The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-03-03


hold which had now surrendered to him.
Rage made him I'll for a week, but
there was nothing to do about 1t. He
had been treacherous to his club and to
his own caste, and Neergard knew it,
and knew perfectly well that Ruthven
dared not protest, dared not even
whimper.
Then Neergard began to use Ruthven
when he needed him, and he began to
permit himself to win at cards in Ruth
ven's house, a thing he had not dared
to do before. He also permitted him
self more ease and freedom in that
house, a sort of intimacy, even a GER
tain jocularlty.
Meanwhile Neergard had almost fin
ished with Gerald. He had only one
further use for him, and as his social
success became more pronounced with
the people he had crowded in among
he became bolder and more insoent. no
longer at pains to mole tunnel toward
the object desired, no longer overcare-
full about his mask. And one day he
asked the boy very plainly why he had
never invited him to meet his sister.
And he got an answer that he never
forgot.
Ruthven had viewed with indiffer-
ence Geralds boyish devotion to his
wife. which was even too open and
naive to be of interest to those who
witnessed 1t. But he had not counted
on Neergard's sudden hatred of Gerald,
and the first token of that hatred fell
upon the boy like thunderbolt when
Neergard whispered to Ruthven one
night at the Stuyvesant club and Ruth
ven, exasperated, had gone straight
home, to find his wife in tears and the
boy clumsily attempting to comfort
her, both her hands in his.
Perhaps" said Ruthven coldly, "you
have some plausible explanation for
this sort Of thing. If you haven't, you'd
better trump up one together, and I'll
send you my attorney to hear it. In
that event." he added, you'd better
leave your joint address when you FIND
more convenient house than mine"
AS matter of fact, he had really
meant nothing more than the threat
and the insult, the situation permitting
him heavier hold upon his wife and
a new grip on Gerald In case he ever
needed him, but threat and insult were
very real to the boy, and he knocked
Mr.. Ruthven fat on his back, the one
thing required to change that gentle
mans pretense to deadly earnest.
Ruthven scrambled to his feet. Ger
aid did it again, and after that Mr..
Ruthven prudently remained prone dur
ing the delivery Of terse but concise
opinion of him expressed by Gerald.
After Gerald had gone Ruthven
opened first one eye, then the other,
then his mouth and finally sat up, and
his wife, who had been curiously OBJ
serving him, smiled.
She dropped her folded hands into
her lap, gazing coolly at him, but there
was glitter in her eyes which arrest
ed his first step toward her.
81 think" she said, "that you mean
my ruin. My mind has become curious
ly clear during the last year-strangely
and unusually limpld and precise. Why,
my poor friend, every plot of yours and
of your friends, every underhand at
tempt to discredit and injure me, has
been perfectly apparent to me. You sup
posed that my headaches, my Outbursts
of anger, my wretched nights, passed
in tears, and the long, long days spent
kneeling in the ashes of dead men,
cries, all these you supposed had weak
| ened, perhaps unsettled, my mind. You
lie If you deny it, for you have had
doctors watching me for months. You
didn't know l was aware of it, did
you? But l was, and am. And you
told them that my father died of-of
brain trouble, you coward! What a
credulous fool you are" she said, "to
build your hopes of a separation ON
any possible mental disability of mine!'
He stood moment without answer
ing, then quietly seated himself The
suspicious glimmer in his faded eyes
had become the concentration of curl
osity almost apprehensive.
go on" he said. What else?"
For the remainder of the spring and
summer" she said, 81 shall make my
plans regardless of you. l shall not go
to Newport. You are at liberty to use
the house there as you choose. And, as
for this incident with Gerald, you had
better not pursue it any further. Do
you understand"
He nodded, dropping his hands into
his coat pockets.
"Now you may CO." she said coolly.
He went, not however, to his room,
but straight to the house of the fash
ionable physician who ministered to
wealth with an JUNCTION and success
that had permitted him in summer time
to occupy his own villa at Newport and
dispense further ministrations when re-
quested.
On the night of the conjugal con-
ference between Nina Gerard and her
husband and almost at the same hour
Jack Ruthven, hard hit in the card
room of the Stuyvesant club, sat hud-
died over the table, figuring up what
sort of checks he was to draw to the
credit Of George Fame and Sanxon
Orchil.
And now as he sat there, pencil In
| III ~