The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1913-02-14
oopynshs 1919 BY Emsrson Housh

"16N ~ IN " 0U ECG ulII
first. and tell him"
Look about you." he commented
grimly. You're going to lose all this
ali these splendid, beautiful things
Il don't mind losing them. / want
to be poor. Oh, my Godl Just to be
loved. and clean! Charley, can we?'
But why choose me? There are
so many othersi"
All like Mr.. Rawn himself-mer
crazed of money, power, %sel6shness.
wanted something different. DO you
think 1t could have been my fathers
old ideas coming out In me, so late
He came OF q family of revoIutionists
Independents; 'Progressives,' they
call them now. Something of his be.
iiefs-I don't know what It was"
but you'll have to leave him In any
case. Divorce Is simple enough. You
know what | would have done, and
lone. also. In any case. Grace and ~
Yes. ! know all about everything.
Everything's past" she said despair
ingly. We're dead. It's all overt"
Il ought to go?" he asked vaguely.
Yes. pretty soon. But / D
you'll have to see Grace, and-to-night
I'll have to see"
He bowed his head. Eyes, we've got
to pay that part first. The best we
can do and all we can give ought to
be enough for him"
She turned, left him, passing
through the great doors to the central
rooms within. Following her still. he
found her at the stair and Joined her.
There approached them now. with
hasty tread and face somewhat ex-
cited. the medical man who had been
tor 30 many days now In attendance
upon Grace Rawn and her child. He
had Come on his morning visit unno-
ticed by them.
"Ah," he began. I'm glad to find
Fou. Mrs. Rawn-and you, Mr.. Halsey
I've been looking for you-Comel
Come ~1uicklyi" His face showed
plainly his agitation.
rs there anything wrong7" demand
ID Halsey sharply. What's the
trouble 2"
1T Ia my daty to tell you the truth"
began the doctor. "Ycur wife In a
gery sick woman, indeed"
Il know that. yes"
But not the worst until this morn
ng. until just now Something"
I've been here In the house wait
lng-why did you not call me ?" be-
gan Halsey clumsily.
You must not waltz" the doctor
interrupted him, taking him by the
arm and Fastening toward the stair
way.
They followed him up the stair.
|iown the upper hall, to the rooms
which had been set apart OF late days
for Grace and her child, quarters all
too unfamiliar to Halsey himself.
They found Grace Halsey, faint and
gasping, half sitting In her bed. clasp
Ing the child in his arms, herself too
weak now longer to hold 1t up. Hal
sey, stricken with sudden horror, ran
to take the child In his own arms.
The truth was obvious. Even as he
lifted the poor crippled form in his
arms. the head fell back, helpless. The
eyes glazed, turned back uncovered.
Halsey cried out aloud. He turned
about, dazed; horror and helplessness
were on his face. 1t was to Virginia
Rawn he turned. as to the other part
of himself.
1t was Virginia Rawn who took from
him the feeble. misshapen body, gath
ering 1t into his own arms. She gazed
~intently, frowning, grieving a woman's
grief ver suffering. bending over its
face; her own face held back over 1t
when she saw the truth. Then she
passed him and placed the body OF the
child upon its cot nearby, covering 1t
gently.
Grace. Gracei" sobbed Halsey. He
fell upon his knees at his wife's bed
side. She did not see him, did not rec
ognize him, although she turned q,
questioning face toward. him. Me,
tool" he cried. Il want to go! I
want to de and end III Everything's
wrong !"
Come" said the doctor presently;
ITS too late now. I'll call for you
after a time" He took Halsey by the
arm and led him from the room. Re-
turning, he signed for Virginia Rawn
also to leave the sick chamber. Left
alone, the medical man turned to the
professional nurse In attendance.
Keep 1t quiet" he said. 1T would
hurt my p~ractice-do you hear?"
He kicked beneath the bed a small
broken vial, and wiped away the stain
from the lips of the dying woman.
The doctor, of course. had his guess.
the public Its guess, the daily papers
theirs. The truth was, Grace Halsey,
BY butler route. had learned OF the
~tete-artete Of her husband and her step
mother q half hour before this time.
=
Grace Halsey, dead. her crippled
child dead beside her. never knew the
contents Of the letter which had been
received for her that morning. It
etill lay on the hall table unnoticed.
There was almost none to pay atten-
tion TO the many duties of the house
hold. The last servants had begun
q pass, seeming disaster even as had
ofhorn. The magic which had bufIded