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Show I : LOW and MARRED IIFEl I; i 2ij, the noted author t i Idaih MGloneMihson JlllMIMIMIII ill- 'I "if ' 1 '' ' 1 " 1 ' 'JOHN DESTROYS KARL'S LETTER. HT John quickly unfolded Karl Shep- - ink ard's letter, and not wishing to see 'ft-' the remorse that I was sure would r- show in his face when he read it, I Hp- turned to leave the room. flE I was half way to the door, however. 9$ when I hoard the sound of tearing VbT.' paper and I suddenly stopped still. It MBs didn't seem possible to me that John Kj g Cordon would tear up my letter, cs- flP pecially as I knew he had not had Lime to read, a line and quickly on the K heels of this disturbing thought came St another which was tragic in the ex- S Ireme. I knew that if John, in a mo- S nient of quick anger, should destroy tail's letter withowt reading it, he w6iild aYways. he doubtful ,cf its con- fa. V tents.-: l turned about and faced him. f y j BfcJis time he was tearing it into fl 'ViHiy did you do that, John?" I de- , (V- ' "1 have no desire to read another H , man's love letter to my wile," 'ho an- rKH ' &' swered sullenly. HH V-; . a Love Letter. jjK "Oh, John, you must know that it 1 uas llot a love letter. Why Karl .told. ! W die right in the letter .to i:how itVfo JW' you. I kept It purposely so that you might see it. Do .you for one mo- Hm '", ' ment- suppose if it were a real love K$k9(' letter that' I v.ould have let you h-e,e Efiffl '.t? John, women no not bare, their fMh hear.ls to thoir husbands if they .'javcl SU'- anything- in them :o conceal." j Hfflf a "Ycir may tell r.ie what was in it," Mfflm said, nnd I knew f-om tlic tone of his voice that his anger was evaporating. evaporat-ing. 'It was then I ha'. I grew angry and 1 said, "Vou have had your chance, John Gordon, and you did not take advantage of iL 1 am too tired to tajk to you any more lonighL" ' "Come back, come bad:, girl," he pleaded as I started toward the door. "No, I shall not come back, and, what is more to tho point, I shall never tell you what was In that letter. let-ter. ' , ' ' Come back, como back, Kalherine. Are you going to leave me forever?" Until John had said this I iiad not thought of such a tiling, but now it seemed to me that if he would" just go quietly out of my lift-, or let me go out of his I would at least have a surcease sur-cease from this pai):, from .his heartache. heart-ache. John came swiftly forward and caught me to him. In doing so he hurt my shoulder which his hand had bruised. I do not know whether it .was the physical .pain or whether It was because I could stand no more excitement ex-citement ihat I collapsed in his anus. Lying in the Chaise. When I came to myself I was lying in the chaise lounge where I had so pfttn seen my mother's Iragile form, and John was kneeling beside me, covering cov-ering my arms and hands with kisses. "Oh, I am a beast, a beast, Kather-ine," Kather-ine," he said. "Really I do not r.ean to be so brutal, but when I think of your caring more' for another man than you do for me, I simply go u.ad.' "I do not care more for anyone on earth than I do for you. John, but I must tell you honestly that 1 wish 1 1 did not care for you. It is my lovej ior you mat manes it possiu:e tor ycu j to make me so unhappy." i "If leaig unhappy iu a test of love, then I am very much in love with you, dear, and I must be loving you more than I ever did in my life, for this is the first time, girl, that you ever made j mo unhappy." "But you have been annoyed with me, John, many, many tie.es." "No, never," he answered stoutly. I smiled. It was so ridiculous. If I ' had not been so weary, so exhausted, I would have told him of tho many times he had tesn annoyed with mo, but as it was I just closed my eyes, for I fell as though 1 could not speak ( another word. j "How Light You Are!" I John noticed my exhaustion aud as J he picked me up in his amis he ex-I ex-I claimed. "Why. girl, how light you are. I did not realize that your illness ill-ness had made you so thin. You seem like a little, weary child. Oh, Kalherine, Kalh-erine, I guess 'I have been a brute to ' you. i don't wonder that you are i ready to fall in love with Karl Shep-! Shep-! ard or any other man that is good to you. Come." he said as he laid mo down on the bed, 'Til call Hannah to help you prepare for sleep." lie kissed me softly and such has always been the spell John's kiss has woven for me that my arms stole up ; about his neck ard I did not mind oven i the hurt of my bruised shoulder. Tomorrow John Sees a New Light |