Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-24
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if you only will. ! am going to leave you desc.
late and disconsolate widow. A grass widow IL
you like; but you will have your freedom.
am gong TO leave my country for my countrv's
good; ! shall never come back again. But the
crash has come at a time when ! least expected
u, winch Is habit that crashes have. What L
come for is money"
Money! Surely you made sorry mistake
then!"
'Oh, nos Pm not asking for cash. seeing that
you nave practically none of your own. As you
refuse to consider yourself my wife. in future
you must also decline to take anything from me-
therefore those diamonds are not your property
If you will hand them over to me, we will shake
hands and part forever"
Beatrice drew a long deep breath. It was good
10 know that this man going to rid her of
ms hateful presence forever, but this too
big price to pay for her freedom
Let us quite understand one another" she
said. your business is ruined; there is nothing
left. What about your creditors, the people who
trusted you?"
Burn and blister my creditors" Richford
burst out furiously. "What do they matter? Of
course the fools who trusted me with their money
will cry out But they only trusted il with me-
because they thought that was shaving and schem.
ing to pay them big dividends 1t win not be the
welfare of my creditors that keeps me awake at
night"
Always cold and calous and Indifferent to the
feelings of Others" Beatrice said. "Not even one
single thought for the poor people that you have
ruined. What are those diamonds worth?"
"Well, gave 100000 for them. dare say
| can get say 100000 for them But we are
wasting time in idle discourse like this"
Indeed, we are" Beatrice said cody $50
you think that in the face of what you have Just
told me, am going to hand those stones over
to you! Nothing of the kind. I shall keep them
in trust for your creditors. When the right
time comes shall hand them over to the proper
authorities Nothing will turn me from my de-
cision."
A snarling oath burst from Richfords lips. He
stretched out his hand if he would have fain
taken Beatrice by the throat and strangled her.
Don't fool with me-" he said hoarsely; don't
play with me, or may forget myself Give me
those diamonds if you have any respect for your
skin"
But Beatrice made not the slightest attempt TO
move. Her face had grown very pale, still she
was quite resolute.
''If you think to frighten me by threats. you
are merely wasting your time" she said coldly.
"The stones are in safe keeping and there they
remain till | give them to your trustees"
''But / am powerless," Rchford said. ''How
am / to get away? In few hours all my
sources will be exhausted, and l shall fall into
the hands of the police. And nice thing that
would be. Your husband feon, with long
| term of Imprisonment before him!"
'I see no dissimilarity," Beatrice said, between
the deed and the punishment that fits it. After
all have gone through, little thing like that
would make no difference to me-"
"Then you are not going to part with those
| diamonds?"
| Beatrice shook her head. Richford stood be-
fore her with one of his hands on her arm and
his other about her white slender throat. There
was murderous look on his face, but the eyes
that Beatrice turned upon him did not for a
moment droop. Then Richford pushed the girl
away brutally from him and walked as far as
| the door.
"You don't want for pluck" he growled. 'I
believe that if you had fnched Just now l should
have killed you. And I going to save you
from danger. I shall do nothing of the kind,
Go your own way and will go mine"
Richford glanced at the letter the table,
then he passed out, banging the door behind him.
In the foyer of the hotel he sat down as if wait
ing for something In reality he trying to
| collect his scattered thoughts.