The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-11-18

meanly jealous OF her. keeping her
close when there was no reason for
II. A few months after the baby
died and life was hideOus to her,
she met n dashing. handsome, rich
young man, what they call man
Of the world" To her he seemed
hero straight from romantic nov
eli. Wen say his name was smith
I'd better not give his real name,
hai l. Vincent?
Holcombo (struggling to control
his confusion and anger)-I think
it'd be wiser not TO, Anita.
Mrs. HolcOmbe-Smith, then. And
Smith was always there when the
husband wasn't, and Smith was
plausible, perhaps in earnest in his
fashion - and-and-and she ran
away with him.
Colonel Pickett-It was a scOpn-
drel trick on his part. Why, she
was only q child!
Mrs. Holcombe-Yes, she was ut
terly inexperienced and had taken
her perhaps fancied sorrows and
wrongs like q child. He promised
her that just as soon as she was
free he would marry her She bellev-
Ga in him. And she didn't under
stand that what she was doing was,
in the eyes of the world, not freak
OF naughtiness, but a mortal sin.
Colonel Pickett-Pitiful. Shameful
Thank God, in this part OF the
country we know how 10 treat such
q man.
Mrs. HolcOmbe-,But listen, Colo
nel-that is not the worst. She was
divorced-she was free. She waited
for him to fulfil his pledge And
the weeks, the months passed-and
he put her off-and put her OF
Mrs. Holcombe's voice trembles
and the tears stand in her eyes
You should have heard her tell it,
Colonel. II seemed to me was
living it. could see II all-her
youth-her ignorance-he loneliness
her love for the man who had
taken her away-h0w she waited
then hlnted-then begged-implored
THE sleepless nights-the awful
days-tne anguish-the despair
Colonel Pickett and Jessop arc
profoundly moved by Mrs. Hol
combe's graphic manner. Holcombe
goes out on the porch.)
Mrs. Holcombe (her tone laughing
Yet menacing)-Don't go, Vincent
III be brief
(HOlcombe returns, and without
looking at her, seats himself behind
Colonel Pickett and Jessop)
Mrs. Hocombe-At last she knew
that she was betrayed that he
wasn't going to redeem his prom
ise-because-well, perhaps queer
kind of jealousy influenced him-a
desire to keep her helpless, alb
iect dependent, hiding from every
one except him. And when she real
lied that he was deceiving her, she
fled from him--fled and hid herself
want.
Colonel PIckett-Splendid Splen-
did.
Mrs. Holcombe-Dut, Colonel, as
you'll see she wasn't heroine, only
weak human being. The man
we're calling Smith hunted her out.
When he found her there was no
got work as shop girl, as ser
other way to induce her TO return,
he-OMrs. Holcombe looks strange
ly at VincenD he married her. But.
listen 1t was mock marriage. She
lived for two years in a FOOLS par
adise, then she stumbled on the
truth.
Colonel Pickett-The d-ii scoun-
drel-pardOn me. And of course she
left him?
Mrs. Holcombe-No-she was no
heroine-as I warned you. She had
no place TO go-no friends. Her
only hold on respectability was the
mock marriage. Her only hope was
through him-that he would some
day do her justice-he promised as
soon as his father died, he would.
But again ho put it off-always
some new excuse. And-she waited
and watched aHi hoped. She studied
and planned. When he, like SO many
others-like Vincent there, became
a citizen of this state to avoid
taxes, she looked into the marriage
laws here. And she learned-tell me
whether / am right, Mr.. Jossop-
she told me that under the laws OF
the state, il a man let's a woman
sign any legal paper-a deed, for
example-which implies that she has
a lawful claim upon his estate as