Show THE BRANDING ANDING 05 U IRON by katharine newlin burt by katharine M X hart 1101 CHAPTER vill VIII continued 20 woodward kane anne withheld it and again that to look ok of pleasure was visible in his eyes just a moment please I 1 should like to have ray my own say out first I 1 shall have to be brutal I 1 am afraid in these matters there Is nothing for it but frankness your infidelity has been common felt for no some time the story of it first came to bettys ears earn on the evening when she came to me two months ago since then there hits has been but one possible course jasper kept another silence more difficult however than ills last ills pallor was noticeable you say my infidelity Is common talk there hits has been a name used your from wyoming jane west jasper was on his feet and woodward w ard too rose jerkily holding up a hand no excitement please lie begged let us conduct tills this unfortunate interview like gentlemen if possible jasper laughed As you say if possible wily why roan man it was betty who beeped me to install tier her here it was cylio chmael the for tier her apartment who helped her buy tier her clothes who engaged her maid who gave her most of her ter training this is the most preposterous the most filthy perversion of the truth betty must know it better than any one else come now woodward theres something more in jt it than this jasper had himself in hand but it was easy now to see sec the effort it cost him the veins of his forehead were swollen 1 I shall not discuss the matter with you betty has excellent evidence unimpeachable witnesses there Is no doubt jn in my mind nor in the minds of her lawyers that she will win her sult suit and get her divorce her release of course you will not contest P jasper stopped in his pacing which had begun to take the curious circling weaving form characteristic of him and standing now with his lead thrown back he spoke sonorously do you imagine for one instant kane does betty imagine tor for one instant that I 1 shall not contest this changed the look of cold pleasure in woodwards eyes which grew grew blank again do you mean me to understand naturally I 1 took it for granted that you would act as most gentlemen net act under the circumstances 11 then you have taken too much for granted you and betty ten years ago your sister gave herself to me she la Is mine I 1 will not for a whim for a passion for a temporary alienation let her go neither will I 1 have n l in 1 0 lot let Us ui conduct this unfortunate I 1 ln ri like gentlemen if pos sible ible 11 my good name and the name dome of a good woman besmirched for the sake of this impertinent desire tor for a release I 1 love my wife ails voice was aras especially Ile hebraic brale and especially abhorrent to the other and as a husband I 1 mean to keep tier her from the ruin this divorce would mean to lier i tar far from being tier her ruin morena it would be the saving of tier her her rain was as nearly as possible brought abit ten felt years ago when against the advice against the wishes ofey of every epy one who loved tier her she made her insane marriage with an under underbred brod commercial and licentious jew phe was seventeen and you seized your opportunity jasper had stepped close lie ile was a head bead taller and several inches broader of al ider than ills his brother ln in law As long as you are in my house dont insult me I 1 am as you say a jew and I 1 am as you say of a commercial family but I 1 am note not I 1 love lave never been licentious Is it nei necessary essary to use such euch language you suggested that this interview be conducted by us like gen gentlemen Cemen the man who refuses to give her liberty to a wife that loathes him scarcely cornea comes under the definition my ideas on the matter are different we need not discuss them it if you ariu lot we me read my cifes letter I 1 think that we can come to an end of this woodward unwillingly surrendered t the be small gray eney ene volpe olVe to a quiver ang inan outstare outstretched ached hand jasper turned away avay and stood near the lamp IMP but his excitement prevented him from reading the angular wilting jumped before his eyes at last the words straightened themselves 1 I am glad that you have given roe me this opportunity to escape front a life that for a long time has bus been dreadful to me ten years ago I 1 made a disaster of my life and yours forgive me it if you can and lot let me escape I 1 will not see you again whatever you may have hae to say bay please say bay it to woodward front from now on lie he Is my protector in other matters there ore are my lawyers it Is absolutely not to be thought of that I 1 should speak to you I 1 hope never to see you alone I 1 want w ant you to hate me and this liota bot ought to make it easy for you BUTTY 11 jasper stored stared at the name ile ho was utterly bewildered utterly staggered by the amazing dissimulation practiced by this small soft lipped round eyed girl who had lived with him for so long sufficiently pliable sufficiently agreeable what was back of it all another man mail of course in afa siti rj was examining the file faces of hla his acquaintances rowing ills his lids its as though the real men pissed in review before him perhaps you understand the still situation better now asked woodward cruelly jaspers intense pain and humiliation gave him a sort of calm ile he seemed entirely cool when lie he moved back toward his brother in law his eyes were clear the heat had gone from his temples lie ile was waa even smiling a little though there was a white even frame to ills his lips 1 I shall not write to betty nor attempt to see tier her he said quietly but I 1 shall ask you to take a message to tier her woodward assented tell tier her she shall have her release i but to get it she will have to walk through the mire and there will bo be no one waiting for her bei on the other side can you remember that not even you will be there ile he was entirely self assured so th that at woodward felt a n chill of di dismay 1 I shall contest the suit went on jasper and I 1 believe that I 1 shall win it you may tell betty so if you like or the she can wait to hear it from my lawyer ile he put the envelope into ills his pocket crossed the room and held back one of the crimson curtains of the door if you have nothing more to sas sal lie he smiled neither have 1 I goodby lie ile bowed slightly and woodward found himself passing before him in silence and some contusion confusion ile he stood for a moment in the hall and haying having stammered his way to a cold good afternoon atter noon he be put on his batand hat and went dui but jasper returned to the empty drawing room and began his weaving march before he could begin his spinning which he hoped would entangle betty and leave her powerless for him to hold or to release at will lie he must go to jane west and tell her wild wha trick life with his help had bad played upon tier her the prospect was bitterly distasteful jasper accused himself of selfishness because she cared nothing for the worlo world was a creature apart ve had let the world think what it would ile he knew that an askance look would not hurt tier her for himself secure in innocence he did not care for betty he had thought her cruelly certain of him ile he went to jane the day after ills his interview with woodward kane it was sunday afternoon she washout wa was sout out but came in very soon and he be stood up to meet her with an air of coned confusion and guilt the matter with you she asked pulling her hei gloves from tier her long hands iler her quickly observant eyes swept swep t him she walked to ill him and stood near the frosty air was still about her and tier her face was wag lightly stung to color with exercise iler her wild eyes were startling under the brinn brim of her smart tailored hat jasper casber put a hand band on either of tier shoulders and bent ills head before tier her my poor child chil dIt if id only left you apu in your kitchen ill joan tightened her lips then smiled uncertainly youve got me seared scared she said stepped back and sat down her hands in tier lier muff what Is it she asked and jn that moment of waiting she was waa sickly reminded of other moments in tier her ilfe of the nearing sound of pierres res webs on a crystal winter night of the sound pt of prospers footsteps going away front from herup her up the mountain trail on a nut autumn aan morning jasper began ills his pacing feeling carefully tor jor delicate ph phrases rabes lie he old fold her ber bettys accusation of her purpose joan took oft off her hat pushed back the hair from her forehead then ha as he came to the end site she looked up ill at him iler her pupils were larger than usual ald add the light frosty tint of rose had and left her cheeks would you mind telling roe me that again she asked ile he did so more explicitly she thinks betty thin thinks ke that I 1 have been that we have hae been bean she be thinks that of me no wonder she ahe hant been coming to see met mel she stopped staring blindly at him then you must tell her it larnt amt true she sold said pitifully and the quiver of her lips hurt lilia all ahl I 1 but she iho want to be t aleve eye that roy my dear she bhe wants to be b aleve eye the worst it to in her opportunity to escape me I lavent you loved her herl have you hurt lier her asked joan god knows known I 1 have loved her I 1 have never hurt her consciously even the she cannot think that I 1 have why must she blame me why do I 1 have to be brought into this his mr bir Af orenal cant site she go away from you wily why do the lawyers have to take it upa up you are unhappy end and I 1 so BO sorry sorry but you want tier her to stay it if if bile love you 1 I want tier her I 1 mean to keep tier her or break tier her ile ho turned his 1114 buck back to say thin and went toward the window jonn joan fascinated watched ills his fingers working into ono one another tightening crushing crushone crush lne its another man inan she wants lie hold hoarsely and it if I 1 can prevent present it site she shall not have hae him I 1 will force her to keep tier her vows to me force her if it kills her ill break this passion this fancy ill haye tier back P lie ile wheeled round a twitching face ill prove ea ill i Y R tw lq dont love her sald said joan very white her infidelity whether sties been unfaithful or not and then ill take her back after ilia world has given her one of its names you dont love tier her said loan joan very white you want to brand her by G d dl I 1 swore the jew and I 1 will brand her ill brand tier her ile he tumbled fumbled in its his pocket and brought out the small envelope woodward kane had handed to him the day before lie ile stood atoo turning the letter abdat in his linnies as though some such meaningless occupation was a necessity to him joans eyes ees falling upon the letter wide tied slid and fixed she lias has written to me said jasper she wants her liberty she wants it in such euch a way that the she will fly clear and 1 I yes and you too will be left in the mud theres a roan man somewhere of course she thinks she hits has evidence witnesses against me I 1 dont know what rubbish the she has got together but im going to fight her im going to win ill save you if I 1 can jane if not of course I 1 cm am at your our service ben ice for any amends M lie ile stopped in his halting bolting speech for joan had stood up and was moving across the room her eyes fastened on the letter in his hands she sha had bad the he air of a sleepwalker sleep walker she he opened a drawer of her desk took out an old tin box once usel used for tobacco 6 and drew forth a small gray envelope torn in two then she come back to jilin him and said let me see that letter and lie obeyed as though she had the lie right fight to ask aik she took lifis his letter and hers bers and compared the two the small gray squares lying unopened on tier lier knee and she spoke incomprehensibly betty Is the tall child sho she said and laughed with a catch in tier her breath I 1 jasper looked at the envelopes they were identical bettys ray gray note paper crossed by bettys angular upright hand very ery bold very block black the torn eny envelope elope was addres addressee seq to prosper gael jasper took it opened ench each liala laid toge together thee and read jasper Is dying hy by the time you get this he vill be dead if you ou can forgive me for or haying having failed you in courage last year come back what I 1 have been to you before I 1 will b be again only this time we can call lov love openly corte conle buck bock Jane Morena spoke brokenly what does it ff incan lean ile he built that cabin in it wyoming for tier her bald said joan Joun speaking as though jasper had seen the canyon hiding place and known its history prid she come lie Ile brought brou glit me there on ills his sled bleil I 1 was hurt I 1 was terribly hurt ile he took care of me prosper jasper thrust in ills ilia face was vat bawn drawn with excitement TO BE CONTINUED |