The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1911-11-22

put herself beyond the pale of their
sympathies. Being merely stupid men,
with conventional ideas about pro
priety, in that event they would be
less apt to interfere than ever. It was
true she could do nothing. She sank
down on a hassoek, clenching her
hands.
AS she sat, her eyes fell on a chest
of drawers screwed against the bulk
head. The top contained various toilet
articles Of silver. Among them was a
picture, the picture of a woman. 1t
was not her picture. Moved by what
impulse she did not stop to analyze,
she rose and picked it up. The face
she looked at was ineffably vulgar and
common Across the bottom was writ
ten in a scrawly uniformed hand, your
devoted wife" There was a date sew
eral years before that hour. Your de-
voted wife, She had been in that
stateroom before; she had never seen
that picture He had only brought It
out since the rupture between them.
And so while entering into this re-
lationship with her, in compliance
with. principles and ideas which she
at least regarded as sacred and holy,
he had not been a free mani There
was another woman to whom he had
been bound. Oh, not by the marriage
tie that she disdained, but by the
honor which was supposed to exist
among thieves and which certainly
should exist among philosophers. And
such a woman! A cold fury filed her
mind as she looked at the picture.
The last completing touch had been
given. To contempt and pity for him
was added hatred. The combination
transformed her. Instead of avoiding,
she would seek him.
He was still in the cabin. She could
hear him muttering thickly to himself
Impulsively she stepped to the door,
open and entered the brilliantly
lighted luxurious cabin. He had dis
missed the attendants some time
since with orders not to reappear I'M
less he summoned them, and they were
alone There was no likelihood of any
interruption whatsoever. The man.
who was leaning back in his chair,
bent forward when she opened the
door. He laughed viciously. If she
had reflected, she would have mar
veled at the change that a few weeks
had wrought in one whom she had
hitherto deemed worthy of her affec-
ton, but she had eyes and thought for
nothing except the business in hand.
$50 you've come out, have you?" he
stammered triumphantly. "Come of
your own free will You've found out,
have you, that l am master and you
are coming to heel?"
He whistled to her derisiYely, whis-
tied as if to a dog!
''Who is this?" asked the woman in
a voice carefully suppressed, yet which
shook with wrath.
She held the photograph in its
heavy silver frame up before him.
That's my wife," he said equally.
with no surprise or CONSERVATION.
I'VE haven't lived together for some
years." he went on with drunken good
nature, cor I'd take you back to San
Francisco and Introduce you to her"
"Your wifel" exclaimed the woman
in that same low, tense voice. Then
what am ?"
my Mistress" said the man, blunt
ly, throwing the last shred of conceal
ment and decency to the winds. "and
q damned obstreperous one at that,
he went on.
Now, the woman believed in nc
Providence, but a trick got from hel
ancestry wrung the words from hel
lips.
MY Cod My Cod" she whispered
"You haven't any" sneered the
man. "You told me SO yourself" HI
laughed. "And 1 believed you.
would have believed anything to ge
you"
Well. there was no God the woman
realized, but she would be her owl
god. Her body shrank together a lit
tie. her hands clenched. The felin'
was uppermost. She could have spruni
/ hpon him, but she waited, waited 70
she knew not what.
Whom the gods destroy" ran tn
ancient phrase, they first make mad.
He rushed to his doom with blin
folly.
/ you needn't be Jealous Of her, m
E dear" he mumbIed on. Il used t
? think l loved her and we were NAL
|, ried, damned foolishness. as you Nigh
/. say. She can't hold candle to you
B If you are a little touched" he Tape
d his forehead impudently-"in the NJ
g per story"
e And this man, this degraded thinl
e regarded her as a mad woman Their
might be no God, but there was dev
e and he stood before her. There migi
e be no heaven, but there was he
!. and she was in It.
d "On second thoughts" he ramble
d on, 81 couldn't introduce you to he
n You aren't respectable and she Is"
He stopped and poured himself a
0 other drink.
n Respectable" he laughed. ITO he
with responsibility. We know bett'
v thing that that Soul to soul. hea
to heart, the union Of equals witho'
/ the trammels of conventional bone
for weaker beings. Yes, that's VII
Ie you said"
/ And she recognized with horror tn
10 he was quoting her own words.
3 'But it doesn't go, you see. II
Z all very well in theory. but 1t doesI
4 work out in practice. The world
= = Ell ~ono ideas Of its own. It's be-