The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1908-10-14


and end the suspense. AS he opened
the door to enter the spirit of fairness
turned frail and fed before the appeal
of procTastination. wait wait, waltz
cried the powerful weakness in her
heart. and it conquered. She could not
tell him then. Tomorrow-the next
day, yes, but not then. 1t was too
much to demand of herself, after all
He came in, but left few minutes
latSr. She was strangely unresponsive
to his tender inquiries Fer thoughts
were Of another was his quick conclu-
sion as he fled from her presence be-
fore the harsh accusations could break
from his eyes.
In his den once more, with the door
closed, he gave himself up completely
to black thoughts. He recalled his
words to her. uttered years ago, half in
/ jest and half in earnest. He had hor-
rified her beyond expression by telling
her how he would punish a wife if he
were the husband she deceived With
a grim, lurid smile he remembered the
/ penalty. He had said he would not
kill; he would disfgure the woman
frightfully and permit her to live as
moral example to other wives. He
now felt less brutal. He might kill.
but he would not disigure. For an
+ hour he sat and wondered what had
been the feelings Of his old friend
George Driscol just before he DELHI
erately slew his faithless wife. He
remembered saying to other friends at
the time that Driscoll had done
right"
This night Of black shadows-he did
not sleep at all-was really the begin
ming Of the end. He forgot the presi-
dency that was to be handed out to
him. Fe forgot everything but the
horrid canker that gnawed into his
heart and brain.
Day and night he writhed in silent
agony, a prey to the savage jealousy
that grew and grew until it absorbed
all other emotions. Scandal, divorce.
dishonOr, murder, swept before the
mind of this man who had been of the
people and who could not condone.
The people kill
For a week he waited and watched
and suffered. What he knew Of men
told him that they do not devote them
selves to the wives of others with hon
orable motives behind them. He con-
vinced himself that he knew the world;
be had seen so much of it. The man
aged years in that single week Of
jealousy and suspense. His face went
haggard; his eyes took on a strange
gleam mis- manner was that of a man
IN grave trouble.
Day after day this piteous, frenzied
man who swayed thousands with his
land stopped to deal with the smallest
movements OF one man and one wo-
man. Despite his most intense desire
to drive himself into other and higher
channels. hc found himself skulking
and spying and conniving with but one
low end I'm view.
He employed every acute sense in
the effort to Justify his suspicious.
Time and again he went home mt I'M
usual hours, fearing all the while that
he might incur the pain Of finding Ban
semer there. He even visited the man
in his Office, always rejoicing in the
fact that he found him there at the
time. lie watched the mail in the
morning; he planned TO go out OF
nights and then hurried home DELHI
erately, but unexpectedly. Through it
all he said no word to Frances Gable
or Jane. He asked no questions, but
he was being beaten down by appre-
tensions all the while.
His wife's manner convinced him
that all was not well with her. She
avoided being alone with him, keeping
close to her room. He detected a hun
dred preteXts by which she managed
to escape his simplest advances.
At last, overweight by the strain,
he began to resort to cunning-this
man who was big enough to have gone
from the engine cab to the presidents
Office. 1t required hours Of struggle
with his fairer, nobler nature to bring
himself low enough to do trickery,
but the natal influence mastered. He
despised himself for the trick, but he
would know the truth.
The late afternoon mail one day
brought to Mrs. Gable a brief letter,
typewriter both inside and out. Da-
vid Gable saw her open and read the
missive, and he saw her trembling
hand go to her throat and then to her
temple. Her back was toward him.
He could not see her face until she
turned, a full minute later. Then 1t
was calm and undisturbed, but her
eyes were brilliant. He ground his
teeth and tore upstairs without a
word. David Gable had stopped low
enough to write this letter, and he
was paying for it.
He knew the contents far better than
she knew them. The letter purported
to be an urgent appeal from James
Bansemer, asking her to meet him at
8 o'clock that night. 1t said:
I must see you tonight Leave your
home at 8 o'clock for a short call on
Mrs. w, just around the corner. l viii
meet you across the Drive. near the sea
wall. 1t is quite dark there. ].