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Show II IIOVE andMARglED HEH ,j I Ijij. the noted author I L Idah M (alone bg JOHN" MISCVDJ3RSTAXDS ' H I looked at John's face; it was like M A a p,CCf oC Parchment from out of mmmmW'Jt mv which his eyes blazed, 1 began to 111) H talk faster nnd faster for I had only I ' ne lclea anfl t,iat was to lInlsh tne I fjf explanation. I IH It seemed to me that when -I had , H told him all that ho could not be I H angry any more, for certainly, if I D John loved me, Karl Sliepard had ' jH done hm a RTeat service in savins:, Mj my life. However, the more I talked; H? the more enraged bo become, i S I grew afraid: the words would not' ! JH come; stood and looked at hlruj HI dumbly. l mm Hp. came over to me and placed j BJ his hands on my shoulders with a J H grasp so strong that 1 winced with H pain as he pulled mo from the chair, H and T stood face to face with tiim.j il "Toll me, tell me," he said thick-; H) ly, "what is there between you and. I mm Could Not. Answer I W; I could not have answered if it I j mj had cost me my life. The very man- I. , 8B nor he asl;ed that awful question I P made it impossible for me to an- I, swer. My heart slopped beating and I r I fejt my breath grow cold as it I"' t passed my trembling lips. I cloed 1ST r t my eyes to shut out the horror of I I I j the accusation. ' , I I ' ' y8" "Why don't you answer?" and the I -"f- S"rip of liis hand on my shoulder I p grew unbearable. I A In silence I cringed beneath it. r ? 1 "Answer mo, answer me. Is Karl L 'J ' Shepard your lover?" j I ' "Stop, stop, John, you arc liurllnsr. 1 me." 1 ' ' He looked at me in surprise, for! j,' he did not realize that he was hurtf I ( ing me physically. He seemed to j think it was his question that had j I bruised my heart. I : 1 "Don't try any of those tricks on' me," said John roughly. "There Is I only one thing 1 want, one thing I I must have, and that is an answer to j my question." j "But, John, I cannot stand thc( pain," I answered, and 1 tried to draw away from him. It was only, then that he knew that his hand! I upon my shoulder was brutally cruel,' , j' , and" he took it away so suddenly j that I fairly fell Into the chair from which he ilfted me and began to cry' ' like a hurt child. J ' A "There, there, don't cry. I didn't j u, ' mean to hurt you." , k ,ff "But you have, but you have," andj ! 'l. 1 pulled by negligee away from my ' - shoulder to show him Ihe great red, mark his fingers had made. .Must Know the Truth I - 1 , ; "Oh. I know I'm a bea3t,- but I 'must know the truth." "You know it already If you stop ' to think sanely." I "You haven't answered my question J yet." he said again: I rose to my feet and faced him. f knew my eyes wero blazing with the same rage with which his were : filled. j "I do not intend to," I answered. "You don't intend to. What do you mean?"' "Just what I have said and nothing noth-ing more." "Do you mean to tell me that you will not answer this question? Do you know what you would have me think from your silence?" "I do not believe you really knowj the insults you are heaping upon j me." - "I do not believe you really know the agony you are making me bear, Kathcrine." "Oh, John, why do you do this? It is so horrible to quarrel with you now. Wait at least until after my dcai mother is burled," "Don't brim? your. dear mother into id! the controversy. She would tell you it if" she were alive that living troubles id 'were much worse than dead ones." )fj "But this should not trouble you, I John. Don't you see that I need never ic'have told you about Karl Shepard. r' Can't ybu see that it is his honest land mine that has enraged you with Jus. You must believe me when I tell rll you that T was wholly surprised when j he drew back from that awful leap g into that great unknown." Demands More Tj'cht ir! "What do you mean by 'that awful g leap into the great unknown .'' " he 0 asked. d j I saw Unit in his Jealousy he had 1 not realised just what I would have n'donc if Karl Shepard had not been s there to prevent me, and I said, 1 "Why, John, don't you yet undcr-o undcr-o stand that in a terrible moment of j weakness I was about to hurl myself c J into the ocean." 0 - He looked at me for a moment in y, sheer amazement 'and then smiled as I lone smiles at a child who is making I , J vi p fairy tales. yj "Surely, you don't ask me to believe j that you could be silly enough to do y'a thing like that?" J "You may believe it or not, as you t choose, but I know that I was miserable miser-able enough to do it and would have 1 j done so If it had not been Jor Karl f Shepard. If you care anything for I , my life please remember you owe it I to your friend." I (To Be Continued) |