Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-05-17
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RvIOHN STRANGE WINTER.
Copyright, 1898, by the Author.
CHAPTER III.
,yr-, On, rryNnr
HER LAST WORD.

SCdtuluS WOIuS, nave uefcA ScaSoo
to reprcach myself for having loathed
you. Now, with all my heart, I thank
God for it," they were followed by
long, dead silence. She, slight and frail
and ashen white. stood boldly fronting
him. her eyes filled with intensest
scorn and showing no shred Of the fear
with which her heart was quaking; he,
divided between rage and astonish-
ment. just touched with shame that he
should have raised his hand to a 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 a 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 a word" "
"But you married mel You were
willing enough to marry mel he said
gnawing at his underlip viciously.
"Willingl NeverI' she flashed out.
81 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
nv heart nor the husband of my imagl-
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
nv mothers illness; that every day the
nurse remained, every drop Of wine
my mother drank, every strawberry
she ate, was entered into an account
which l was to pay one day with my
very hearts blood. Well, you have had
your pound of flesh, you have bought
your wife, ard 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.
'sIs that your last word, Mary2"
Eyes. my last word. No, I 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 me-never-never-
neverr'
"You'n be glad when I'm gomez" :.
"Thankful."
you'll never remember anything of
what did for your"
81 shall always remember you as the
man who struck me-"
YOU'D like to be free of me9"
She drew deep breath more signiti-
cant than words. He laughed aloud, a
laugh void of merriment, such as one
might hear from the fiends in hell.
"You'd like me to provide for you
perhaps9 To make you suitable allow
ance and clear out myself, eh9 To leave
you and your old mother
"Leave my mother out of itp' she
cried fiercely.
"Oh, I've no wish to say anything
against her!" he retorted. "To do her
full justice, she's always been appreci-
ative 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 aud made her dissatis-
fed with the provision that I was able
to make for her. You took away my
living. 1t is but right that you should
provide for both. You did nothing with
your eyes shut.
"Nor you. WE'LL do provide for
you both-I shall continue to do so.
But there's side to my part of the
bargain. I didn't look to provide for a
wife, to say nothing of her mother, and
to keep away from her, and won't dc
it. You've no witness that I struck
you. And it wouldn't sound likely
story anyhow. I'll 60 away today in
stead of Monday, fer I'm sore and angry
and not master of myself, and neither
are you. But I shall come back again.
I shall come home again, and you II re-
ceive me as if nothing had happened
between us. I'm sorry 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 if moth
ing had happened" she exclaimed
passionately. "How could 1? You
struck me. So long as you were only old
and rough nd-and-distastefu to me,
I endured you. But you have gone be-
yond"-
"You took me for better or worse. y
he interrupted.
81 know it. but I did not bargain for
its being all for worse. "
"We'll see about that" be said, with
a sneer. 'tIt's easy work talking of
what one will or one won't do. You've
left yourself in cleft stick. my fine
little lady wife. and 1 think when you
come to facing the world from the very
bottom of the ladder with your invalid
mother. who has got used to comfort
able way of living, you'll find it harder
than you think for. It's one thing to
talk large about breaking loose, and it's
another thing to do it with your handi-
cap tied round your neck. Anyway,
that's my last word. I've made up my
mind. It's case of my will giving way
to yours or yours breaking down to
mine. l don't intend if there's any
breaking down that it shall be on my
side
He did not give her time to reply, but
went out of the room with great bus
tie, and the next moment she heard him
giving directions to the servants about
his baggage. A few minutes afterward