The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-03-15

THE second morning after my re- |
turn" she answered.
Il want to know" he pursued, 'why |
1t was kept secret from me. and /
want to know quick
"Secret?" she echoed, with wave of
her hand to indicate the noise which
the workmen were making.
Upon whose authority was 1t be-
gun?"
Mine. Who else could give itY'
Look here" he said, advancing to-
ward her. don't try to fool me! You
haven't done ali this by yourself. Who
hired these workmen?"
Remembering her first interview with
him, she rose quickly before he could
come near her "Afr. Louden made
most of the arrangements. for me- she
replied quietly, before he went away.
He will take charge Of everything
when he returns. You haven't forgot
ten that told you / intended to place
my affairs in his hands?"
He had started forward, but at this
he stopped and stared at her inarticu-
lately.
You remember she said, her hands
resting negligently upon the back of
the chair. Surely you remember
She was not in the least afraid of
him, but coolly watchful of him. This
| had been her habit with him since her
| return. She had seen little of him ex-
| cept at table, when he was usually
grimly laconic, though now and then
| she would hear him joking heavily
with Sam Warden in the yard, or with
evidently humorous intent, grooming at
Mamie over Eugenes health: but 1t
had not escaped Ariel that he was on
his part watchful of herself and upon
| his guard.
He did not answer her question. and
it seemed to her as she continued
steadily to meet his hot eyes that he
was trying to hold himself under some
measure of control, and a vain effort
it proved.
"You go back to my housep' he burst
out, shouting hoarsely. You get back
there. You stay therer'
No" she said, moving between him
and the door. Mamie and l are going
for a drive"
you go back to my housep' He fol-
lowed her. waving an arm fercely at
her. Don't you come around here
trying to run over me! You talk about
your 'affairsp All you've got on earth
is this two for a nickel old shack over
your head and bushel basket of dis
tillery stock that you can sell by the
pound for old paperr' He threw the
words in her face, the bull bass voice
scanned and cracked with falsettO. "Old
paper. old rags. old iron, bottles. old
clothes! You talk about your affairs!
| Who are you? Rothschild? You haven't
got any affairs"
Not a look. not word, not motion
of his escaped her in all the fury of
sound and gesture in which he seemed
fairly to enveIop himself. Least of all
did that shaking of his-the quivering
of jaw and temple, the tumultuous agi-
tation of his hands-evade her watch
fulness.
when did you find this out| she
said very quickly. AFTER you became
administrators
He struck the back of the chair she
had vacated a vicious blow with his
open hand. mo. you spendthrift! All
there was to your grandfather when
you buried him was a basketful of dis
tillery stock, / tell youI Old paper!
Can't you hear me? Old paper, old
rags
"You have sent me the same in
come" she lifted her voice to interrupt.
s'You have made the same quarterly
, payments since his death that you
, made before If you knew, why did
you do that?"
He had been shouting at her with the
: frantic and incredulous evaporation of
| an intolerant man utterly unused to
l opposition, his face empurpled, his fore
t head dripping and his hands ruthlessly
1 pounding the back of the chair, but
i this straight question stripped him sud
denly of gesture and left him standing
limp and still before her, pale splotches
beginning to show on his hot cheeks.
'If you knew, why did you do 1t?
she repeated. 'You wrote me that my
income was from dividends, and
knew and thought nothing about it, buf
If the stock which came to me was
worthless how could it pay dividendsY
cit did not" he answered huskily
THAT distillery stock, | tell you, ism
worth the matches to burn it"
/ ''But there has been no dinerenc
! in my income" she persisted steadily
| why? Can you explain that to me?
| Yes; / can" he replied. And
| seemed to her that he spoke with
| pallid and bitter desperation, like
/ man driven to the wall. Il can if 70
| think you want TO know"
/ az do"
/. 81 sent It,"
| do you mean from your own
| Il mean 1t was my own money"
| She had not taken her eyes from hi
| which met hers straightly and angril.
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