The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-05-02

you can understand. Your wife isn't
to blane-I'm to blame. Love is to
blame. I love her. I've done this.
"You have done-what?"
1--WE taken your wife away from
you, can't you understand, you foolI
She's going to marry me as soon"
"Jennie!-what's this fellow talking
about?" The veins on John Rawn's
forehead stood high and full.
"He is only telling you the truth, .
she SAIL calmly, YEARLY. II don't care
one picayune whether or not you
know it! I'm tired! I'm done with
all this sort Of thing! Yes, I'm going
to marry him as soon as we can get
away. AS soon as it's decent, if any
things decent any morel"
"And you love him, you'll rob me,
you'll leave me-you'll-why, are you
all crazy? What are you talking about?
When I've given you everything
you've got-when you were so much
to me! Jennie!"
"No, MOI" she raised hand. Don't
talk about that! It's all over now"
She tore at her throat, at her fn-
gers, heaped up in his hands the gems
she wore even then, the gems she
had put upon her person to protect
them from uncertain servants, gems
which left her blazing like some wax
en- queen. in her tomb-white, dead,
enjeweled.
"Take. them!" she cried. "I don't
want them" She went on. piling his
hands full of glittering, flashing things.
He stood gazing at her, stupefed.
Then, slowly, the burden OF years, the
burden of business failure, and lastly
this-the burden Of the worst Of mans
discontinue, the worst Of mans pos
sible losses-began to weigh down
upon him. He shortened visibly;
shriveled; dropped. ~
They had no pity for him. Youth
has no pity for age, love no pity for
q mates ineficiency; but after all
some sort Of contempt, at least,
seemed due him.
"Rawn," said Halsey, ''It'B pretty
hard. We're all of US paying hard.
heavy price for what we thought We
had. But we can't evade it, any part
Of It. It was your fault that Grace
left me. We we're going to part. You
sent your wife after me, as you call It.
I suppose Grace found that out You
know what she did then. I said /
blame you, and so I do. But was
going to get divorce"
"Divorce!-you divorce my daugh-
ter! John Rawn's daughter!"
did you not divorce her mother
you, yourself?"
"Rut I lovedd-my wife-1 mean. this
woman-Jennie, here!"
$50 do love her; more than you
do or ever will know how to do! What
you have done well do. Is it worse
for us than it was for you? What's
the differenceT'
"But she's my wife! Why, Jennie!"
He held out hand to her.
so was Laura Rawn your wife, my
wife's mother" went on Halsey.
whats the difference?"
Virginia Rawn stepped between the
two. 'T'm as much to blame as any
one Of US ALL" she said quietly. Il
sold out to you, didn't I, Mr.. Raw1t--
down there in New York? I married
you, didn't I? Very well, what you
did, I have done. No more, and not
without equal cause. I love him. I'm
going to marry him, You and I are
going to be divorced-if we were not
I'd go to him anyhow. I hate you, I
loathe you! My God! how I detest
and loathe the sight of you! Go away
go away-go away from us! You're
not any part Of a mani"
'Tt's true!" gasped John Rawn to
himself; "My God, it's true! She said
that heard her-to me? What have
I done to deserve this? I
ought to kill you," said he to Halsey
slowly.
"Of course you ought" said Halsey.
''If you were any portion of a man
you would. But you've tried that, and
you know where you ended
"But Halsey-Charley!-you don't
stop to think!" began Rawn pitifully.
"You will go back-you will go back
to the factory, in the morning? You
will help me pull it together, won't
you"
mo, not one step back to the fac.
tory-never in the world! I'm done
with that. I'm going away somewhere,
and she's going with me, don't know
where. Let some one else work out
what you thought we could do, and let
some one else take the consequences
its not for me. You've got what
you earned-I suppose I'll get what
I've earned, too. dent care about
that any more"
Rawn could not answer the young
man as he went on slowly, duly, bit
terly. eff I've been traitor to any OF
my own creed reckon GodN punish