| Show jt av by sara ware BASSETT 10 by the penn pub co service On ww CHAPTER XIII continued 17 julien had saved conscientiously but corinne had been extravagant and iclet let the major part of her earnings sill through her fingers lie ile was now asking how much she had mid laid aside and ito her consternation she found she kad had almost nothing she was ashamed to face him what could she say she did not know what impulse prompted her to take the lie jewels she bad never stolen before in all her life the diamonds had been constantly in her care and it had never occurred to iler her to appropriate them it bid hal been a sudden mad temptation created cre ailed by the need of money and she had yielded to it without thought scarcely were the gems in iii her poss possession emlon em lon before she regretted her ber action tin and longed to U undo addo it she would have taken them back had she riot not feared the consequences quen ces she begged julien should not be told what she had bad done if her crime could be concealed from him she ehe was willing to make any restitution I 1 demanded perhaps I 1 was a sentimental anyway I 1 simply could not see it t my illy duty to hand band the unhappy creature over to the authorities destroy julians Jn Ju liens faith in her wipe out the future she had set her heart upon I 1 felt it given a cliance chance she would make good promising I 1 would remain sile silent nt I 1 pocketed the gems and came aw away ay whether I 1 acted rightly or wron wrongly gly I 1 do not know 1 I suppose by br this time the two are married and on their way to france I 1 believe corinne told the truth and that under other influences she will become an excellent wife and mother at least she has the opportunity the other halt half of my tale the halt half I 1 neither foresaw nor planned Is familiar to you the fog that drove me out ot of my bourse course my subsequent shipwreck and illness the coming of currier our old family servant the chain of circumstances that brought upon me the calamities iron from which I 1 have fustec just extricated trica ted myself these are an old story etory the only thing that now remains to clear my sky Is for me to right myself with marcia that will be easy smiled sylvia 1 I wish I 1 thought so was heaths deaths moody answer barcla SI arcla Is no ordinary woman her understanding and love are measure less love mr heath forgives a great deal 1 I know it does in that lies iles my only hope she was not in the house when at last stanley heath overtook her but far up the beach tossing driftwood into the surf for prince hal to re tryeve the man paused watching them hatless her splendid body aglow with exercise barcla had the freedom and wholesomeness of a young at ath h lete yet with all her strength and muscular mu ease there was a grace unmistakably feminine la in her every movement when she turned and saw him she uttered tittered a faint cry but she did not advance to meet him prince hal did that racing up the beach uttering shrill yelps ot of welcome as lie he came A second and the dog was again at marcias side and la in this ecstacy of delight he continued to run back and forth until stanley heath had covered the sandy curve that intervened and himself stood beside her barcla SI arcla dearest I 1 have come back come to ask your forgiveness I 1 misjudged you cruelly the night we parted and to in anger spoke words I 1 had bad ao right to speak forgive me dearl forgive me can you 1 I forgave you long a ago 0 o before yon asked she whispered borg forgave ave without understanding how like you I 1 but you must not do that you have more to forgive in me than you know marcta marcia I 1 have beba proud unbelieving unworthy of ft a love lov like yours I 1 have made you suffer suffer needlessly listen to what I 1 have to tell and then see if you can still forgive turning they walked slowly along the shore 1 I could have told you about the jewels and how I 1 came by them at the outset had bad I 1 not suddenly conceived the idea of teasing you the plan to conceal my story came to me as a form of sport a subtle psychology psycho psychological log ical game here I 1 was pitched without ceremony into a strange environment among persons persona who knew nothing of my background what would they mike make of we me how rate me when cut off from my real setting I 1 resolved to try out the llie experiment women are said eald to be inquisitive particularly those living in isolation my advent could not but stimulate questions I 1 thought it would be an anniel ng adventure to circumvent not you yo curiosity but also that of tk me rollag 1 I placed mccant blaut dependence oa an faille ielne anine discernment and consta constancy ncr when I 1 went to the war I 1 left behind a girl who pledged herself to love and wait for me when I 1 came back it was to find her married to my best friend the discovery shook my confidence tn in human nature and especially bially in women to its foun dallons I 1 derided loie loe vowing I 1 never would marry and be made a puppet of a second time the remainder of the story you know 1 I stumbled a stranger into your home ome and instantly you set at naught h all 11 my preconceived theories of 0 womanhood by believing in me with an unreasoning faith you asked no questions you did not even exhibit a legitimate curiosity in tte peculiar network of circumstances that entangled me you were i a new nev type of being and I 1 regarded you with wonder still I 1 was not satisfied I 1 felt sure that if pressed too far your trust in rue me would crumble and therefore I 1 tried deliberately to break it down by throwing obstacles in its pathway when suspicion closed in upon me I 1 put you to further tests by withholding the explanations pla nations I 1 could easily have made it was a contemptible piece of c egoism olsin selfish and cruel and dearly have I 1 paid for IL but at least remember that it if I 1 caused you suffering I 1 have suffered also tor for marcia through it all I 1 loved you I 1 recognized from the alie moment I 1 first looked into your eyes that a force mightier than ourse hes drew us together a force not to be denied nevertheless so bitter had been my experience I 1 dared not yield to this strange new power instead I 1 opposed it etli alth all my strength giving my love reluctantly fighting inch by inch the surrender I 1 sensed to be inevitable you on the other hand had like myself known betrayal but you had taken the larger view and not allowed it to warp or mar your outlook on life when love came knocking a second time you were neither too proud nor too cowardly to answer it but freely gave your affection with the gladness and sincerity so characteristic of you 1 I do not deserve such a love beside the largeness of your nature my own shows itself childish a small poor thin thing for which I 1 blush help me to erase the past 1 I lovo love you with my whole soul dear everything in me loves you sly my life Is worth nothing unless you share it will you ali ah you need not fear marcia sylvia has told me everything beloved there Is not and never has been a barrier to our marriage we have misunderstood one another let us do so no longer 1 I am a free man acquitted come to me and let us begin life afresh she came then swiftly As he held her in his arms the last shadow that separated them melted away under the glow of 0 the noonday su sun n they walked back toward the homestead liand hand in hand sylvia came running to meet them and throwing her arms about marcia SI arcla kissed her everything Is all right I 1 can see that she cried oh I 1 am so glad so J jad glad ad for both of you youl I 1 I 1 believe I 1 just could not stand it it if you weri were riot not happy because I 1 am so happy myself bortle Is here you know St stanley ailley tell you why stanley heath arent you ashamed to forget all about hortie and me yes bortle came this morning were eu aged see my ring I 1 repeated heath clercy on us marcia you must have a ring I 1 cannot allow this young sprite of a niece illece to outdo you I 1 am afraid I 1 was not as foresighted as sir mr fuller however still I 1 can produce a ring such as it Is here dear you shall wear this until I 1 can get something better he slipped from his little finger the wrought gold ring with its beautifully cut diamond 1 I picked this up in india he be sald said 1 I ant am sure it will try it war mar deiv cla 1 I I 1 do n ring she drawing braning back and putting her hands nervously behind her ot of course courie you do interposed ed sylvia how absurd 1 A ring la Is part of being engaged A very very small part marcia answered it Is a part the girl insisted come dont be silly let stanley put it on playfully she caught marcias Mar clas hands and imprisoning them drew them forward on the left one glistened a narrow gold band jasons Jason sIll I 1 cried sylvia jasons I 1 take it olt oil and give it to me you owe nothing to jason even 1 I a howe would not have you preserve longer that worn out allegiance neither would my mother tho the past Is dead boj haie closed the door upon it you said so yourself never think of li it again you belong to stanley now to stanley and to no one else As she spoke sylvia took the ring from the older womans comans hand and held it high in tile the air the past Is dead she repeated and the last reminder of it ls Is gone there was a gleam as the golden band spun aloft and catching an inas 71 J y X az 0 he held her in his arms the last shadow that separated them melted away slant giant the glory disappeared beneath the foam that marked the line of incoming breakers now stanley put your ring upon her finger it Is a symbol of a new life of hope of happier things it so marcia SIar clar yes I 1 yes I 1 j I 1 sylvia kv ivia drew a long iong breath breann A I 1 there bere I 1 now we well I 1 I 1 not pe be serio serious a minute longer this Is the greatest day of dim lives there must not be even a shadow in our heaven kiss me marcia il arcla ant and come and meet bortle II ortle poor dear I 1 lie he Is paralyzed with arl fright lit at the thought of appearing into your presence I 1 left him hiding behind the door I 1 could not coax him out ot of the house houm now ilow ridiculous you must have made me out an ogre 11 on the contrary I 1 made you out an enchantress I 1 told him you would bewitch him why he became panic stricken do be nice to him for my sake ile he really Is a lamb sylvia stepped to the piazza horatio called she imperiously come out hero rl right bt away and meet your aunt Il arcla and please stanley forgive me for mistaking you for a bandit im dreadfully mortI mortified fled still you must admit circumstantial evid evidence nce was strong against you all of which proves on what shifting tin sand rest our moral characters say rather our reputations reputation dew deal child heath corrected THE END endl |
