The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-05-04


Between laughing breaths she said to
him:
"Oh, is 1t II for Dams sake, Mr.
Ruggles? Is it?" And then, biting
her lips and looking at him out of
her beautiful eyes, she said: IL know
1t isl know 1t isl beg your par
don."
Il asked a girl once when was
poor-too poor. Now this is the sec.
ond time in my life. / mean Just what
] say. I'll make you a kind husband.
| am fifty-five, hale as a nut. dare
say you have bad many better Of
fers."
"Oh, DEAR" she breathed; "oh, dear,
please-please stop!"
But don't expect you to marry me
for anything but my money"
Ruggles put his cigar down on the
edge of the table. He looked at his
chair meditatively, he took out hie
silk handkerchief, polished up his
glasses, readjusted them, put them on
and then looked at her.
Now" he said, 81 am going to trust
you with something, and l know you
will keep my secret for me. This
shows you a little bit of what l think
about you. Dan Blair hasn't got red
cent. He has nothing but what give
him. There's false title to all that
land on the Bentley claim. The whole
thing came up when l was home and
the original company, of which / own
three-quarters Of the stock, holds the
clear titles to the Blairtown mines. 1t
ell belongs now to me, II choose to
present my documents. Dan knows
nothing about this-not a word"
The actress had never come up to
such dramatic point in any OF her
plays. With her hands folded in her
lap she looked at him steadily, and
he could not understand the expires.
sion that crossed her face. He heard
her exclamation: "Oh, gracious!"
I've brought the papers back with
me-" said the westerner, "and 1t is
between you and me how we act. II
Dan marries you I will be bound to
do what old Blair would have done
cut him off-let him feel his feet on
the ground, and the result of his own
folly"
He had taken his glasses off while
he made this assertion. Now he put
them on again.
II you give him up I'll divide with
the boy and be rich enough still to
hand over to my wife all she wants
to spend"
She turned her face away from him
and leaned her head once more upon
her hands. He heard her softly MUIR
muring under her breath, with an abb
sent look on her face, accompanied
by still more incomprehensible
smile
That's how it stands" he conclud.
ed.
She seemed to have forgotten him
entirely, and he caught his breath
when she turned about abruptly and
said:
My goodness, how Dan will hate
being poor! He will have to sell all
his stickpins and his motor cars and
all the things he has given me. 1t
will be quite little to start on. but
he will hate it, he is so very smart"
why, you don't mean to say"
Ruggles gasped.
And with charming smile as she
rose to put their conversation at an
end, she said:
why, you don't mean to say that
you thought wouldn't stand by him ?"
She seemed, as she put her hands
upon her hips with something of a.
defiant look at the elder man, as
though she just then stood by her pau
perized lover.
II thought you cared some for the
boy" Ruggles said.
We'll, / am showing It,"
You want to ruin him to show It,
do you?"
AS though he thought the subject
dismissed he walked heavily toward
the door.
"You know how 1t stands. tave
nothing more to say" He knew that
he had signally failed, and as a sud.
den resentment rose in him he ex.
claimed, almost brutally:
II am darned glad the ole man is
dead; | am glad his mothers dead.
and | am glad have got no son."
The next moment she was at his
side, and he felt that she clung to his
arm. Her sensitive, beautiful face,
all drawn with emotion, was raised to
his.
"Oh, you'll kill me-youll kill me!
Just look how very Ill am: you are
making me crazy. just worship
him."
Give him up, then," said Ruggles
steadily.
She faltered: 81 can't can't-it
won't be for long"-with a terrible pa.
thos in her voice. You don't know
how different can be: you don't know
what a new life we were going to
lead"