Show 19 e a mcd II 11 M I 1 v M W lalor X T GOT y azz by dally story pub co As he bolted bioni the retry feiry and flung filing himself into the cab lieutenant bather baiker felt all the exhilaration ot of lie he was mas just home from the philippines and his mind was mas burden ed with a message from a dead coin tade fade to his wife ife and that wife dark bark era old and lost sweetheart ills his en ell tire being tingling with the memoir of ills hla old for this dainty creature who had thrown him to marry his sturdy comrade he be knew that hla his only safety lay in doing hla his soldiers soldier a duty quickly and to dis charge the mission with which the deng roan man had charged him before his big strength tailed failed ills his telegram had bad prepared the way and he was mas admitted at once mrs moffat came to him almost as soon as he reached the parlor she held out her hand and chiew back her head in the macnei so characteristic of hgr girlhood days that the young officer was as startled at the small change time w lied had made with her I 1 am very glad to see you she said simply and I 1 am only sorry that bour our visit must be so brief must it be so yes he be replied I 1 I must go to washington at once to to deport I 1 am loiry too because I 1 would mould like to to renew old acquaintance I 1 came heie first even before I 1 fulfilled my duty to the government because I 1 was charged with a message from my friend our husband a last message given on his deathbed yes was all she said and her expression was so imperturbable that the officer paused and glanced at her keenly the lieutenant too took a pac packet e 0 of pa from tits his breast pocket d george asked roe me to give these pit pa pers to vou on he said and as his friend and ild and youie bouis I 1 undertook the commission I 1 m was as with him when he died and you know this comradeship Is a very ery close tie ile he ended weakly and wiped his face the woman noman displayed no emotion she looked straight stia ight into his eyes and her he r glance was aa coll cold and clear Is nothing else she asked da did he leare leae no verbal message messaged 7 bd barker arber went m ent white bite to his finger fingertips tips there was something else but how could he tell this splendid woman whom he loved better aye a thou wind times better than the man who had married her that her husband died with the name of another woman on his lips the packet he well knew contained only life insurance and other papers and some formal state ments not calculated at all to salve a bruised and bleeding heart and she had bad asked him tor for the burning words which should have come from her diang husbands lips but which had welled up for another woman oman lie ile hated bated his big old friend and comrade as he looked into he clear honest eves he saw raw before him and he ln inwardly hardly cursed the fate that made him the bearer of the message to this ibis woman this woman moman whom of all the world he would mould shield and pro lect from harm this woman who hoi by all the laws of nature have been hla his wife instead of the wife of W 01 N 6 st 1 lo 10 C NIX I 1 Z 1 I am very glad to ie see you she ehe said simply imply the man who had betrayed and deceived her the entire situation flashed into hla big brain instantaneously and his bla deci slon elon was waa imle m tiiu itu the rapidity had hira him la in hla his soldier career anil and which had sent him back to washington with docu ments which aich assured him a captains captain a commission A lie is alwag s bad 11 he said to himself iut this time the truth Is impossible I 1 can cannot ot I 1 will not hurt both the living end and the dad the living woman moman whom I 1 love and the deal dea I 1 ann vh IN lin WB ans my frien I 1 mrs M off it ethel ediel lio lie said graily taking hr br hand in life hla your name was last on georges lips ile he said tell her phil that my last thought was of her and that bhe was the only woman in the world for me the woman moman paled under her asplen did self control and the tears cante came into her eyes she turned and walked to the window aill tor for a long daie looked into the sheet barker watched her for some aln utes his big mind playing fearful riot in the realm of possibilities past pres ent and to come then he pulled himself together with the suddenness ir y gathered her i to ao hla his strong embrace of the sergeant major on dress parade and his big heels fairly snapped as aa they clicked together mrs moffat I 1 he said 1 I must go my train leaves in half an hoir hear good bye she turned and came slowly back to him so BO close that he could feel the warmth of her body her eyes were steady as they looked into his bis phil she said you lied to me just now oh iou men are wonderful in bour loyalty and devotion I 1 know all about george aud and his big relations with the gordon woman I 1 know that he died with her name on his lips and not mine no matter how I 1 know it I 1 do riot not I 1 lame you for lying about it you to protect his memoir and save me pain I 1 honor you on for it but bill phil there is another lie that was age told tor for a different purpose ile he george my husband your friend lied to me to breal me from you ile he lied about you and heaven help me I 1 believed hla his lying tongue and married rf c d h him I 1 in I 1 knew he had lied before m we e had been married a month and he knew that I 1 knew it I 1 could not undo the past but I 1 could not help hating and despising him and he knew U and he loved the gordon woman and and oh god cant can t you see the 11 III ing hell belt it has been barker was standing dazed and open mouthed he tiled hied to click his heels together and make one of those lightning decisions which had won him so many honorable mentions and so many scars but tor for once his clear brain seemed clouded ile he turned and walked to the window he stood looking out for a long time then he walked back to her she had not moved la ili it too late he asked holding out his arms tha color came to her face in a crimson flood and the tears welled to her eyes as she swayed toward him and he gathered her into his strong embrace pretty soon sho she looked up with a roguish twinkle la in her eye are you not afraid you will ill miss your train she asked ile he stopped to gather toll from the red lips 1 I am not afraid of anything now h be e said |