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

Their died Of It,"
1.-THE usual defense in criminal cases."
observed Austin, Ticking his cigarette
end into the CRATE. "Pm sorry, dear
that Alike has the jumps. Hope she'll
get over 'em. But. as for pretending
I've any use for her, | can't and don't
and won't She spoiled life for the
best man know. She kicked his repu-
tation into cooked hat, and he, with
his chivalrous Selwyn conscience, let
her do 1t. did like her once. don't
like her now, and that's natural, and 1t
winds up the matter"
Ruthven was at that very moment
seated In private card room at the
Stuyvesant club with Sanxon Orchli,
George Fame and Bradley Harmon,
and the game had been bridge, as
usual, and had gone very heavily
against him.
Severa, things had gone against Mr..
Ruthven recently. For one thing, he
was beginning to realize that he had
made vast mistake in mixing himself
up in any transactions with Neergard.
When he, at Neergard's cynical sug-
gestion, had consented to exploit his
own club-the Siowitha-and had con-
scented to resign from it to do so, he
had every reason to believe that Neer-
gard meant either to mulct them heavily
or buy them out In either case, hav-
ing been useful to Neergard, his profits
from the transaction would have been
considerable.
But even while he was absorbed in
figuring them up-and he needed the
money as usual-Neergard coolly In
formed him of his election to the club,
and Ruthven. thunderstruck, began to
perceive the depth Of the underground
mole tunnels which Neergard had dug
to undermine and capture the strong
hold which had now surrendered to him.
Rage made him iii for week, but
there was nothing to do about it. 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, thing he had not dared
to do before. He also permitted him
self more ease and freedom In that
house, sort of intimacy, even GER
tain popularity.
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 insolent 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 be got an answer that he never
forgot
Ruthven had viewed with indiffer-
ence Gerald's boyish devotion to his
wife, which was even too open and
naive to be of interest to those who
witnessed it. 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 clumsiy 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 1T. In
that event." he added. you'd better
leave your joint address when you find
a more convenient house than mine"
AS a 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 fiat 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 coucise
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
I'd his first step toward her.
~ think" she said, that you mean
my ruin. My mind has become curious
ly clear during the last year-strangely
and unusually Hmpid and precise Why,
my poor friend, eyery~plot of yours and
Of your friends, every underhand at
tempt to lhscredit 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 mem
cries, all these you supposed had weak.
rned, perhaps unsettled, my mind. You
lie if you deny 1t. for you have had
doctors watching me for months. You
didn't know was aware of it, did
you? But | was. and | am. And you
told them that my father died Of--of