Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-12-18

ll@ Copyright, 1901, bu q
TX Martha McCullocI- Williams y
| "Nol Can't do it, dear boy! Sorry,
but 'pon my life simply can't" Ridge
ley said, nodding solemnly and blink
ting like an OWL Ridgeley was forty
five, bibulous, dubious, with fortune
swollen to match his bulk and fond
mess for spending his money in strictly
his own ways.
/ The room was deadly still. Trenwick
started little at the click of a coal
cracking in the crate. He got up, stood
with his back to the fire, SO its telltale
light could not reach his face as he
said, with the least little shrug:
''That must be as you please. l won
der, though, if you quite realize what
| your refusal must mean to me-"
For moment Ridgeley sat silent;
then his hand went to the bell, and he
said half querulously: Say what, my
boy? You must have a bracer-two
bracers-before you go down to the
street. Beastly place anyway! It's
it's shame you ever went into it."
sIt will be blacker shame my get
ting out of it." Trenwick said grimly.
Then, his voice shaking with passion:
'Ridgeley, surely you-you don't un-
derstand it. lit is all true, every
word told you. To save myself from
beggary l used another mans money
without his knowledge. Unless unless
replace it before he does know shall
go behind the bars-that is, II | let my
self live. You know would never do
that"
"Cut the whole wretched mess! I'll
lend you five hundred" Ridgeley, be-
gan.
Trenwick's face got gray. Something
seemed to clutch his throat lnvolun-
tarily he stood a thought straighter.
"a Trenwick never yet ran away from
anything" he began, then dropped his
face In his hands, saying huskily, ''nor
stole until / disgraced the blood"
"Cheer up! You-you make me
nervous" Ridgeley said, nodding
again and settling the big diamond
upon his shirt front where it would
catch a brighter CLEAN Of freight.
Ridgeley was given to purple and fine
linen. Upon the least occasion his raj
ment was positively riotous. A ruby,
almost priceless, glimmered upon his
hand. He turned the stone, glanced
complacently at it and called to his
man, who came noiselessly through
the door, 1.-TWO fizzy ones, Jenkins, aud
make 'em good and long" Then as
the door closed behind Jenkins: "'Pon
me soul, dear boy, I'd like to see you
through, but twenty thousandl 1t
would be downright immoral to risk SO
much money Why, that would keep
yacht in commission almost sea-
son through
Trenwick turned to the window. Out
side the tide of life in the avenue was
at flood. 1t was turning IL o'clock.
He had until to make good his bal
ances If only he could make good, he
was sure the very next day would find
him in the flood tide of fortune There
was a tickle, semipanicky market He
stood to win the stake Of his life IL
only he could keep above water until
the tide turned. Nothing short of that
imminent hazard would have brought
him to Ridgeley.
Ridoolnu had coouood fn him fhoco
twenty years past, ever since he came
suddenly into great riches, as not much
more than human clot, wholly unlike
the slow witted yet gallant lad who
had been his chum at college. Because
of that neutrality-suspicious. regard he
had never sought to profit by old time
intimacy with the bachelor millionaire
Trenwick wondered duly as he looked
at him how it came about that he was
a bachelor. 1t could not be that old
boy and girl affair with his sister May.
May had been dead this twenty
years and more. She had died indeed
before her wedding gown was out of
fashion. Judge Barton, her rich old
husband, had mourned her deeply, but
not enough to keep him from exacting
usuriouS interest for every loan he
made Trenwick nor from turning him
outdoors when the debts and the inter-
est ate up the family estate. The
judges widow lived there now, with
her healthy young son to come after
her. Mays child had not lived. Some
how Trenwick felt that as a sort Of
special punishment to himself. He had
virtually made the match for his sis
ter He was worldly. even case hard
ened, but still he did not like to recell
her eyes when he had said to her:
"Of course you'll marry the judge.
You are the luckiest girl l know to
have the chance of him. Think what it
would be to put up with an ordinary
dull fellow-say with poor old Ridge
ley" And then he had stopped short,
for May had run away, with her head
high, but her cheeks like ashes.
It all came back to him as he stood
beside the window watching the vivid
human stream without. Stealthily he
turned and looked Ridgeley over, try
ing to recall in his unwieldy bulk the
open features, the manly, fair proper
tons of his old college mate. A vague,
keen anguish shot through him. Why
was all life so crisscross? Why every
thing one laid hold on futile? If for
tune needs must come to Ridgeley,
why not have come in time? He was
sensible it had been pride and poverty
that had kept Ridgeley from speaking
out. In the old days Ridgeley had had
nothing beyond the promise of bis very
moderate wits. His uncle, who had
Educated him, could barely tolerate
him until his own son died and left
poor Ridgeley alone to. inherit the mil
lions. That was month after Mays
marriage She had not been dead six
months when Ridgeley was In posses
sion of the big estate.
If those two had married! Trenwick
dashed hand across his eyes. He
was incoming there, with life itself at
stake. Ridgeley was his last hope,
and Ridgeley had failed him. He had
humbled himself to supplication. He
could not do 1t again. He was learn
ing that there are things very much
harder than DEATH All that remained
now for him was to make an end of
things as quickly and as decently as
possible.