The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1909-02-19
CHAPTER xxxIl.-(continued.)

Gay? Oh, we'll, 1t Is just as you
look at It. We went everywhere, of
course; saw everything there was to
be seen, spent a small fortune in op-
eras and theaters. and all that. But
n soon gets tired"
Il suppose that is SO. Even pleas
ures grow stale after awhile"
Everything grows stale, my dear
even life itself. But what is this l
have been hearing about your
Are you going to scold me? Please
have mercy"
"Scold you, child? I've come to con-
graduate you. I'm glad there's one
woman in Cornwall who has courage
enough to be true to herself. Merci-
full heavens, what fools we women are
and worse than fools! I wonder
sometimes what the Almighty thinks
of US. l wonder even what high
souled men think of u.s."
You speak bitterly, Ada"
DO l? So would you IL you were
in my place. Look at mel" and she
laughed harshly. Not Solomon in all
his SloIy was dlIosCu do i JILL Auu
| yet I'm the most miserable woman on
earth"
"Oh, Ada"
You look surprised, Of course, as
YOU well may; but I'm telling you the
5orest truth. married for position,
as o know-for gold and diamonds,
and I've got them. Heavens! but
| what a punishment follows! l never
pretended to love John Ballard. I
liked him, l ven admired him for
eoue things, but my heart l had given
TO another"
"You loved Hugh Treviscoe?"
- did; and l love him still. That's
where the tragedy comes in. I'd give
he world to undo what / have done,
but it's too late. I've ruined his life
and Nv eruined my own"
Don't say ruined Time is a great
tea'er."
There are something's time can
never heal-it can only make the ruin
more complete. think of poor Hugh.
He keeps up bravely, | know; but his
heart is broken. You a see it in his
eyes. l saw it yesterday as l drove
past. and waved my hand and
smiled. All! what hypocrites we
women are! Oh, I could have died
for shame and grief"
"You treated him badly, no doubt"
Esther replied, in her candid way.
Badly! II another woman had
done it l should have called her a
fiend. wonder II all ome are
cruel by nature? l despise myself SO
much that l a hardly dare some
times to look in a glass. oh, l tell
you, Esther, God shows no mercy"
But he does, Ada. He is anxious
to forgive"
And yet his eternal laws grind on
all the time and there is no escape
no turning back-no place for repent
ance. Look at me! hadn't been
married a week before l loathed my
husband. Think of 1t! Think Of
what that fact means to me! It's
| Gods punishment. And no pardon,
| human or divine, can make a way Of
escape. Suppose l were made free
/ IOAlOIIOW, j SLOuAu UO llSSAS VI Ao OSS
ter OF. Hugh could never take me in
his arms again. He loves me, no
| doubt, in a way; sorrows for me as
those that have no hope. But in his
eyes l am dead and worse than dead
l am accursed!"
"Hush, Ada; you should not use
such terrible words"
mo words are terrible enough to
describe the reality. When I think of
Hugh's contempt, l loathe myself-and
he loved me once, oh, SO dearly and
devotedly. OF course, We Quarreled
before the wedding came of. l want
ed him to quarrel. It buoyed me up
for a few days. His anger was very
terrible. for he saw me breaking in
pieces all he loved, and I would not
listen to heart OF reason. He said
rude things to me, but true things all
the same, and l sneered at him and
defied him, and went my way and
tried to keep my anger against him
at white heat. What pitiful fools we
are! Now I see that we cannot dc
harm without receiving harm.
wrecked Hugh's life. wantonly, DELHI
erately, and in doing so l have
wrecked my own"
Its a sad story, Ada, but you must
make the hes TOT the situation. Time
may heal in spite Of what you say"
"Time may harden and blunt the
finer feelings. and dull the edge OF
sensibility. may so lose my woman
liness as not to care. It is not heal.
ing that will come, only c~orrosion and
decay"
"But had you no doubts beforehand,
! Ada?" Esther asked, with q troubled
look In her eyes.
Doubts? Well. perhaps I had at
odd moments. Oh, yes; I was not al
together happy. But l was SO capt.
waited with the idea that I seemed
unable to think clearly. The thought
| Of marriage somehow fascinated me,
Hugh and I had looked at marriage as
something in the very distant future,
but here was the thing close at hand
with dresses and jewelry and car