Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-11-01
n, the reason. why he would have


their points of view to his daughters
unwilling consideration. He spoke
slowly and vaguely to gain time. He
knew it was a critical moment in the
relations between himself and the one
creature in the world he loved.
81 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 so horrible I'll try |
iLg to separate a man and worAan who !
are unhappily married and can't bear
the sight OF each other"
you were separating them for me"
she said in a low voice.
well, now" he answered with a
slight rocking movement of his shout
ders and a manner of almost bluff 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 a question that went TO
the core of the subject. He knew now
he could not put her off, 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 | was at Ante
lope, came into the sittingroom and
saw my daughter in the arms of Domi-
nick Ryan. 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 a faint tone.
"Afterward | heard from Dominick
of what his marriage was. | heard
from his mother, too. Then | saw his
wife and | got a better idea from her
what it was than | 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 club to a
woman. What liking he'd had for
: her was gone She stuck TO him like
barnacle because she wanted to get
money, was ready to hang on, feet and
, hands, till Della Ryan was dead and
. then put up a claim for a share of the
1 estate. Do you think a mans doing
{ such horrible thing to break up
q marriage like that?"
YES" said Rose, 81 do. 1t was
t marriage. They'd taken each Other
for better or for worse. They'd made
l the most solemn promises to each oth
y err Neither you nor any one else nae
o a right 10 interfere"
q She spoke with a hard determine
ton, with something OF an infiexiole
y unrelenting positiveness, that wa
It very unusual in her, which surprised
and, for the moment, silenced her ia
- | IHST. II TOcc d SOuANO VI N~A ~
II ton deeper than the surface emotion
j. OF likes and dislikes, Of loves an
e hates, OF personal satisfactions an
q disappointments. At the core OF he
70 being, with roots extending throug
Is all the ramifcations of her menta
ID and moral nature, was belief In In
inviolability Of the marriage tie.
o. N fonndad nm mott he
T. tradition. nor reason, nor expediencl
thing Of impulse. Of sex, an hered
tary instinct inherited from gener'
lions of virtuous women, who. in tn
u days of their defenselessness. as
. the days of their supremacy, kne'
that the most sacred possessions {
~ their lives-their husbands. their chi
dren, their homes-rested on its ST
bility. All the small, individual preo
equations OF her love for Dominica
her pity for his sufferings, were sweI
aside by this greater feeling that sh
did not understand or reason abou
She obeyed an instinct, elemental
the instinct of motherhood, when 81
refused to admit his right to brea
the bond he had contracted.
Her father stared at her for the m
ment, chilled by sense OF unfami
arity in her sudden assumption Of q
attitude Of challenge and authorit
He had often heard her inveigh again
the divorces so lightly obtained in Il
world about them He had thought
one Of those pretty ornamental, pref
dices Of hers, that so graceful
adorned her youth and that he hk'
her to have when they did not int
fere with anything of importanC
Now, set up like barrier In the pat
he stopped before this one particul
prejudice, perplexed at its sudden
trusion, unwilling to believe that
was not frail, temporary obstructi
to be put gently aside.
Nov listen. honey" said he p,
suasively, that's all very we'll +
got no right to interfere. and Meth,
we'R admit, has anybody. But SON
times you have to push away the
little rights and polite custom
They're very nice for everyday III
but they're not for big occasions
suppose the Good Samaritan did
really have any right to stop and bi
up the wounds Of the man he found
the wayside. But l guess the Teller