Show A N 1 ft q G etharine newlin burt by katharine Kt Aarino N bu burl vill VIII continued 20 AMt Award kane withheld it and again that took look of pleasure was visible in his bis eyes just a moment please I 1 should like to have my own say out first I 1 shall have to be brutal I 1 am afraid in these matters mailers there Is nothing for it but frankness your tour infidelity has been common tall talk for some time the story of it first came to bettys ears on the evening when slie she came to me inc two months ago since then there has been but one possible course jasper kept another silence more difficult however than ills lost last ills pallor was noticeable you say my infidelity Is common talk there lias has been a name used your prote ce from wyoming jane wet west jasper was on his feet and wood wardi ward too rose jerkily holding up a hand no excitement please lie begged let us conduct this unfortunate interview like gentlemen if possible jasper laughed As you say if possible why man it was petty betty who helped me to install lier bere it was afi ica who bhae the for ler her apartment who alio helped her buy her clothes who engaged her maid who gave her most of tier her training this is tile the most preposterous the most filthy perversion of the truth betty must know it better than any one else come coine now woodward theres something more in it than this jasper had himself in hand but it was easy now to see the effort it cost him the veins of ills his forehead were swollen 1 I shall not dl discuss icuss the matter with you betty has excellent evidence unimpeachable witnesses there Is no doubt in my mind nor in the minds of tier her lawyers that she will win her suit and get her divorce her release of course you will not contest P jasper stopped in its ills pacing which had begun to take the curious circling weaving form characteristic of him and standing now with his head thrown back he spoke sonorously do you imagine for one instant kane does betty imagine for one instant that I 1 shall not contest this changed the look of cold pleasure in woodwards ebes 03 es which grew blank again do you mean me to understand naturally I 1 took it for granted that you would act as most gentlemen act under the circumstances then you have taken too much lor arlu tt L au lff tm L fj 1 tiff rii s ago your sister gave herself to me she Is mine I 1 will not for a whim for a passion for a temporary alienation let her go neither will I 1 have a 15 1 0 I 1 let Us U conduct this unfortunate interview like gentlemen if pos poa abe sible 11 my good name and the name of a good woman besmirched tor for the sake of this impertinent desire for a release I 1 love my wife lili voice was especially hebraic and especially abhorrent to the other and at as a husband I 1 mean to keep her from the ruin this thil divorce would mean to tier her far from being her ruin morena it would be the baldg of tier her her ruin was as 86 nearly dearly as possible brought about ten years ago when against the advice against the wishes of every one who loved her hei she made her insane marriage with an underbred commercial and licentious jew slie site was MRS seventeen and you seized your v ad stepped close ile he was 14 fa head bead tal taller lerand and several inches broader of shoulder than his brother ln in law As long as you are in my house dont insult me I 1 am ain as you may ay a jew and I 1 am as you say fay of a commercial comm erdal family but I 1 am not I 1 have neer been licentious Is it necessary to use uch such language you suggested that this interview be conducted by us like gentlemen the man who refuses to give her liberty to a ftfe that loathes him scarcely arcely Bc comes under the definition sly bly ideas on the matter aro ara different we need not discuss them if you will let me read rad my letter I 1 think that we can come to an end of this woodward unwillingly surrendered the small gray ene volpe to it 11 quivering hand jasper turned away and stood near the lamp but ills his excitement prevented him from reading the angular writing jumped before ills his ees at last the words straightened themselves 1 I am glad that you have given me tits ills opportunity to escape from a life that for a long time hns has been dreadful to me ten years ago I 1 made a disaster of my life and yours forgive we me it if you cariti caiane tind let me inc escape I 1 will not see you again whatever you may have to say please say it to woodward from now on lie ile Is my protector in other matters there are my lawyers it Is absolutely not to be thought of that I 1 should speak to you I 1 hope never neer to senyou see iou alone I 1 want you to hate me and this note ought to make it easy tor for you BETTY jasper stared at the name lie ile was utterly bewildered utterly staggered by the amazing dissimulation practiced by this small soft lipped round eyed girl who had lived with him film for so long sufficiently pliable sufficiently agreeable what was naas back of it all another man of course in emrina yi n he be was examining the faces of his acquaintances his lids RS as though the real men passed in review before him perhaps you understand the situation better now asked woodward cruelly jaspers intense pain find and humiliation gave him a sort of calm ile ho seemed entirely cool when he be moved back toward his brother in law ills his ces were clear the heat had bad gone from ills his temples ile he was even smiling a little though there was a white Ihl te even frame to his lips 1 I shall not write to betty nor attempt to see tier her lie he said quietly but I 1 shall ask you to take a message to her woodward assented tell her she shall have tier her release but to get it she will have to walk through the mire and there will be no one walting waiting for her on tile the other side can you remember that not even you will be there ile he was entirely self assured so that woodward felt a chill of dismay 1 I shall hhall contest the suit went on oil jasper and I 1 believe that I 1 shall win it you may tell betty so if you like or she can walt wait to hear it from my lawyer lie ile put the envelope into its ills pocket crossed the room and held back one of the crimson curtains of the door it you have nothing more to say he smiled neither have 1 I goodby ile he bowed slightly and woodward found himself passing before him in silence and some confusion ile he stood for a moment in the hall and having stammered its ills way mily to a cold good afternoon he be put on his hat and went out oui jasper returned to the empty drawing room and began his weaving march before lie he could begin his spinning which he be 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 tier her what trick life with his help hat had played upon her the prospect was bitterly dl distasteful tasteful jasper accused himself of selfishness because she cared nothing for the world was a creature apart lie he had bad let the world think what it would lie ile knew that an askance look would not hurt her for himself secure in innocence he did not care for betty he had bad thought her cruelly certain of him ile he went to jane the lay day after ills interview with woodward kane it was sunday afternoon she was out but came in very soon and lie he stood up to meet her with an air of contusion confusion and guilt the matter with you she asked pulling her gloves from tier her long hands bonds her quickly observant eyes swept him she walked to him and stood near the frosty air was still aboab her and her face was lightly stung to color with exercise ter her wild eyes were startling under the brim of her smart tailored hat bat jasper put a liand land on either of tier her shoulders and bent his head before her my ily poor child it if id only left you in your kitchen 1 joan tightened tier her lips then smiled uncertainly youve got me seared scared she said stepped back and sat down her hands bands in her muff what Is it she asked and in that moment of 0 waiting tilting she was as sickly reni reminded hided of other moments in her life alf of the dearing sound of pierres webs on a crystal winter night of the sound of prospers Iros pers footsteps going away from her up the mountain trail on a autumn morning jasper began its his pacing feeling carefully for delicate phrases lie he told tier her bettys accusation of tier her purpose joan took oft off her hat pushed back the hair from her forehead then as 83 he be came to the end she looked up at him her pupils were larger than usual and the light frosty tint of rose had bad left tier her cheeks checks would you mind telling roe me that again she asked lie did so BO more explicitly she thinks betty thinks that I 1 haie hae been that we ne have been 7 she thinks that of roe me no ko wonder the she been coming to see bee met me she stopped staring blindly at him then you must tell her it true she bhe said cald pitifully and the quiver of her lips hurt him ahl ah I 1 cut but the aishe wont want to belleve that my dear she wanti want to belleve bileve the worst vorst it Is her opportunity to escape me ine you loved her harl have guv e you hurt tier her asked joan god knows I 1 la haie e loved tier her I 1 have never hurt her consciously even she cannot think that I 1 have why must she blame me why do I 1 have to be brought into tills this mr jorena cant slie she go away from you why do the lawyers have to take it up uia you are unhappy and I 1 so sorry but you want tier her to stay slay it if if she love you oil 1 I want tier her I 1 mean to keep her or break her lie ile turned ills his back to say tills this and went toward the window joan fascinated fascinate watched his fingers working into one another tightening crushing its another man she wants lie he said hoarsely and if I 1 can prevent it she shall not have him I 1 will force tier her to keep her vows to me force tier her it if it kills her ill break this passion this fancy ill have tier her back ile he wheeled round showing a twitching face ill prove ro I 1 7 N Y I 1 1 a I 1 Q you dont love lova her said joan very white her infidelity whether ashes been unfaithful or not and then ill take her back after the world has given tier her one of its names you ou dont love tier her said joan very white you tou want to brand her by G dl d I 1 swore the jew and I 1 will brand tier her ill brand tier her lie he fumbled in hla his pocket and brought out the small envelope woodward kane had handed to him the day before ile he stood turning the letter about in his hands bands as though some such meaningless occupation was a necessity to him joans eyes falling upon the letter widened and fixed she has written to me said jasper aa she wants tier her liberty she wants it in such a way that she will fly clear and 1 I yes and you too will be left in the mud theres a man somewhere of course she thinks she has evidence witnesses against 7 me I 1 dont know what rubbish 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 am at your service tor for any amends P ile he stopped in Ms ills halting boiling speech for joan had stood up and was moving across the room tier her eyes fastened on the letter in his hands she had the air of a sleepwalker sleep walker she opened a drawer of her desk took out an old tin fill box once used for tobacco and drew forth a small gray envelope torn in two then she she came back to him film and said let me see that letter and lie he obe obeyed ed as though she had the right to ask she took his letter and hers bers and compared tile the two the small gray squares lying unopened on her knee and she spoke incomprehensibly betty Is the tall child she said and laughed with a catch in her breath jasper looked at the envelopes they were identical bettys gray note paper crossed by bettys angular upright hand iery cry bold very black the torn envelope was addressed to prosper gael jasper took it opened each half laid the parts together and read jasper is dying by the time you get this he will be dead if you can forgive me for having failed you in courage last year come back what I 1 have hare been to you before I 1 will be again only this time we can love openly come back jane janc lorena spoke brokenly what does docs it mean he built that cabin in wyoming for tier her said joan speaking as though jasper had been the canyon hiding place and known its history big tory and she dian didn t come ile he brought me there on ills his bled I 1 was hurt I 1 was waa terribly hurt ile he took care of me prosper jasper thrust in hi ills hl face was drawn with excitement TO BE CONTINUED |