Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-08-29

I've ever met you before. 1t must have
| been long time ago."
you've never met me-" said Berry,
| ''but | guess you've heard of me.
am the wife of Dominick Ryan"
She said the words easily, but her
| eyes we're lit with devouring fires as
they fastened on the young woman's
face Upon this, signs of perturba-
ton Immediately displayed them
selves. For moment Rose was shak-
en- beyond speech. She flushed to her
hair, and her eyes dropped. To a
Jealous observation, she looked con-
fused, trapped. guilty.
Really" she said after the first mo-
ment of shock, I'LL really don't
think ever did meet you" With her
face crimson she raised her eyes and
looked at her companion. "If l have,
l must have forgotten IT."
you haven't" said Berny. 'but
you've met my husband"
Roses color did not fade. but this
| time she did not avert her eyes. Pride
and social training had come to her
aid She answered quietly and with
something of dignity.
"Yes. l met Mr.. Ryan at Antelope
when we were showed up there.
suppose he's told you all about it?'
No." said Berry, her voice begin
ming to vibrate. ''he hasn't told me all
about 1t. He's told just as much as
he thought l ought to know"
Her glance. riveted on Roses face.
contained a fierce antagonism that
was like an illumination of hatred
shining through her speech. He
| didn't think it necessary to tell me
everything that happened up there,
Miss Cannon"
Rose turned half from her without
answering. The action was like that
of child which shrinks from the an
cry face of punishment. Berny leaned
forward that she might still see her
and went on.
He couldn't tell me all that hap
pened up at Antelope. There are
some things that 1t wouldn't have
done for him to tell me. A man doesn't
tell his wife about his affairs with
other women. But sometimes. Miss
Cannon. she finds them out"
Rose turned suddenly upon her.
Mrs. Ryan," she said in cold. au
thoritative voice, what do you want
to say to me? You stopped me just
now to say something. Whatever 1T
is. say it and say 1t out"
Berny's RACES invariably worked
themselves out on the same lines.
With battle boiling within her, she
could preserve up to certain point
a specious, outward calm. Then sud
denly, at some slight, harmless word,
some touch as light as the pressure on
the electric button that sets of the
dynamite explosion, the bonds OF her
wrath were broken and 1t burst into
expression. Now her enforced re-
straint was torn into shreds. and she
cried. her voice quavering with pas
sion. shaken with breathlessness:
What do you suppose l want to
say? l want to ask you what right
you've got to try to steal my hus-
band?"
81 have no right" said Rose.
Berry was, for the moment. so TAX
en- aback, that she said nothing but
stared with her whole face set in n
rigidity of fierce. attention. After a
moments quivering amaze she burst
out:
Then what are you doing 1t for?"
81 am not doing it."
You're a liar." she cried furiously.
You're worse than a liar. You're a
thief. You're trying to get him every
way you know how. You sit there
looking at me with face like little
| innocent, and you know there's not a
| do t, erat htrr, ~
from me you're not doing II a COM
| mon gutter girl had acted that
way they'd call her some pretty
dirty names. names that would make
you sit up If you thought any one
would use them to you. But ! don't
see where there's any difference. You
think because you're rich and on top
of the heap that you can do anything.
Just let me tell you. Miss Rose Can
non, you can't steal Dominick Ryan
from me. You may be Bill Cannon's
daughter, with all the mines of the
Comstock behind you, but you can't
buy my husband"
Rose was aghast. The words of
Berny's outburst were nothing to her.
sound and fury. the madness OF a
| Jealous woman. That this was a low
ing wife fighting for the husband
whose heart she had lost was all she
understood and heard. That was the
tragic. the appalling thought. The
weight of her own guilty conscience
seemed dragging her down into SICK
ened silence. The only thing 1t seemed
to her she could honestly say was to
refute the woman's accusations that
Dominick was being stolen from her.
Mrs. Ryan" she implored. what
ever else you may think. do please
understand that l am not trying to