The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-05-04
CHAPTER III.

scathing words, 81 have never ceased
to reproach 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-
mant, 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 you?"
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 mer' he said,
gnawing at his underlip viciously.
"Willing! Never!' 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. 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 illness 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, ard the bargain is complete,
the debt all paid Today you have
broken every bond, every link, every
chain, between us. l bear your name;
that all. "
"Is that your last word, Mary?"
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 me-never-never--
neverl'
You'll be glad when I'm goner'
Thankful
"You'll never remember anything of
what l did for your"
IL shall always remember you as the
man who struck me-"
you'd like to be free of mei"
She drew a deep breath more signif-
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
perhaps To make you suitable allow
ance and clear out myself, Ell? To leave
you and your old mother
Leave my mother out of itl'' she
cried fercely.
"Oh, 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, a 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
II was satisfied enough with my life
before You came and made her dissatis.
fled with the provision that l 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. Well do provide for |
you both--I shall continue to do SO.
But there's side to my part of the
bargain. Ididn't look to provide for
wife, to say nothing Of her mother, and
to keep away from her, and won't do
1t. You've no witness that I struck
you. And it wouldn't sound likely
story anyhow. I'll go 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.
l shall come home again, and you II re.
ceive me as if nothing had happened
between us. I'm sorry l forgot myself
just now, and for that reason III 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"
II shall never begin again as if moth
ing had happened" she exclaimed
"How could II You
struck me. So long as you were oy y old
and rough and-and--d istasteful to me,
I endured you. But you have gone be-
yond"-
"You took me for better or worse"
he interrupted.
II know it, but did not bargain for
Its being all for worse"
"We'll see about that" he said, with
! snesr. otis 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 I think whsn you
some to facing the world from the very
bottom Of the ladder with your invalid