The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1913-06-26

Il
slowly and vaguely to gain time. He
knew It was q critical moment in the
relations between himself and the one
creature In the world he loved.
"T don't want you to feel that way,
dearie." he said easily. Maybe there
are things In this matter you don't
know about or understand. And, any
way, what's there 30 horrible in try
ing to separate man and woman who
are unhappily married and can't bear
the sight of each otherf"
You were separating them for me. {"
she said in low voice.
well, now," he answered with q
slight rocking movement Of his shoul-
ders and a manner Of almost blum dep
recation. 81 can say that wasn't, but
suppose l was?"
She paid no attention to the last
part Of the sentence, and replied:
THE woman said you WERE"
He did not answer for a minute, the
truth being that he did not know what
1t was best to say, and wanted to
wait and let her make statements that
he could either contradict or seek to
| justify.
What made you think l wanted to
marry Dominick Ryan," she said slow
ly, her eyes on the fire.
This was q question that went to
the core Of the subject. He knew now
he could not put her on, or slip from
the responsibilities Of the occasion.
Drawing himself to the edge Of his
chair, he leaned forward and spoke
with a sincerity and feeling that made
his words very impressive.
"One evening when l was at Ante
lope, came into the sitting-room and
saw my daughter In the arms of Domi-
nick Ryan. l knew that my girl wasn't
the woman to let man do that unless
she loved him. That was how came
to know"
"Oh," said Rose in faint tone.
| "Afterward I heard from Dominick
of what his marriage was. l heard
from his mother, too. Then saw his
wife and l got better idea from her
what 1t was than l did from either of
the others. That fellow, the man my
daughter cared for, was tied up in a
marriage that was hell. He was bound
to woman who could only be man.
aged with a club, and Dominick was
not the kind that uses a club to
woman. What liking he'd had for
her was gone. She stuck to him like
a barnacle because she wanted to get
money, was ready to hang on. feet and
hands, till Della Ryan was dead and
then put up claim for a share Of the
estate. Do you think q mans doing
such horrible thing to break up a
marriage like that?"
"Yes," said Rose, 81 do. 1t was a
marriage. They'd taken each other
for better or for worse. They'd made
the most solemn promises to each 9th
er. Neither you nor any one else had
right to interfere"
She spoke with a hard determina-
tion, with something Of an infexible,
unrelenting positiveness, that was
very unusual in her, which surprised
and, for the moment, silenced her IA
ther 1t rose from source Of convic-
ton deeper than the surface emotions
Of likes and dislikes, Of loves and
hates, Of personal satisfactions and
disappointments. At the core Of her
being, with roots extending through
all the ramiflcations Of her mental
and moral nature, was a belief in the
inviolability Of the marriage tie. 1t
was conviction founded on neither
tradition, nor reason, nor expediency,
thing of impulse, Of sex, an heredi-
tary instinct inherited from genera
tions Of virtuous women, who, In the
days Of their defenselessness, as in
the days of their supremacy, knew
that the most sacred possessions Of
their lives-their husbands, their chill
dren, their homes-rested on its sta
bility. All the small, individual preoc-
cupations Of her love for Dominick,
her pity for his sufferings, we're swept
aside by this greater feeling that she
did not understand or reason about
She obeyed an instinct, elemental as
the instinct Of motherhood, when she
refused to admit his right to break
the bond he had contracted.
Her father stared at her for the mo-
ment, chilled by sense OF unfamili-
arity in her sudden assumption of an
attitude Of challenge and authority.
He had often heard her inveigh against
the divorces so lightly obtained in the
world about them. He had thought 1t
one Of those pretty ornamental preju-
dices Of hers, that so gracefully
adorned her youth and that he liked
her to have when they did not inter
fere with anything of Importance.
Now, set up like barrier In the path,
he stopped before this one particular
prejudice, perplexed at its sudden in
trusion, unwilling to believe that it
was not frail temporary obstruction
to be put gently aside.
Now listen, honey" said he per-
suasively, that's all very we'll. I've
got no right to interfere, and neither,
we'll admit, has anybody. But some,
times you have to push away these
little rights and polite customs
They're very nice for everyday use,
but they're not for big occasions.
suppose the Good Samaritan didn't
really have any right to stop and bind
up the wounds Of the man he found by
the wayside. But guess the feller he
bound up was almighty glad that the
Samaritan didn't have such a respect
for etiquette and wait till he'd found
somebody to introduce them"
"Oh, papa, that was different. Don't
confuse me and make me seem a
fool. can't talk like you. can't
express it all clearly and shortly. l
only know it's wrong; it's a sin.
wouldn't marry Dominick Ryan If he