Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1907-11-14

passionless in his. arrested him.
Katie, he pleaded Il can't stand it..
Right or wrong, you must have mo
secrets from me. It's torture
ARGUMENT Isl useless, Kenneth
Katherine's voice was as cold as Her
look-sauite useless. If / told you
this, there would be something else to-
morrow. I am not the woman fer
you You are not the man for me-
Did you love me as r. began the
man passionateIy.
ITS not question of love" return
ed the girl. I'm not going to allow
you to spoil my life with your I'M
bearable doubts, nor will | sacrifice
my individuality on t, altar of your
jealousy. We have gone through this
before, and you beat down my reason
by appealing to my affection. Now /
choose to be free, to put you out of my
life once and for all. .
In the days following Hadley stroye
to reopen the question, but Katherine
would neither answer his appeals in
writing nor grant him an interview, SO
at last silence fell between them. Then
the girl tried to take up her life where
it had been broken into by the coming
of Kenneth, tried to rejoice In her re-
covered freedom, but as the weeks
passed they grew heavier, dragging at
her heart like the ball and chain on
the convict's foot. She suffered in a
manner that she could neither under
stand nor have believed possible and
grew resentful at the persistent aching
and craving that possessed her.
BY night she tossed restlessly, in
somnia her jailor, half choked with q
grief to which she would give no out
let She had resented Kenneth's mas
terful claim on her and on her pur-
suits. Why, then, when this super
vision was lifted was she not content?
Love she believed subseryient to indi-
viduaEity. When one or other must
be sacrificed she had had no hesita-
tion in her choice She had made a
fetch of ego, to find in the end love
had so undermined it that she was
no longer an entity sufficient to her
self. Then succeeded days when, half
desperate in her unhappiness, she near
~ capitulated hours when it seemed
as though an Irresistible force impelled
her to Kenneth, but always pride rose
forbidding, and she made no sign.
Kenneth sails Saturday." Mildred
told her at last, risling a quarrel,
having been forbidden to mention the
name There being nothing to keep
him here now" she continued comfort
ably, .'he may never return" She
watched with satisfaction the result OF
this stab. "I've often wondered" she
persisted. chat you never regretted
the break, but it's too late now, SO
it's better as it is
Katherine made no response, but
that night she Wept for the first time,
and long bitter sobs washed away
every feeling but the love that gave
them birth She realized now that over
her love for Kenneth his faults had
no control. Human nature is SO frail
that ii 81 love and cling where 1t
can III 4s;se cf weakness
Early saturday. when Hadley was
about to board an outbound vessel. a
hand, thrust suddenly out of the half
light, caught at his sleeve. He turned
at the touch.
sKatherine!" No thickness OF veil
could disguise her in his eyes. There
they stood, silent, incapable of speech,
staring at each other. The man re-
covered first and drew her toward the
end of the dock, where great packing
cases afforded some seclusion.
you should not have comet!
Il had to. I've been all wrong-and
I wanted to tell you. I've been writ,
| ing short stories-advertising ones
for different firms; that's Why went
to Charles Truax's Office. He buys q
number each year. No one knows
didn't want them to-you especially
until / could do something worth
while. You'll come blackjack te
America.
"How much do you mean by telling
me thisY'
"As much as you wish. live
missed you so-your faults-my faults
what do they matter. Kenneth. I'm
wretched without you-I.
Then Hadley understood. Only al
the last moment had he sufficient pres
ence of mind to get his trunk pulled
off the steamer before she slipped her
mornings.