Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-03-12

| 70 Newport. T0u 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 cooily.
! 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 tim"
| to occupy his own villa at Newport and
dispense further ministrations when re-
quested.
|
On the night of the conjugal con-
I ference between Nina Gerard and her
| husband and almost at the same hour
! Jack Ruthven, hard hi in the card
room of the Stuyvesant dab, sat hud-
| died over the table, figuring up what
sort Of checks he was to draw to the
| credit of George Fame ana Sanxon
| Orchil.
| And now as he sat there pencil in
| hand, adding up the score cards he re-
| membered that he was to interview bis
attorney that evening at his own house,
| a late appointment, but necessary to
insure the presence of one or two ply
| sicians at Il consultation to definitely
| decide what course of action might be
| taken to rid himself of the wife who
| had proved useless and almost ruinous
| to him.
| He had not laid eyes on his wife that
| summer. but for the first time lie lad
really had her watched during her alb
sence. What she lived on, how she
managed, lie had not the least idea and
| less concern. All he knew was that he
lad contributed nothing, and he was
| quite certain that her balance at her
| own bank had been nOneXistent for
| months. In the autumn he had heard
| of her conduct at Hitherwood House,
| and a week later, to his establishment,
he learned Of her serious illness and
that she had been taken to Clifton. 1t
was the only satisfactory news he had
had of her in months.
When he had finished his figuring he
| fshed out a check book, detached
| tiny gold fountain pen from the bunch
| of seals and knickknacks on his watch
| chain and, filing in the checks, passed
| {I,>,,, ayn,. 1,,ithnIIt rOinnpnt
AS they filed out of the card room
| into the dim passageway, Orchil lead
ing. a tall, shadowy figure in evening
dress stepped back from the door or
| the card room against the wall to give
them right of way, and Orchil, peer
ing at him without recognition in the
dull light, bowed suavely as he passed.
| as did Fame. craning his curved neck.
| and Harmon also, who followed in his
wake.
But when Ruthven came abreast OF
the figure in the passage and bowed
his way past low voice from the
| courteous unknown, prOnouncing DIS
| name, halted him short.
81 want 4 word with you, Mr.. Ruth
ven," added Selwyn; that card room
will suit me, if you please
But Ruthven, recovering fEom the
shock of Selwyn's voice, started to
pass him without a word.
II said that l wanted to speak to
you repeated Selwyn.
Ruthven, deigning no reply, attempt
| ed to shove by him, and Selwyn, piac-
| ing one hand fiat against the others
shoulder, pushed him violently back
into the card room he had just left
| and, stepping in behind him, closed
and locked the door.
"W-what the devil do you mean?
gasped Ruthven, his hard, minuteiy
! shaver face turning deep red.
what / say" replied Selwyn-"that
| / want word or two with you
He stood still for moment in the
center of the little room, tall, gaunt OF
| feature and very pale.
"Ruthven," he said, "a few years
ago you persuaded my wife to leave
- Z 1uaaa