As I entered the birches, came
upon a brood of partridge chicks
that kept running before me and
hiding under leaves and keeping the
woods alive with their ceaseless
chirping. ! realized then that they
were the brood that belonged to the
brace Of birds had bagged only an
hour before. I was sorry for them,
remember, even then"
He paused for long time, and a
sigh Of unutterable WEAKNESS
seemed to pass all through his body.
Autumn turned slightly and clung
to his knees.
"It was there that Godfrey Lam
dor rode down upon me-" Jarvis
said at last. HE had evidently been
drinking. ! don't know what it was
that brought him down there just
then. He couldn't have known that
I was there. No one knew. He
seemed surprised at first, and looked
at me as If he did not know me.
Then he got down from his horse
and came to where was standing.
He confronted me with an insolence
that put me beside myself. I shall
hear that taunting laugh Of his to
my dying day-and into eternity. I
tried to quiet him, knowing that he
had been drinking, but it only an
gered him the more. When turned
70 go away from him, he stepped
suddenly in front of me and whipped
out his revolver. He told me he
could not go on living without Milli-
cent-that it had to be either him or
me. It took me a minute or so to
understand what he meant. He was
actually challenging me to a duel.
He looked magnificent as a god as
he stood there instructing me with
cool arrogance what I must do.
Even then did not believe that he
meant to 60 through with II. To
me it seemed IN insane thing, even