The Washington times., 1909-07-11
By CHARLES CAREY
== AUTHOR OF =--=
"a Woman to Win" 1.-The Van Snyden Sapphres.' Etc
AUTHOR OF

you might believe il and break the en-
gagement with him, Cor / realize that
in such a case Robert Graham, with
his high sense Of honor, would deem II
Incumbent on him 10 offer me the shield
and protection Of his name, and I can
| conceive Of no greater happiness than
/ 10 be his wife.
This is my secret. Perhaps you had
probably already guessed IL. l love
him. l would sacrifice everything on
earth merely 10 gain the right to serve
him, TO be his.
Defending my record. then, or bat
ting 10 preserve a good nance Why.
they might paint me as black as they
pleased If that would win MIN for mo
And / know, as l have already said,
that 10 be thus DETAINED would more
surely than any other way gain him
as my husband.
1T is simply because / love him and
because he does not and never viii love
me that I send You this warning and
explanation. / would be a Better wife
| for him than you. Had he loved me /
/ would be able to lift him 20 greater
heights than he will ever attain; for ]
could help and aid and stimulate him in
hundreds of ways that you Will never
learn To be Crank, you viii be little
else than d drag upon him-his wife,
| the beautiful mistress Of his home,
something 10 be petted and pampered
and proud of. but never the hClpmeeJ
/ that j could have been to him.
! Nevertheless, il is YOU he loves To
| lose you ROW would ruin mis- career and
| break his heart. Without you, whether
! he should marry me or not, and despite
al that / could do for him. ne would
| be an embittered, disappointed. broken
man, fOTedOOmed TO failure.
Therefore, for his sake, 1 have con-
( queTed the temptation TO remain silent.
/ I have barred my soul 10 you as I never
| thought I CoUlC do TO any living Crca-
/ ture, and for his sake you must believe
! my story must refuse 10 pe sWdyed by
I the evidence OF slanderous tongues.
/ There is nothing in Robert Graham s
1 past which need fear the true light. He
| is clean, straightforward, upright, mag
/ nautmOus-a man through and through.
4 And this you may take upon the word
I of woman who knows him far more
/ intimately than you yourself.
Il have written frankly to yOu-per-
/ haps Oyerfrankly. I think, as ] reread
some OF the things which 7 have said .
yet I viii not alter or erase word Of
IT, II shall 90 TO you as IL stands.
Il would not, however, have YOU
think that 1 entertain any feelings OF
animOsiry or hatred toward you. I do
not. j hope that YOU may be- happy 1
hope that you may be all and more to
him than ] could ever haze dreamed of
being II is not YOUR fault that he could
not love ne. and did love you. II is
simply the irony Of fate
SIN conclusion, ] have but one re-
quest TO make OF you. realize, Of
YOU ] cannot continue my present re-
lati0us with Mr. Graham ! shall make
an excuse 10 resign my position LOmOr-
row, and viii 90 away where neither me
nor YOU viii ever see or hear Of me
again.
But in return 7 ask YOU to be gen
erOus- Be generous TO me. as / have
been straightforward and unreSeTVed
with you. Robert Graham has never
even suspected my foolish secret. don t
let him know IL, 10 matter how much
YOU may be TEMPTED. so long as ] am
alive. II, after / am dead. YOU should
see ~ 10 tell him, / don't know that
should care. II could do no harm TO
You then. and might evoke a thought of
/ Kindly pity iu hiul for whom / bear SO
deep a love Faithfully yours.
"HILDA MONTGOMERY.
GLADYS folded up the letter ana re-
placed II IN her bag II would have
/ kent absolute faith with her" she said.
SOFTLY; hut her tragic end has unscaled
my lips, and as she herself suggests.
/ thought II BETTER that you should
{ know.
/ Graham could only bow his face IN
/ his hands. NV Godr' he muttered
/ hoarselv. 'tO think that two such wom-
en- could love the thing that / may be-,
/ What q rcquital for that poor girls de-
votion' What a requitaL too. Gladys, to
YOU