The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-02

q
for certain whether"
odd man or a woman give you the
money! Stephen queried.
"a mar jess answered, steadily. And
then. with little culver In her voice, My
/ husband"
woman from the bed. "Where's your
linesl Where's your wed ling ringi Where's
the fine gentleman himself
Hush, Grannyp said Stephen Eyre.
you know as well as l do that she hain't
| got 'em to show us. Sues come here to
bride us to silence and pleisantnoss with
the proceeds of her sin; aud this is how We'll
dispose of her cursed gifts"
He caught up one or two Of the parcels
which Jess had laid upon the table in his
hand, walked quietly to the wiadow,
| opened it and flung them out into the street.
| The woman, called Alice Drew, uttered
| little protesting muir nur.
"Think Of the starving poor. Stephen"
she said.
"Tnink of your own SOUL" he retorted,
| grimly, ''a1d the stain that this bad woman
wished to bring upon it"
And again threw q parcel into the
| court.
A little hurt cry escaped Jess lips.
| "l'm not bad woman, indeed I'm notin
she said. 80, what have done"
No answer was given her. Stephen took
the bottle of brandy from the table, aud
deliberately broke the neck of it on the
window sIl. The old woman screamed a
protest, of which ne took not the slightest
notice, but continued to pour thu spirit
from the broken neck of the bottle down
the side of the house, until every drop was
gone. Then he flung the bottle out to a
| projecting fiat roof, on which it was shiv-
cred to thousand atoms In sp to of her
ms motive feeling that tears would not adj
vance her cause, jess burst out crying when
she heard the tin Il crash.
Stephen shut the window, and faced her.
Aud now, he said, NOW that YOU We
seen how receive your presents, I'll tell you
the reason why"
"They wern't made to you at all. !" said
| Jess, DasSiola, ely. They were brought
for Granny, and you've cheated her out of
VIII It belonged by rights TO her."
81 can make up U Granny for all I've
took away" said Stephen, quite unmoved
| "Pve kept hsr a good many weeks now,
when you forgot all about her. You was
| living on the fat of the land. da cling and
| singing, and rejo.c ng in the pride of ur
| heart, while Daddy Trotter died o. NEGLECT
and starvation, and your raIdmother was
near coming to the same end. You never
thought y them, did you9 And it was that
you shouldn't have the reproach of your
| grandmother's death, too, on your soul,
that | brought her here and worked for her
niglt and day, and got Alice Drew to help
in the work hoped to do"
II did think of them,@ said jess, sobbing
II meant to come before, but have not
long been back in London. You need not
do anything more for Granny; III see that
she's tax IN care Of AMI as you're SO ia
kind, shall go now, and l will send some
one to see after Granny. / don't want to
stay any longer, and l think you've treated
me very unklnd. | dO.D
She did not see, as she moved toward the
| door, the meaning look that was flashed
| from Stephens eyes to those Of Alice Drew.
| The woman came forward Immediately, and
| touched jess on the shoulder.
Don't hurry, dear" she said, almost pitt
| fully. ITS not late, a I'd we don't mean to
| be unkind to you. Sit down for bit. and
t Stephen talk 70 you aud tell you what he
| means. He only wants to get you saved. -
~ don'C want to hear what he means.n
said Jess, drawing herself up and controll-
| ing her sobs at once. "He has spoken In a
way that l don't like at all, and | won't
| hear no more of 1t. Let me pass, Alice
Drew. if that's your name. want to go
| home"
Listen to me, Jess" said Stephen
| abruptly. "If you think you're going to
| ge5 off as easy as all that, you're mistaken.
| Do you think Pm going to stand by and SEQ
you sell yourself to the devil without a
word? No, I'll drag you back, by main
force if need be, from the very door Of
| HE'LL"
30. be gentle with her-be gsntlep muir
| INJURED the slum sister in his ear But he
went on IN the same tone.
IN tell you why l prayed for you to
come night after night, .aad what I'd made
up my mind to do wnen you dill come.
| know what manner of life you've been
leading, and / don't mean to let it go on
| any longer. You've baen living with a
man that you're are not married to, jess
forever. Some day you'll thank me for
getting you out of George Eastwood's
devil-trap."
Jess had turned very pale, but she spoke
with certain dignity and looked him
straight in the face.
you don't know what you are talking
abou ;" she said. GIVE not been doing
you. 90 to Mr.. Eastwood and ask him if
you lik.."
Il don't act without proof" said Stephen
sternly. "pve been ferreting out things for
sJme time. l know where you live and
what name you go under, Miss Jessica
Strong Why doesen't Eastwood call you
his wife If he has m arried you? He doesn' t
live with yo1, know, at that nice little
house at Mazda Vale, but he comes to see
=
when you were in Italy; you know-he did
call you Mrs. Eastwood. didn't hal Why
has he dropped IT, now you've cone back to
town7 Why, because he didn't want
his friends to hear Of it. He didn't want
them to be scaldAized. And when he's tired
Of you-whIch will be soon-he'll cast you
off; and hsn-theu!-what is left for you
but the streets7'
"You are wrong-quite wrong" said
jess, with white, quivering lips; but she
looked away from him and said no more.
"How am l wrongp asked Stephen, dog
gedly. Have you your marriage. lines to
show mep
Jess shook her head.
where's your wedding-ringp
She looked at the bare white hand that
hung at her side, and faint color stole
into her cheek. With a sort OF involun-
tary movement, her right hand sought the
bosom OF her dress for a moment, and was
Thea as quickly removed. stephen did not
guess what that involuntary gesture meant.
Alice Drew knew at once by woman's
sure instinct that the ring was on ribboa
worn around Jess's neck.
"Can you tell me-" said Stephen, more
slowly still, what cnurcn you were mar
ried inT'
jess sat muta.
MAYBE IL wasn't a church, said Alice
sootningly; sit was q registrars office, was
1t my dearl Tell US all about it, and then
Stephen viii understand and we'll al sing