san's death," Elizabeth evaded,
determined not to recognize his trend.

"You could 'a' come before her death, there was plenty of time. Now look
here, I ain't goin' t' beat about th' bush. I'm talkin' square. You can't
git away from me. You've had th' best chance a woman ever had t' help
another woman, an' you didn't take it. Sadie was that took by what you
said about bein' glad for th' chance t' have your baby, an' th' idea of
helpin' him t' have th' best disposition you could give 'im, that she
didn't talk of nothin' else for weeks, an' she looked for you till she was
sick, an' you never come. I want t' know why?"

Elizabeth Hunter had come to the judgment-bar; she could not escape these
cross-questions, neither could she answer. Her face grew white as Luther
Hansen looked searchingly into it, and her breath came hard and harder as
he looked and waited. This chance to talk to Luther was like wine to her
hungry soul, but John Hunter was her husband and she refused to accuse him
even after the long months of despair she had suffered at his hands.
Luther let her gather herself for her reply, not adding a word to the
demand for truth and friendship. How he trusted her in spite of it all! He
watched her indecision change to indignation at his insistence, and he saw
her head grow clear as she decided upon her course.

"I will not discuss the past with you, Luther," she said slowly, as one
who comes to a conclusion as he proceeds. "I cannot tell you all the
things which have led up to it. I am going to ask you not to mention it to
me again, but I will try to do it better next time. I had no idea that
Sadie cared whether I came to see her or not; she had always seemed to
dislike me." Elizabeth added the last hesitatingly lest she hurt Luther's
feelings.

"Lizzie, I won't be put off. If you don't want t' tell me _why_ you've
done as you have, I won't ask you t', but you've got t' let me talk t' you
about it all th' same. I ain't a man t' let myself mix up in my
neighbours' affairs, but, Lizzie, you ought t' live up t' th' things God's
put int' your power t' do. Now, then, you let folks get a wrong idea of
you. You've got more education 'n anybody else's got in this country, an'
you've got more money, an' you've got more everything 'n th' rest of us,
an' what's it been give t' you for if it ain't goin' t' come t' nothin'?
Here you've had th' best chance t' do somethin' for a neighbour woman a
woman ever had: Sadie's been tha