The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-09-10
Gov. right i5l', Bo55s. Uernli Coz

cant help II. You sowed. You can't
pardon seed from growing"
Il can help II. and Will. The past
10 no more mine than hers--our mar
riage was legal. but Il bound ma no
more than II bound her. She chose
her own companions. have been
building up respectable life, here in
Lttleburg. You shall not overturn
the labor OF the last ten years. You
can 60. My viii is unalterable. &C.
and do what you can!"
Instead Of anger. Fran showed sor.
row: How long have you been mar
ried to the second Mrs. Gregory-the
present one?" ~
He turned his back upon her as II
TO 60 to the door, but he wheeled
about: Ten years. You understand?
Ten years of the best work of my life
that you want to destroy"
Poor LADY," murmured Fran. "The
hrst Mrs. Gregory-my 'friend'-has
peen dead only Ehree years. You and
she were never divorced. The lady
that you call Mrs. Gregory now-she
thought" he was suddenly
ashen paie-'but thought that She
believed her dead long ago-I was
sure OF it-positlve. What you say n
impossible"
But no one can SOW without reap
Ing" Fran said. still pityingly. when
you sang those words, Il was only a
song to you. but music is lust a bit
OF lire's embroidery. while you think
t life itself. You don't SOW, or reap
In choir loft. You can't SOW deeds
and reap words"
understand you, now" he fal-
tered. You have come to disgrace
me. What good will that do you. or
or my first wife! You are no abstrac.
ton. to represent sowing and reapins
out nesh-and-blood girl who can 10
away IL she chooses"
She chooses to stay" Fran assured
him.
Then you have resolved TO ruin ma
and break my wife's hearth" The
sweet. uncomplaining face of the sec.
ono Mrs. Gregory rose before him.
AND Grace Noir-what would she
think,
mo. I'm just here to have a home. {"
VIII you enjoy q home that you
seize by force?"
Don't they say that the Kingdom
or God may be taken by force? But
you Know more about the Kingdom
tnan Let them believe me the
daughter OF some old boyhood friend
-that1l make II easy. AS the daueh.
ter OF that friend. you'll give me a
nome. Ill keep out OF your way. and
Do heasant--a nice lit.le girl. OF. any
age you please" She smiled remotely.
he spoke DULY: but they'll want
10 know all about that old college
friend"
Naturally. Well. just invent some
story-l1l stand by YOU"
iou don't know me-" he returned,
drawing himself up. What! do you
Imagine i would lie 70 them?"
think" Fran remarked imperson.
ally tnat TO a person In your posi-.
tion-a person beginning to reap what
ne has sown. lying Is always the NEXT
course. But you must act as your
conscience dictates. You may be
sure that TX you decide to tell the
truth. Ill certainly stand by you In
that"
Helplessly driven to bay, he flashed
out violently. Unnatural girl-or
woman-or whatever you are-there
is no spirit OF girlhood or womanhood
In you"
Fran returned In q low, concentrat.
cd voice. "If I'm unnatural, what were
you In the Springfield days? Was IL
natural for You to be married secretly
when the marriage might have been
public? When you went away In
break the news to your father, WASN'T
rather unnatural for you to hide
three years before coming back?
When you car1e back and heard that
your wife had gone away to be sup
ported Dy people who were not re-
spectacle. was IL natural for you to
De satisfied with the first rumors YOU
heard. and disappear for good and all ?
AZ for me. yes. have neither the
spirit or girlhood nor womanhood, for
I'm neither a girl. nor a woman. I'm
nothing" Her voice trembled. Don't
rouse my anger-when lose grip on
myself. I'm pretty hard to stop. If
let everything rush OH my mind-how
she-my 'friend-my sweet darling
friend'-how she searched for you all
the years till she died--and how even
on her death-bed she thought mayb be
you'd come-you--"
Fran choked back tho words
"Dont!" she gasped. Don't reproach
me. or Ill reproach you. and mustn't Z
do that I want TO hide my real heart
from you-from all the world. I want
TO smile. and be like respectable
people"
"E-or Nnd,a naLa |, ...lI-u.a Al.