The San Francisco call., 1913-09-29
CHAPTER XIV
Aftermath of Tragedy

The Gilders, both father and son,
endured much suffering throughout
the night and day that followed the
scene in Mary Turner's apartment
when she had made known the ac-
complishment of her revenge on the
older man by her ensnaring OF tne
younger. Dick had followed the oth-
ers out of her presence at her com
mand, emphasized by her leaving MIN
alone when he would have pleaded
further with her. Since then he had
striven TO obtain another interview
with his bride, but she had refused
him. He was denied admission TO the
apartment. Only the maid answered
the ringing of the telephone, and ms
notes were seemingly unheeded. DIS,
traught by this violent interJectfon oi
torment into a life that hitherto had
known no important suffering, DICK
Glider showed what mettle OF man lay
beneath his debonatr appearance Aiiu
that mettle was OF klnd worm
while In these hours OF grlei tne
soul of him put out Its strens.n. re
learned beyond peradventure OF DOUBT
tbot the woman whom he had married
Was in truth an ex-convict, even as
purke and Demarest had declared
Nayartheless he did not for an
instant believe that she was
er,ilty OF the crime with whieh
she had been originally charseo
and for which she had served
sentence in prison. For the rest
he could understand in some degree
how the venom of the wrong lnnicteu
on her had poisoned her nature
through the years, TIL she nau
worked out It's evil through .ne
scheme Of which he was the innocent
little for the TACT
that recently she had devoted herself
70 deyious devices for making money
tn Ingenious schemes for legal piun-
der In his summing Of her. he set
as more than Offset to her upright
eousness in this regard the desperate
struggle she had made after leaving
nrison to keep straight, which, as ne
learned, had ended In her attempt at
suicide. He knew the intelligence
of this woman whom he loved, anu
In his heart was no thougnt OF ner
faults as vital flaws. II seemed 70
him rather that circumstances had
compelled her. and that through all
the suffering of her life she had re-
tatned the more beautiful qualities
~ her womanliness, for which ne
reyerenced her. In the closeness OF
their association, short as 1t had been.
he had learned to know something
Of the tenderer depths within her,
the kindliness Of her, the wholesome
ness. Swayed as he was by the love-
liness of her, he was yet more en-
thralled by those inner qualities OF
which the outer beauty was only the
fitting symbol.
So. in the face of this catastrophe.
where less love must have been
DESTROYED utterly, Dick remained
Ioyal. His passionate regard did not
falter for a moment. 1t never even
occurred to him that he might cast
her off. might yield to his father
prayers. and abandon her. On the
contrary, his only purpose was to
gain her for himself, to cherish and
guard her against every ILL., to protect
with his love from every attack OF
shame or injury. He would not pe-
Iieve that the girl did not care for
him. Whatever had been her first
purpose Of using him only as an In
strument through which to strike
against his father. whatever might
be her present plan of eliminating
him from her life in the future. he
still was sure that she had grown
to know real and lasting affection
for himself. He remembered startled
glances from the violet eyes. caught
unawares, and the music of her voice
in rare instants, and these told him
that love for him stirred, even though
! ii might be as yet family. in her
heart.
Out of that fact he drew an imme-
| date comfort in this period of his
| misery. Nevertheless, his anguish
was racking one. He grew older
visibly in the night and the day.
There crept suddenly lines of new
| feeling into his face. and, too. lines
Of new strength. The boy died in
| that time. the man was born, came
| forth In the full of his steadfastness
and his courage, and his love.
The father suffered with the son.
| He was proud man, intensely graft
| fed over the commanding position
to which he had achieved In the COM
mercial world. proud OF his business
! integrity. of his standing in the COM
munity as q leader, proud Of his 60