Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-05-31

% Se
eY THE AOTAoR
10 reproacn myself for having loathed
/, you. Now. with all my heart, thank
God for it" they were followed by
long, dead silence. She, slight and frail
and ashen white, stood boldly fronting
him, her eyes filed with intensest
scorn and showing no shred of the fear
with which her heart was quakings he.
divided between rage and astonish.
ment. just touched with shame that he
should have raised his hand to woman,
and that woman his young wife. So
they stood until at last he found words
with which to speak.
$50 you loathe me, do your"
An older or wiser woman might
have given softer answer than leaped
to Mary Conway's lips in reply. Eyes,
she said harshly. "Only loathing is too
mild word"
"But you married mel You were
willing enough to marry mel" he said,
gnawing at his underlip viciously.
"Willingl Neverp' she flashed out.
II married you, it is true, with feel
ings of gratitude, with desire to do
my best to repay you for the money you
had laid out, with belief that you
were kind and good if not the lover Of
my heart nor the husband of my imagi-
nation. I have learned since that there
was no need of gratitude from me to
you; that there was no kindness or
goodness in the help you gave during
my mothers illpess; that every day the
nurse remained, every drop Of wine
my mother drank, every strawberry
she ate, was entered into an account
which was to pay one day with my
very hearts blood. Well. you have had
your pound of flesh, you have bought
your wife, and the bargain is complete
the debt all paid. Today you have
broken every bond, every link, every
chain, between us. ] bear your name
that's all. I"
sis that your last word, MaryR''
Eyes, my last word. No. am not
afraid Of you. My poor little frail body
Is afraid, horribly, desperately afraid
Of you, but my heart and soul and all
that's best of Observation-Disclosures
neverl'
"You'll be glad when I'm gomez"
"Thankful.
you'll never remember anything Of
what did for your
~ shall always remember you as the
man who struck me. !"
"You'd like to be free Of mef''
She drew deep breath more signii-
cant than words. He laughed aloud, q
laugh void of merriment, such as one
might hear from the fends in hell.
"You'd like me to provide for you
perhaps7 To make you suitable allow
ance and clear out myself, ehp To leave
you and your old mother
leave my mother out Of lit" she
cried fiercely.
ooh, I've no wish to say anything
against herl" he retorted. "To do her
full justice, she's always been appreci-
alive enough of ME, laundering deal
more SO than you have. Still she's there.
She's got to be reckoned with, to be
provided for, and you'd like to see her
end her days in comfort :"
81 was satisfied enough with my life
before YOU came and made her dissatis.
fed with the proyision that / was able
to make for her. You took away my
living. It is but right that you should
provide for both. You did nothing with
Your ewes shut,
"Nor you. Well do provide for
you both-I shall continue to do so.
But there's side to my part Of the
bargain. didn't look to provide for a
wife. to saw nothing of her mother. and
to keep away from her, and / won't dc
it. You've no witness that / struck
you. And it wouldn't sound a likely
story anyhow. I'll 90 away TODAY in.
stead of Monday, for I'm sore and angry
and not master of myself, and neither
are you. But shall come back again.
shall come home again, and YOU III re.
ceive me as if nothing had happened
between us. I'm sorry 1 forgot myself
Just now, and for that reason I'll give
you till come home again to pull your.
self together in, and after that we will
begin again as if nothing had happen.
ed"
| 81 shall never begin again as IL moth.
ing had. happened. !" she exclaimed
nass;onate,v ..How co,,1a ~ W.
struck me. So long as you were only old
and rough and-and-distasteful to me,
I endured YOU. But YOU have gone be.
yond"-
"Yon took ma for hetter or worse >,
he interrupted.
~ know II. Int did not haroo;n 70,
it's being all for worse
"We'Il see about that" he said with
a sheer. cts easy work talking d
what one will or one won, = do Ynn,y.
left yourself in a cleft stick, my fine
little lady wife, and l think when YOU
come to facing the world from the very
bottom of the ladder with your invalid
mother, who has got used to a comfort.
able way of living, you IL find it harde,
than you think for. It's one thing te
talk large about breaking loose, and it,.
another thing to do it with yonr handi