Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-06-06

social power, feared and obeyed. she
let 1t be known that to any one who
received Mrs. Dominick Ryan her
doors would be forever closed. With
out withdrawing her friendship from
her son she refused ever to meet or
to receive his wife. In this attitude
she was absolutely implacable. She
imposed her will upon the less strong
spirits about her, and young Mrs.
Ryan was as completely shut on from
her husbands world as though her
skirts carried contamination. With
masculine largeness of view in other
matters, in this one the elder woman
exhibited singular, unworthy small
ness. The carelessly large checks she
had previously given Dominick on his
birthday and anniversaries ceased to
appear, and masculine gifts. such as
pipes. walking-sticks. and cigar
cases, in which his wife could have
no participating enjoyment, took their
place. She had established policy
of exclusion, and maintained it rig
idly.
Young Mrs. Ryan had at first be-
lieved that this rancor would melt
away with the flight of time. But she
did not know the elder woman. She
was as unmeltable as q granite rock.
Bernice. who had expected to gain
all from her connection with the all
powerful Ryans, at the end of two
years found that she was an ostracized
outsider from the world she had
hoped to enter, and that the riches
she had expected to enjoy were rep
resented by the three thousand year
her husband earned in the bank. Her
attempts to force her way into the
life and surroundings where she had
hoped her marriage would place her
had invariably failed. II her feel
ings were not of the same nature as
those of the elder Mrs. Ryan. they
were fully as poignant and bitter.
The effort to get an invitation to
the ball had been the most daring the
young woman had yet made. Neither
she nor Dominick had thought 1t pos
sible that Mrs. Ryan would leave her
out. So confident was she that she
would be asked that she had ordered
dress for the occasion. But when
Dominick's invitation came without
her name on the envelope, then fear
that she was to be excluded rose
clamorous in her. For days she
talked and complained to her hus-
band as to the injustice OF this
course and his power to secure the
invitation for her If he would. BY
the evening of the ball she had
brought him to the point where he
had agreed to go forth and demand 1t.
1t was hateful mission. He had
never in his life done anything SO hui
initiating. In his shame and distress
he had hoped that his mother would
give it to him without urging. and
Bernice. placated. would be restored
to good humor and leave him at
peace. She could not have gained
such power over him. or so bent him
to her bidding, had she not had in
him fulcrum of guilty obligation to
work on. She continually reminded
him of the wrong" he had done her.
and how, through him. she had lost
the respect of her fellows and her
place among them. All these sights,
snubs and insults were his fault, and
he felt that this was true. Tonight
he had gone forth in dogged despera-
tion. Now in fear. frank fear of her.
he went home, slowly. with reluctant
feet. his heart getting heavier, his
dread colder as he neared the house.
II was one Of those wooden struc-
lures on Sacramento Street not far
from Van Ness Avenue where the
well-to-do and socially-aspiring crowd
themselves into floor of seven
rooms, and derive satisfaction from
the proximity of their distinguished
neighbors who refuse to know them.
1t contained four fats, each with
parlor bay-window and front door.
all four doors in neighborly juxtaposi-
ton at the top of flight to six
marble steps.
Dominick's was the top fiat; he had
to ascend a long. carpeted stairway
with turn halfway up TO get to it.
Now. looking at the bay-window. he
saw lights cleaning from below the
drawn blinds. Berry was still up. A
lingering hope that she might have
gone to bed died, and his sense of re-
luctance gained in force and made
him feel slightly sick. He was there,
however. and he had to go up. Fit
ting his key into the lock he opened
the hall door.
1t was very quiet as he mounted
the long stairs, but, as he drew near
the top, he became aware of a windy.
whistling noise and looking into the
room near the stair-head saw that all
the gas-jets were lit and turned en-
full cock, and that the gas, rushing
out from the burner in a ragged BAN
ner of flame, made the sound He
was about TO enter and lower II when