The Seattle Star Newspaper, October 8, 1921, Page 11

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, PAPER By RUBY 1 AN Rights Reserved + (Continued from Yesterday) When the dig car had chugged eut of sight, bearing Lillian Fane ‘away from Four Winds forever, Roderick Briton went back to the house with a feeling of utter weart Deas Ho fott as tf he had Itved a Mfe time since the earfy morning, when he had inadvertently learned that Rosalte was stil! living, Looking back now, over the past week, he Wonders! that he had not guessed it La thousand times, It seemed im- porsidle that only last night he had @tood within reach of her, and yet no glimmer of the truth had forced ts way to his mind. Me wondered how much of the th old Fergerson knew, and if he 0 h been deliberately kept the dark. Question after question Mashed red thru his brain, and yet Knew he must still possess his i tm patience for a little while. ce Myers, from whose an. hed lips he had first heard that ie wae still alive, was too ab- with his own grief to give iy attention to young shivered as he recalled the ctor's face as he had last ecen it He hurried back to the warmth of Yorary, where Banshell was for Bim in uncomfortable had heard about Rosatie. airy manner he was as & woman, and he hear the whole de Roderick himecif. Hal- the fourth man had gone to town; Halsham sald that from and jueste and murders were not in| *’ line. He invariably ran away anything unpleasant. * Young Briton shut the library Dehind him, and, crossing to fire, dropped weartly into a leaning his head eon his He bad eeen the car turn ‘ef the drive, but it was some- F Hf Hf ‘was leaning back in the big He was wondering if it e; b THE LOST PEA He read it aloud to Nancy and Nick was the letter that Cap'n in reosived from the Fairy He read it aloud to Nancy r as “Very trusttully yours, : “THE FAIRY QUEEX.” , }ahy pink pearl and so did Mr. Cod ROSES M. AYRES Would be possible to see old Ferger-| son; If | Ranshell thoughts. “I say, have you seen her yet? Rorte looked up vaguely. | “Seen her? Whom do you meant} Banshell laughed selfconsctously “Your wife,” he aid. “Jove! fancy | you with a wife Rorie bit his lip, “I haven't seen her.” he eald, shortly. “She was to have hi operation this morning; | now for a while,” feet agitatedly broke tn upon his) he burst out, tmpetuously, yet, what can I do? 1 can't bether| Myers. Mr. Fergerson’s too ill to anyone, and nobody else knows ything about ft all.” “You forget the one person who | Knows everything about ft," said Banshell, #eriously. The two men looked at one another, Rorte flushed. Once again, another man had had to tell him hie duty; it was galling to think he was as yet incapable of engineering his own affairs, He stood silently for a moment, then: “You don't mind my leaving you for an hour?" he asked. “Great Scott, nom Ten minutes later Rorte pas on his way to Bedmund, He felt almost painfully nervous and excited, and yet for the first time he tried to put Rosalle's feel: ings before his own. A eelfish man does not wake up all at once, one fine morning, an unselfish angel; it! takes more than the shock of a mo- ment to undo the habit of nearly 30 ears. had never consid- ered anyone but himself; tt was only very slowly that he would learn to put himself in the background. But altho he aid not know it as yet, the hand of love in his waa to teach him as no other master ever will be “And He had not intended to murder Brenda. No; but he had meant to murdér him—Roderick—and life had become very precious all at once, It cottage he was afraid to go in. He the Ittle house twice, walk- ,| Dut for the doctor's trouble, and she! g ay; there was no 4 H gee Es H if i g 4 z F i i a i ia i i TOM, TELL PANSY TO GET THE WASHING IN- (TS GOING RAIN? selfish boy who waa beginning to wake up to the real facts of life, and to long to do something tn the world) to justify his manhood. But Mrs. Fowler stopped him gently. “The poor child told me all about you last night,” she said. “They were to have operated this morning seemed to think she would not live thru it. Oh, Mr, Briton, you don't know what « heart of gold that little girl has! She would rather have died than say one word against you, than raise one finger to bring you to her side, She never blamed you, even tho—forgive me—I cannot help see. ing that the blame ts yours. ‘If I don't get well,’ she said to me éver and over again, ‘tell him I've never regretted it--and tell bim I've kept my promise.’ ” The woman's kind votce broke. There were tears in her eyes as she looked at Rorie's white, shamed face. The attractive boytshness about him which had never failed to appeal to old Fergerson touched her heart now; impulsively she laid a hand on bis arm. “Oh, Mr. Briton," she said, and both of them quite forget that until & moment before they had never met, “she is well worth loving—eo well worth loving.” ‘There was a little silence. Whea Rorle spoke hie voice was hoarse. “May I eee her? You don’t think tt will harm her?’ “She ought te be prepared. She heard your voice outside last night when you walked over with the doo tor—and she cried so, poor child. If | you will wait while I tell her™ | serted himself. ea tain squared his shoulders and apok: “I am Roderick Briton,” he said. He seemed instinctively to know she would understand; but he for th .| fingers tightly clutching the handle. & position would have handled the situation with a masterly touch, but Rorie was no hero. He was only a ES WINS C¥ a“ “Shiver my timbers? exciatmed Cap'n Penaywinkle slapping his knees. “If 1t ten"t gust one thing after an- other! Did anyone see or h any- hing about this pearl whileXl was way?” Lop Lobater sald he hadn’t, and Crawly Crab said he hadn't, and all the shrimps and prawns and whelks |anid they hadn't. And the sea-horse | wiggled his horns and said he hadn't, | and got so excited about it he spat | Durple juice in the water, which an- noyed the fairyman policeman very much. “Say, theref’ he shouted, “you'd be a fine one to hunt for any- thing, wouldn't you! You can help mont by making yourself scarce.” The cuttle-fish said he hadn't seen and all the big fish who went on long journeys. “We'll have to search for tt our. selves, kiddies,” said Cap’n Penny- {Po Be Continued) (Copyright, 1921, by Seattle Star) "| winkle. But for the first time Rorte as “No,” he sald, with sudden quiet Getermination. “I want to tell her everything— myself.” CHAPTER XXIII Rosalie was lying with her face turned from the door when young Briton opened tt softly. She had been asleep, and had wakened at the sound of steps in the narrow passage outside. The afternoon was closing In with gray shadows. The ‘glowing fire made a welcome spot of warmth and color in the little room. & delicate flush to her pale face; it played amongst the unbound masses of her hair, Rorle closed the @oor behing him| and stood for a moment with his A wave of emotion kept him allent. The girl lying there tn the firelight was his wife! There wae something ineffably sweet in the thought, in spite of the dread weight of respon. sibility it brought with it If there le anything good in a man at all, the knowledge that there !s someone! looking to him for happiness will! bring out all that is best and strong-| est in him—will give him parience and tenderness, and that teat | sift of all—understanding! And then, aa he stood there, she turned her head on the pillows, and| their eyes met. He had pictured ft afl eo different- ly; had tmagined that the meeting would be #0 strained and painful and almost terrible; and yet, now it had actually come, {t seemed somehow quite natural and simple, apd real, Rorle was conscious that this was the greatest moment tn all his life as he went slowly forward acrces the room and dropped on his kuees beside her. She lay quite stil; her wide eyen seemed the only living part of her small face, asking of him the ques. tion she dared not voice And suddenly young Briton felt se if he could not bear their stead- fast gaze; the enormity of his own sin of selfishness overwhelmed him Ike @ mighty wave; he bowod his face to the slim hand tying on the quilt, “I've come back,” he said, hearee- ly. “Forgive me. Rosalie—forgive me.” The fine speech he had planned all the way along the road deserted him in @ flash; but he could not have made a more eloquent pina than the boyish, impulsive words of remorse that tumbled to his Iipa. He felt the fingers quiver beneath his own firm grasp. She began to sob big tearless sobs that seemed to sive utterance to all the sorrow and pain she had kept so bravely hidden. “I never meant you to know, I wanted to die and set you free, but they wouldn't let me—they wouldn't let me, It was my fault all along; I ought never to have married you— in my heart I knew it was wrong: but—oh! if you had only told me you loved someone else.” Rorte looked up then, and his own eyes were wet, but voloe was per- fectly ateady as he answered: “There is no one else I love. There is no woman in the whole world I PANSY, GET THE WASH GONNA RAIN! TNE SEATTLE STAR No Place for Pansy IF I'D WAIT FOR HER, EVERYTHI IN-IT'S. SvecertT, D re) WOULD Be SOAKE No Rules Broken! ——— BY CONDO | THE OLD H (D YOU KNOW “THAN Feuuow SMITH BEATS HS WIFE SOMS THING NO, t NEveR H@AR@D THAT, Yes, HS Beets Hee at DRIDAG — Tee -HsG! Pool.” _ By Mabel Cle Je Page 489 A PIONEER DOG STORY (Chapter 5) “One night, after weary weeks of journeying In the hot sun, over the rough trail, there seemed &@ peculiar bush tn the als, “Inside the wagona, beneath the heavy canvas covers, it was stifling. Dark elouds rolled up| and plied themselves like great black mountains tn the sky. “Far away the thunder rolled an4 once in @ while lUghtning Mashed, now from this side, now from that “It was hot, hot and close and stil. The camp mas as always, when possible, made by the bank of a stream and George fell asleep with the soft rippling of the waters tn his ears, the only wound to break the utter stil! ‘“ANl night the black clouds piled thicker and the muttering thunder rolled and the storm's slow-gathering fury burst on the Uttle party at daybreak. “Not a shower, not just ao heavy rain, but out of the black clouds poured a stream of solid water like an overturned lake, It surged and roared and ewished about the wagons in a flood. Day et was ecarosty breaking tn the ourtous gray dawn, one could barely see, and out into this secthing flood swept little Helen. ‘They tried, the men of the party, they did their best to save her, they fought the flood and risked their lives, but it was Frank who caught her little gar ments in hie strong teeth and swam with her to safety. “Weeks passed and became months, the long miles of the piains were crossed, the party which had started with #0 much courage and joy, such a plenty of provisions and such high hopes was almost too tired to go on. Clothes were in rags and there were no more, The food was gone and there was no more; the oxen and horses were almost too thin and worn to go farther, but all trails and all hard things have an ending. “Frank reached Oregon coun- try with his little master and was the best friend George had in bis early life here. “and if you want to know any more about this wonderful dog, Just go to the Historical building in Portland and esk Mr. Himes, aince he was the little George who owned the dog.” ake, would marry if I were free this mo- ment, We're going to begin life all over again—together! I've behaved like a brute; but It isn’t too late yet. Rosalie, you don't know how kind I could be to you." She smiled at the wistful earnestness in his voice, “All you've got to do is to get well; and— oh! don’t cry.” The tears were run- ning down her face now; the relief of Young Briton shifted his position a little, and slipped an awkward arm beneath her head, drawing her nearer to him, “I won't have you ory,” he said, playfully. “You belong to me now, and—" Rorle's voice faltered; he made a valiant effort to steady it, but fafled; and with @ little broken sob he bent over her, hiding his face his presence was almost more than she could beer after the weeks of loneliness and pain, in the soft masses of her hair. XXIV Banshell was having his dinner \ SED Lena sa ent SAY! DONT You SES “MAT SIGN," NO FISHING ON ‘TUES GROUNDS NS MOG PAGE 11 BY ALLMAN 4 WE AINT FISHING ON ‘TH’ GROUNDS ~ WE'RE FISHIN’ IN OME TOWN NEW TIGHT SHOES FORCED Some oF TE BoYS To Come HOME RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE oF COUNTY FAIR WEEK WHEN A WOMAN TELLS > I was awake most of the night. I was suffering more than I knew I could, I was suffering, perhaps. as Tom hed when I sent bim away and refused to see him. It seems that all of the way thru, life is boom: erang—everything good and every- thing bad comes back. Aa I lay there in the soft darkness alone I felt lost—lost in a whirlpool ,of ‘human desire and human ‘uncer- tainty. My life seemed to stretch out before me a slow, sad thing iso- lated amid eternity—there Was no | pause, no sheltering, Inviting nook— simply something vast, unending and uninviting. I watched the day come and was giad when I heard movements about the house, It was little after half past eeven when I entered Mra, Ames’ room. alone in the long dining room at Four Winds when Rorle came back from Bedmund4. He entered the room rather self. consciously, Banshell glanced at him and away again. “Thought you wouldn’t mind my beginning,” he said, laconioally. “I was beastly peckish.” As a matter of fact, for once tn his life Banshell's hearty appetite had deserted him; he had merely made a pretense of eating the inviting dishes Blunt served with as much ceremony as if there had begn « state banquet in progress. “By the way," he went on, without waiting for comment, “Dr. Myers sent up for you an hour ago; wants to see you most particularly.” “Myers?” “Yes; servant brought a message. I say, when are they going to hold the inquest?” “Tomorrow.” Banshell chewed an olive, “Will it all have to come eut then?” he asked, “I don’t know! probably, I should think, I shall clear off abroad as soon as possible, “Good! I'm your man, Where hall we go?” Rorte looked rather @ieconcerted. “Well, you see,” he sald, hesitat ingly, “I—that te—the fact is, I'm going to take my wife.” The words came out with a rush. Banal stared, but he managed to check the grin that threatened to ap- pear. “Good,” he said, heartily. “I for (Copyright 1921 by Beattie Star) “I'm glad you've come,” she said sincerely; “I have been awake most of the night.” “I think we'll have some sort of word today—at least we will all do all we can,” I said, but my heart was too heavy to put any encourage- ment in the words. “Don't try to comfort me,” Lila’s voice was very low, “I have tried all night to think of excuses for myself, to find a baim for my conscience— but each one, when I apply it to my heart, burna like acid. Life for women is largely a matter of heart, I think perhaps it isn't so with men—but it is with women.” “And it 1s so with men,” I heard myself saying; “you will find behind every man's success or downfall, be- hind every effort or lack of it, some element of the heart.” got for the moment. I say, aren't you going to have any dinner? “I don't want any.” But for the sake of appearances Rorle made a feint of eating; Blunt was a power to-be reckoned with. “I'll walk down with you,” Ban- shell said, when Rorle rose to go to the doctor's. “It sort of excites you, all this mystery, doesn’t it? Makes you feel as if you want to be up and doing.” Ae they turned out of the drive they met the under-groom. He was breathless with running; his large eyes were scafiet. “They've got ‘im, Mr. Rorte,” he “Got whom?" asked Banshell, ex- eltedl: “The ‘unchback ,siri but I guess 'e won't gi em much trouble after all's said and done; just the cost of ® funeral, as you might say!" “Dead!” cried both men together. “Yes, sir. 'H was in the pond, sir, The dogs found ‘im, sir, An h' cident they say as was, because ‘le ‘ands was full of mud and weeds, as if tried to save ‘isself, sir.” Rorle was conscious of an enor mous sense of relief; he would be spared one ordeal at any rate. He had, perhaps, dreaded facing the hunchback more than anything. They walked on ailently till they game to the doctor's house, where the red light shone thru the evening gloom. By RUTH AGNES ABELING 9 CHAPTER. LVI—PHILIP AMES CALLS ON LILA “I have been thinking ft a ove and have discovered that I didn’t understand John—he modern, he wasn't my kind, tho he sought me and I him.” Lila's n “His mother was an old-f woman and I think the thing never understood about John he was always gallivanting. So IT him. I thought instead sterling, he was simply—dumb.” word fell like @ piece of metal startled me “But—I have held has been a purifying flame, is found, or comes back,” broke, her hands were beautiful white face, had the chance—he'’ll fin ent woman than the one ried." And then we cried. : 5 Some one knocked lightly en the jor. ‘ Lila sat up, startled, é “Come!” her voice was tense with excitement. A downstairs maid entered bear ing a silver card tray. The name om