The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-01-03

n =
painted old woman In her placer It's
Z lie! You can't make me believe such
. monstrous lie as that! You can't!
You can'tw
He threw himself violently upon the
couch, face downward, shuddering
from head to foot.
my pos boy, 1t is the truth" said
Keredec. kneeling beside him and put
ting great arm across his shoulders.
1T is what a thousand men are doing
this night. Nothing is more common
Or more unexplainable-or more simple,
OF all the nations it is the same, wher-
ever life has become artificial and the
poor foolish young men have too
much money and nothing to do. You
do not understand it, but our friend
here, and l, we understand because we
remember what we have been seeing
all our lives. You say it is not you
who did such crazy, horrible things.
and you are right. When this poor
woman who is so painted and greasy
first caught you. when you began to
give your money and your time and
your life to her, when she got you
into this horrible marriage with her,
you were blind-you went staggering
in bad dream. Your soul hid away,
far down inside you, with it's hands
over its face. If it could have once
stood straight, II the eyes Of your body
could have once been clean for 1t to
look through, IL you could have once
been as you are today or as you were
when you were little child, you would
have cry out with horror both of her
and of yourself, as you do now, and
you would have run away from her
and from everything you had put in
your life. But in your suffering you
must rejoice. The triumph is that
your mind hates that old life as great
~ as your soul hates it. You are as
good as If you had never been the wild
fellow-yes. the wicked fellow-that
you were. For man who shakes or
his sin is clean. He stands as pure
as II he had never sinned."
The desperate young man on the
couch answered only with the sobbing
VA - OAVASh AAS0AkSA NAAaAs
I came back to my pavilion after
midnight, but did not sleep, though
lay upon my bed until dawn. Then
I went for a long, hard walk, break
tasted at Dives and begged ride back
to Nine. BrOssard's in PEASANTS
cart which was going that way.
found George Ward waiting for
hn % 10
ion, looking handsomer and more pros
perously distinguished and distinguish
edly prosperous and generally we'll con-
ditioned than ever, as l told him.
II have some news for you," he
said after the hearty greeting-"an
announcement, in fact. Elizabeth's 60
ing to marry Cresson Ingle."
THAT is the news-the announce
ment-you spoke OFF,
Eyes, that Is it."
70 save my life could not have told
at that moment what else l had ex-
pected or feared that he might say,
but l certainly took deep breath Of
relief. Il am very glad" said. ut
should be happy alliance"
ION the whole, l think it will be-"
he returned thoughtfully. "Ingle's
done his share of herd living, and I
once had nOtion"-he glanced smil-
ingly at Newell, dare say you
know my notion. But it is a good
match for Elizabeth and not without
advantages on many counts. You see,
it's time married, myself. She feels
that very strongly, and think her
decision to accept Ingle is partly due
to her wish to make all clear for
new mistress Of my household"
He laughed again, but did not, and,
noting my silence. he turned upon me
more scrutinizing look than he had
yet given me and said:
"You look quite haggard. You
haven't been HIP"
mo; I've had bad night. That's
ALL"
"Oh, heard something of a riotous
scene taking place over here" he said.
zone Of the gardeners was talking
about 1t to Elizabeth"
"What was it you heard?" l asked
quickly.
He said that there was great excite
ment at Nine. Brossard's because a
strange woman had turned up and
claimed an insane young man for her
husband"
"Damnationw l started from my
chair. Did Mrs. Hartman hear this
story?
"Not last night, I'm certain. But
what difference could it possibly make
whether she heard it or not? She
doesn't know these people surely?"
"She knows the man."
"This insane
Gle is not insane" I interrupted.
"He has lost the memory Of his earlier
life-lost it through an accident. You
and saw the accident"
"That's impossible" said George,
frowning. Il never saw but one acct
dent that you
"That was the one. The man is Lar
rabee Hartman"