Show N The wife wife- Wife Ship Woman By HUGH PEN DEXTER Gravel A CIA Virginia Scout etc Author of Kings of the Missouri Pay ww 8 er em lee Ru by flush 44 a tN CHAPTER CHAPTER XIV XIV Continued Continued 18 She had difficulty In adjusting some lame twigs twIll of ot the hedge to her liking and her voice olce was wu so 10 low I 1 could scarcely hear bear It t as she he said laid I told you rou once that should you feel teel the same til RI you rou did that time ODthe on OD the river river that that second time on the second river there river there could be no harm harm- harm harm- Ah Alt I 1 put shame on myself to speak more And I repeat replat I am a very verr foolish man and must have love where I love I stammered Such a hard man I she sighed with witha a quick uplift of her eyes and 1 could swear she Ibe was Val laughing at me You bight me here to have me propose marriage to you I bluntly demanded It is II shameful to make me roe say that lint But It Is 18 true she mumbled Even Enn then I feared she was sacrificing herself to me the because of some absurd sense of gratitude nut But your pride prIde prIde- Enough of that word Vord I she oho fiercely cried clutching both my hands and turning eyes filled with tear tears for my Inspection Then humbly Does Doe monsieur find pride In me menow menow menow now now Or doe does he find Dud a n poor home borne leN ices homesick girl with no friends no people t My lIy arms would have closed about her slim form bad had she not had a second second sec sec- ond thought Withdrawing from me and holding her head high and haughty she accused accuser me You dared darel to think wrong of me meon meon on 00 that Island off I You dared to think weakness of me because I came on that terrible ship I 1 Not a word monsieur I 1 I will listen to no defense I As poor Joe Labrador would have said Ah All that Mademoiselle Dahl I In her moods she was as Irresponsible as III a II butterfly and as Irresistible as a sunbeam I 1 lie lied d bravely and sternly and severe severely lectured her for presuming to read my thoughts and then to convict ra raon me meon meon on whatever conclusions she might happen to form The rigidity of he her r pose gradually rei relaxed anI while I talked By Dy the time I had finished a discourse e on 00 the evilness of pride she was VaR quite limp And when for the third time I asked her to marry me sh she shedid e did not refuse C a e a e a e a e a e a e Our wedding was Vas two weeks old and andI d I 1 was wall It still III as ardent a n believer In lu r fairytales ns net any Frenchman Then n my ray host hot demanded my attention and anil 1 Informed me that the man who was wall s so Insistent on seeing Mrs was wu wasa s a again aln calling I believe bellee the fellow must be crazy William but Its It's for you ou to dispose e of him him- He lie bothered her some before before before be be- fore you came I vowed I 1 would scalp him an d directed the butler to bring him t Std the rose garden I hack back ack of the tho house hous Il He Ill e came and behold he was the who win had yelled to me as I furiously galloped galloped gal gal- loped up the plantation rood road In I poarch t of ot n wife What was wag more Ing he heas was as Jules Mattor my boatman boatma n when I 1 escaped from ruin Pascagoula bu buy 1 I sternly Inquired his business with wits Mrs and with Ith much I squirming and twisting lie he told to me e how he had brought her a message ule e from It t being icing written tt itten b by u no noone noone one less than titan his lets excellency r de e. e And nd mon monsieur I have e waited united sl six a weeks and she site will give gl me rue no nn a answer answer an an- i l to carry buck If It I 1 go without t an answer his excellency will till belief belloe e I 1 did not do hi his business and he be will wil 1 use a hard hand Mademoiselle would woul d not give me roe an answer Cannot mo monsieur mono mon n who oho U III so big and Induce In ld duce madame to write just a It word I 1 sent a a. a boy to fetch Mrs Brami ton As sue she entered the garden an and beheld Matter Mattor she smiled slightly L but t there was wall nothing but happiness In her face Madame this man Jules Mattor Matter says us he brought you OU a me message age from de and tears fears he will willbe willbe willbe be punished If he be returns without wit an au answer Su So 1 she softly answered Then he should have an answer And has hns monsieur my husband been told what th the message contained I doubt If it the messenger knows I certainly have not asked him I turned aside II tend nIl became Inter Inter- e ted In a It rosebush With a II swish of skirts she was at m my side and explaining ex They Tuley The found out directly after I 1 sailed Word came ame by the cr very boat lt which followed the Malre Matre the very wry boat blat went out to the Island to meet that night you OU escaped from ruin I Think of It I 1 That very night cn rills had ht Ma his orders from corn my undo encl the tile marquis and und If It you had been beo w day late they would have bundled me back to France and you jou ou woul would rI hll have e no II little t tie wile wife to make you leap happy iy this day I gaped at her lIer stupidly and mutt muN The trail tran Is Isery ery very blind madame t I find a sign eln here and there therl Foolish one I 1 I 1 knew It t tt would tome come tn to time That was why I was determined td to marry you ou before you learned I the he truth Aye Well you OU did It Because I feared flared that once you learned the flee truth your our silly L n lish pride would send lend you rou back to the terrible ter terrible forest and that abominable river and 1 would return to France or stay Itar here unwed Here Is s the mes meso sage Gage Head nead It it She pulled a paper from tram the bosom of her gown but I refused ed It It t sug eug suggesting Ui- Ui ge getting gesting that she tell me what she would She Bhe settled herself primly on onn ona n R rustic rustle settee and made an on Imperious little gesture for tor me to be seated It Is like this my love My mother moth moth- er was a de Maude a n dl distant kInswoman kinswoman kins kIns- woman of Comte de Pride I T I exclaimed beginning to understand Her lIer family would have none of ot other her because she married a II Dahl Dahis- Dahis gaarde After both she and my father fath er died an uncle was named as my guardian He lIe Is la a friend of Monsieur Mon le Ie Regent and being a marquis and having great wealth he Is a very vary sad dog Ills Hi tastes and Monsieur le Ie are the same The two plan to marry me to an execrable creature who has hOl much gold lold a great family I tt I I e li lie You Brought Drought Me Here to Have M Me e Propose Marriage to You I y Demanded name and the morals of the devil tell I refuse to marry the beast Terrible e times flints follow fallow I am fresh tresh from th the e convent I know little of the world I am terrified when my uncle th the e marquis says ants ns n's It In Is a the regents regent's will wit 1 that I 1 marry his refs choice at nt once They r bring the man to melIe me ale lIe He Is s hideous and old enough ti tn to he my mr father I swear I will not wee wed 1 him My 11 undo the marquis SIl says S 'S I shall I 1 nm om nearly In Insane lint there then e are wonderful stories being told old about t the Mississippi conn country try I livery l one 1 Is s making a n mountain of gold just b by y buying John Lus Lua stock The ver very cry Y servants fer gossip about the m o of t f Louisiana one OM Is kind ThorIs Thor There e I U Is nothing but happiness The da day y draws nearer the hateful wedding I Ican cnn can kill myself t yes jes S 'S but life lite Is s young oung j life lite Is to sweet If It not poisoned I lOr dress In n maids maid's gown and take ink e ti IL few of my jewels and escaped to th the e coast The day I reached the port I lento an Immigrant ship Is s about t to o all sail I 1 aboard go Just as liS the they ar are e about to start Ah such women women- wolves wol were In It HI I 1 Then that 1 salon land d and 1 I Then that odious la Nouvelle Not Nou- yells velle Orleans the Orleans the second I 1 Iwas was woe crazed with fear and horror mo mon mon- n sitar So I wrote to you That Is U all s' s Very good rood I am glad It Is II cleared up op Nothing from those experiences rna can ever come Into your Jour life lite to make 7 you 0 sad end She rose and asked Are there no questions rny my dear dearr No o questions sweetheart She glanced down at the letter and laughed aloud as a child does doell when i Immensely pleased Clell del I Hut lUit I 1 forgot de BW letter 1 I I 1 have told you nothing noth ing Ins of It I must have no secrets from my husband It seems his orders or ders dire are to place me on the first ship r returning to France He Ile Is much concerned con con- c to have me me go o back Monsieur I le Ie Regent Is la vastly Interested and that tho t means Monseigneur Las will do anything to get me back D n D n them all 1111 I All France cant can't get you your back I I I cried ol O 0 I and she drew back In n a pantomime of fear Such terrible words my husband speaks But nut I. I excellency writes most polite He Ile the thelam same lam eo as 8 says I shall dictate my own o future A ship will take me roe from Charles Town or Pensacola as I wish It Is 1 arranged with the English government government gov gov- that t I may go la In n an English ship If I wish I am warned not to return by br way of ot the river as It t would be too dangerous You should feel very proud to find me roe a woman of so much Importance Now ow you know all Will you keep me met Against all Europe I I told the top of her head She struggled free tree and cried But nut you never ask about the old pirate Such a polite husband I 1 I know w you rou die of curiosity He lie was Vas an aD at my uncles uncle's country place lIe He saw me steal Iteal away from home and he followed me lIe He was a avery avery very wicked old man He lie followed me on board the ship planning tomake to tomake tomake make a fortune out of my disappear disappear- ance He lIe knew there would be a great Ireat search earch and a big sum lum In gold offered He lIe would wait walt In the new world till he could drive delve the best bargain bar gain then he would betray me lie He was walt very ery wicked It was all 1111 told I felt humble and meek but took care It should not show So I urged her to get rid of ot Mattor Matter by sending an answer er to Blen- Blen tulle llIe Ma foil As your wife I think It would be better for Mr fro Brampton to write the answer she replied Else Elsee h why did I keep this poor man waiting until you came here and married me met meta S a e e e e e e Weve We've traveled far tar together since those old brave brace da days s 's and many of the myths have been killed d out of the valley A miracle she site never wearies of contemplating Is la our twin boys I called them English and she flared lIared up and declared them to be French and before I could join the Issue she was In tears and saying they were neither French nor English but hut were Ameri Amerl cans Inns And so 80 she site brought them deem up to consider themselves A second miracle she could scarcely comprehend was wall their theft astounding growth until they were my equal lual In stature And her pride I 1 It towered above all other r pride she had bud ever CHr felt as ns the heavens heaven overtop an on not Their obedience and reverence re with their mother mothern 1 i n as ery very beautiful for tor me to watch As they thy became Americans Americana and carried car car- rigid ried her along with them I tensed censed callins call call- In ins big myself English for tor one must go with outs ones folks or oc else feel teel very lonely Narbonne and Labrador Six Fingers Fin gets ers and the Fox The good and und the bad Yet somehow the mighty river utilized both elements to glee give me the memy memy my wife And I wonder If it Its Us other seemingly blind purposes may not contain contain con con- tain rain some hidden good for tor those who ultimately build cabins In the valley I TIlE THE END D. 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