The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1912-12-19

! faction. And Tom Mason'a bushes.
! WIS not as well established as Henry's.
The very idea that tile purchase OF the
lwilloushDy pearls might wreck the
house Of Bndl0w &iCo. was ridiculous
/ She dismissed the nnpleasnntness
from her mind ana dwelt only ON the
anticipated bliss Of possessing the fu
nous pearls. They were at once the
admiration OF her set. and half the wo
men had enyied pretty Molly Wlllough.
by their possession.
{ But now Wiilonghby had failed. and
the pearls. together With the other Jew.
els. pictures. houses. horses and mo-
tors. were mp ut auction. for Molly vii.
loughhy had insisted that everything
should be sacrificed to save her nus
bands honor. and they were going
west to begin life anew, And Molly
hnd brnyeIy declared she was happier
than-she had ever been since Bob had
married her.
! Laurn took the train for the twenty
mile run INFO the city. 1t was local
and well filled with passengers. but she
found I'm empty seat and sank into 1t.
The trnin creaked into activity and
then settled into d steady rimbling
roar. Two men IN the seat behind
were speaking, and their voices we're
plainly heard above the roar OF the
wheels
4 Yes said one of them. poor old
Budow is about all in this time.
4 reckon"
But" ezposhIated another voice,
my wife says she heard he was going
to buy the Willougbby pearls. They'll
fetch cool fifty thousand at least"
The bigger fool he." rejoined the
other grimly. - mau In Budlow's po-
sition has no business doing stunts
like TINT. lie needs every cent he can.
scrape together TO keep his head above
water these times"
II thought ne was pretty well backed
Ind plenty of H."
$50 he was. but you know 1t takes
pretty biz bafreIful to supply the
wants OF one Of the .Ainslee girls.
Budlow married one Of them"
1 The Alnslees were not richy'
| Poor as Jobs turkey. but the girls
were oil handsome and married
money. This one looks ON poor old
Bud rs walking gold mine. Hes so
harasscd that he can't exercise proper
Judgment in conducting his affairs.
Some day my lady viii ask for one
thing too many. and ludlow will be
found with ii bullet IN his brain."
And the Willoughby pearls viii
come under the hammer again.
laughed the other MS the train drew
into the CcnHal station.
Laura Budlow walked through the
station like one in dream. She wis
about to enter waiting taxlcab when
she drew back sharply. Il VIII walk.
she said and turned toward Broadway
It was long journey afoot down TO
Wall street, but in burst of self re
proach Laura Budlow determined that
her feet should tread every inch OF the
way. Besides. she must have time TO
think over many matters which had
presented themselves in a new light
that morning-since she had entered
the train.
! As she plodded along. her high heeted
shoes quickly firing her feet, she
thought of the painful poverty Of her
glrlhood-the constant struggle to keep
/ up appearances, the overworked IA
ther and overanxious mother, then the.
marriage OF first one beautiful sister
after another into the rich set and
finally her own wooins aud wedding
! TO Henry ludlow.
OF course she had loved hin in
way. but she had been so dazzled by
the prospect OF an opnlent future,
where there would be no weighing OF
dollars and cents, that she accepted 1t
rs fact tilnt she was marrying Henry
Budlow for his money and nothing
else. Since their marriage he had been
! very good to her. and there was no
within that he Ind declined to crafty.
but his town office demanded much of
his attention. and Laura had plunged
into the maelstrom of society, and
| gradually all her tenderness for her
husband had been relegated to the
background. There only remained for
her the restless fever OF coming and
going. Of spending lavlshly. until she
had grown to, look upon her husband
merely as mine of lnexhaustible
riches upon which she could draw in.
definitely TO supply all her needs,
! whether real or imaginary.
With eyes fixed ahead and thought
concentrated on these painful mem.
cries. Laura trudged down the street,
| almost unconscious of her utter weari.
ness When she neared Wall street
i there came the apprehension that Hen.
~ might have thought the matter over
ON his way TO the city that morning.
might have considered the purchase
of the pearls MS the last straw upon
his overwhelmed business and in ut.
ter encouragement might have ended
his life as the man on the train had
predicted.
Even now he might be lying in his
splendid offices with small blue mark
on his temple. pool of blood on the