The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1902-05-01
HIS EVIL GENIUS
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has brought it there! II you would
only give it all up, and-and-"
"And what, dearest?" he replied,
tearing his eyes for q moment from
the latest stable tips and sporting
Intelligence, and letting them rest
fondly on his young wife's pretty face.
"What is the other grievances real
one, or only imaginary, like the first ?"
''They are both very real troubles
to me, DEAR" she replied. sadly. "Not
grievances, but troubles. And they
press upon my heart night and day.
The first is your terrible mania for
speculation-gambling, pure and sim.
pie, either horse racing or on the
Stock exchange; the other in the in
ereasing influence which that man
Sharp has over you. Week by week,
day by day, / have seen it grow, and
1t makes my heart stand still with
''Fear?" echoed Geoffrey Grey
flushing deeply as he spoke. "Now
what on earth is there to be afraid
Of? Sharp is rs good fellow as ever
breathed; he wouldn't hurt fly, and l
am quite capable of protecting my
self"
physically, yes" she replied, sadly.
IS she looked at the stalwart form and
handsome face, but not morally. Fred
Sharp is what men may call good
fellow but what we women call a
lnt VTa 1, 20 t,l
he makes you fired with n mad desire
Hor wealth hastily made. Sooner or
later the end will come-ruin, real
o. and complete, dismissal from your sit
uation, .bankruptcy-pray Heaven it
may not be prison cell. It is my
love for you, Geoff. that makes my
vision so clear. i see in Fred Sharp
your black angel-the man who ere
long will blind you 30 completely that
you will be no longer able to dissia-
guish right from wrong"
"You women are so fond of flying
to conclusions" said he, irritably. be-
cause of the truth underlying her
words, truth he could not fail see-
; Ing, in spite of himself; "and as us.
ual you are all astray. The fact Is
that it cuts me to the quick, hurts my
pride to see you shahbily dressed, to
see you cramped up in box of u
place like this, to think of you for
ever as only the wife OF clerk. Oh!
Violet, my mania for wealth is all for
your sake, dearest, because l cannot
bear to hide your beauty away in u
cottage. long to see you shine in the
society nature intended you for, as
you did in your fathers house. as
your sisters do in their wcalthier
husbands. / alone am poor"
"And l fell in love with you poor.
I married you poor. I desire no
riches, only your love, Geoff--our
own dear pretty little home, and n
clear conscience-oh! if you would
only set my heart at rest and be con
tent-as I am-with your salary. Is
is that man coming tonight? Are
you-are you going out with him"
Ccofrrcy's eyes fell beneath her sweet
clear gaze and her heart sank. She
was not one Of the wives who grudget
her husband his club, or would have
denied him the society OF his ole
friends; but she saw the whirlpool
bearing him off his feet and she
Seemed powerless TO save him.
II Fred Sharp was his evil genius
his wife was his good angel, and fai,
enough in appearance to add strength
TO her pleadings; but for once he
entreatics, her eloquencc, her beauty
was wasted. for her husband buried
himself in the paper again, mood,
gloom upon his brow. The crisis sh
dreaded was at hand, and he mean
TO make one bid for fortune-thel
he would give it up forever. He shiv
cred as he realized how many barquc
had been shipwreckcd on the sea O
speculation; but this one thing wa
so safe, so certain, there was no pos
sibility of failure, or even then at tn
last moment he would draw back
but Fred Sharp had had privat
tip-had seen with his own eyes
was a dead certainty, and old Maso
would not return for another weel
He had control OF all the cash, an
$500 at that juncture would b
turned into thousands before he ha
to account for it. But how lat
Sharp was. He said seven o'clock. an
Il was just on eight.
"Come in-oh! / thought it wa
you"
"Stoppage on the line, horrid nu
sance. Never mind, como along nov
it's all right about that biz. You're
lucky fellow to be in it. Ysu ha,
the money all right, of course?"
"At the Office" weakly, while
sense of awful depression seized hin
sBut. Sharp, my wife"