The Washington herald., 1910-06-28

SIduFdHce sun nof0lnS me- she sIeppeu
through the doorway and into the fire.
light. a fearful figure
Jim saw her first He went white and
struggled to get up. smiling a sickly
smile. Bella. after her first surprise, was
superbly Indifferent. She glanced at US,
raised her eyebrow, and then looked at
the clock.
More victims OF insomniat' she said.
Won't you come in? Jim. pull up a chair
! by the fire for your aunt"
| Aunt Selma opened her mouth twice.
! like a fish, before she could speak
Then
flames. I demand that that woman
/ leave the house" she said hoarsely.
! Bella leaned back and yawned.
James. shall l go?" she asked amiably
! Nonsense said jim, pulling himself
! together as best he could. Look here.
+ Aunt Selma. you know she can't 20 out,
/ and what's more, I-don't want her to
60"
'You-what?" Aunt Selma screeched.
| taking a step forward. You have the
audacity to say such thing to me-"
/ Bella leaned over and gave the fire log
punch.
4 was just saying that he shouldn't
/ say such things to rue. either" she re-
/ marked pleasantly. I'm afraid you'll
/ take cold, Miss Caruthers. Wouldn't you
like hot sherry hip?"
| Aunt Selma gasped. Then she sat down
/ heavily on one of the carved teakwood
| chairs.
He said he loved you: heard him,
! she said weakly. "He-he was going 10
put his arm around you'll"
Habit" Jim put in, trying to smile.
| You see, Aunt Selma, it's-weI, it's a
habit I. got into some time ago, and +
my arm does it without my thinking
about it,
Habit Aunt Selma repeated. her
voice thick with passion. Then she turned
TO me. Go to your room at oncei" she
| said in her most awful tone. Go 10
your room and leave this-this shocking
| affair to me-"
I But if she had reached her limit. so
had 1. II Jim chose TO ruin himself, il
was not my fault Any one with common
sense would have known at least to close
the door before he went down on his
knees, no matter TO whom. So when Aunt
/ Selma turned on me and pointed in the
direction Of the staircase I did not move.
II an perfectly wide awake" I said
eoldly. Il shall so to bed when am en-
tirely ready, and not before. And as for
Jim's conduct. l do not know much about
the conventions in such cases; but If he
wishes to embrace Miss Knowles, and she
wants him TO, the situation is interesting,
but hardly novel;
Aunt Selma rose slowly and drew the
folds Of her dressing gown around her.
away from the contamination Of my
touch.
DO you know what you are saying2'
| she demanded hoarsely.
7 xr-fFe
from my knees UP, but below I was
wavery. 1 glanced at Jim for moral
| support, but he was looking idolatrousIy
al Bella. AS for her, quite suddenly she
had dropped her mask Of Indifference
Her face was strained and anxious and
there were deep circles ! had not seen
before under her eyes, And it was Bella
who finally threw herself into the
| breach-the family breach.
1T is all my fault, Miss Caruthers, %
| she said. stepping between Aunt Selma
and myself. Il have been q blind and
wicked woman. and have almost wreck
| cd two lives"
Two! What of mine?
''You see.'' she struggled on, against
the CLINT in Aunt Selina's eyes IL did
not realize how much I cared until It was
too late. I did so many things that were
/ NtASi anu WfpiS-oHg Jim, JIM
She turned and buried her head on his
| shoulder and cried. real tears. could
| hardly believe that it was Bella. And
/ jim put both his arms around her and
almost cried. too. and looked nauseating-
| ly happy with the eye he turned 10
! Bella. and scared to death out Of the one
| he kept on Aunt Selma
She turned on me, as. of course, I
knew she would
That" she said. pointing at Jim and
| Bella, that shameful picture is due TO your
| own Indifference. / am not blind. I have
| seen how you rejected all his loving adj
vsnces.' Bella drew away from Jim, but
| he jerked her back. If anything in the
world would reconcile me 10 divorce, 1t
| is this unbelievable situation. James, are
you shameless?"
! But James was ard didn't care who
knew it. And as there was nothing else
| to do and no one else TO do II, I stood
very straight against the doorframe, and
| told the whole miserable story from the
very beginning I told how Dal and Jim
| had persuaded me, and how I had weak
ened and found Ii was too late, and how
| Bella had come in that night, when she
! had no business to come, and had sat
down in the basement kitchen on my
hands and almost turned me into raw
| ing maniac. As l went on I became Iiu-
enti my sense Of injury grew on me. I
made it perfectly clear that I hated them
| all, and that when people got divorces
they ought to know their own minds and
stay divorced. And at that a great light
broke on Aunt Selma, who hadn't un-
derstood until that minute.
In view Of her principles. she might
have been expected to turn on Jim and
Bella and disinherit them. and cast
them out, figuratlvely. with the flaming
sword of her tongue. But she did not
She turned on me in the most terrible
way, and asked me how dared to come
between husband and wife because. d.
vorce or no divorce. whom God hath
| joined together. and so on. And when
Jim picked up his courage in both hands
and tried to interfere, she pushed him
back with one hand. while she pointed
the other ar me and called me q Jeze-
bel.
/ TO BIZ CONTINUED TOMORROW.
To rid the house of files, place pots
Of mignoneste Ia the different rooms.