The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1912-12-01
on! And Tom Mason's business

| house of BudlOW Il co. was ridiculous
She dismissed the unpleasantness
from her mind and dwelt only on the
anticipated bliss of possessing the ia.
nous pearls They were at once the
admiration of her set and half the wo
men had envied pretty Molly Willough-
by their possession
But now Willoughby had failed. and
the pearls, together with the other je"
els. pictures. houses. horses and mo
tors. were up ut auction. for Molly VIII
loughby had insisted that everything
should be sacrificed to save her bus
bands honor. and they were going
west to begin life anew. And Molly
had braveIy declared she was happier
than she had ever been since Bob had
married her
Laura took the train for the twenty
mile run into the city. 1t was loca!
and we'll filed with passengers, but she
found an empty seat and sank into it.
The train creaked into activity and
then settled into steady rumbling
roar Two men in the seat behind
We're speaking. and their voices were
plainly heard above the roar Of the
wheels.
Yes" said one Of them. poor old
Rudlow is about all in this time.
reckon
But" expostulated another voice.
my wife says she heard he was going
to buy the Willoughby pearls. They'll
fetch a cool fifty thousand at least
THE bigger fool he rejoined the
other grimly. "A man in Budlow's po-
sition has no business doing stunts
like that. He needs every cent he can
scrape together to keep his head above
water these times"
Il thought he was pretty we'll backed
had plenty Of it,"
$50 he was, but you know it takes
pretty big barrelful to supply the
wants of one of the Ainslee girls.
Budlow married one Of them"
The Ainslees were not richT'
Poor as Jobs turkey. but the girls
were all handsome and married
money This one looks on poor old
Bud as walking gold mine. He's so
harassed that be can't exercise proper
Judgment in conducting his affairs.
Some day my lady will ask for one
thing too many, and Budlow will be
found with a bullet in his BRAIN"
And the Willoughby pearls will
come under the hammer again.
laughed the other as the train drew
into the Central station.
Laura Budlow walked through the
station like one in dream. She was
abont to enter a waiting taxlcab when
she drew back sharply. Il will wall"
she said and turned toward Broadway.
It was a long Journey afoot down to
Wall street. but In a burst OF self re-
proaeh Laura Budiow determined that
her feet should tread every inch Of the
way. Besides. she must have time to
think over many matters which had
J presented themselves in a new light
that morning-since she had entered
. the train.
As she plodded along. her high heeled
, shoes quickly firing her feet. she
: thought of the painful poverty of her
| girlhood-the constant struggle to keep
, up appearances, the overworked ia
Their and overanxicus mother. then the
marriage of first one beautiful sister
after another into the rich set and
finally her own wooing and wedding
to Henry Budlow.
/ OF course she had loved him In q
way. but she had been so dazzled by
the prospect of an opulent future
where there would be no weighing OF
dollars and cents. that she accepted il
as fact that she was marrying Henry
Budlow for his money and nothing
else Since their marriage he had beeI
very good to her, and there was nt
within that he had declined to CRAFTY
but bis town Office demanded much o.
his attention. and Laura had plunged
into the maelstrom, OF society. ant
gradually all her tenderness for he
husband had been relegated to th'
background. There only remained TO
her the restless fever OF coming ant
geing. OF spending Ia vishly. until sh'
had grown to look upon her husbans
merely as mine of inexhaustisl'
riches upon which she could draw In
definitely to supply all her needs
whether real or imaginary.
With eyes. hxed ahead and though
concentrated Oh these painful mem
cries. Lanra trudgea down the stree,
almost unconscious Of her utter wear
ness When she neared Wall stree
there came the apprehension that Hen
ry might have thought the matter owe
on his way to the city that morning
might have considered the purchas
of the pearls as the last straw upo
his overburdened business and in nj
/. ter encouragement might have ende
his life as the man ON the train ha
= predicted.
a Even now he might be lying IN hi
, splendid offices with small blue mar
on his temple. a pool of blood on tn
!. polished floor and his worn. haggar
d face relaxed into tranquil rest. and sh
would he to blame for 1T all.
, The fear lent wings to her wear
foo< 0roa Pino ctroof ho ,so