News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1914-06-24

! DTOOcn lntO haCnerlnoS reluctant I'M
gers. "She can see what she's missed
Well, I'm done with it-and with both
of them. There!" and weak from heI
frenzied outburst, she sank into q
chair. There was intense silence for
a moment. Katherine stood as If pet
rified. Mary sat with brooding eyes
thinking. She was the first to speak
trying hard to be brave.
"Well, there's one comfort 1t amt
as though had any children. Who'd
ever have thought we would have
come to this-here in this house. If
l had had a baby, here's where it
would have been born-and that's the
real reason l stick to this house-it
amt spunk.
1--WE were both very young" she
talked meditatively, more to herself
than to Katherine. II was awfully
happy. l couldn't wish you any bet
ter, dear" and she turned impulsively
to the girl, who sat amazed, breath
lessly watching her, than hoping to
have child by some young man you
cared for. There's no happiness like
it. But one day there was an acct
dent in the mine and they came and
told me he was hurt-and | thought,
p'raps, he was dead-and-my sudden
| fear for him robbed us of our little
child and me of all the hope of ever"
Her voice broke with the agony of all
! childless good women since the be-
| ginning of time.
Seem there" she pointed through
| the open door into the next room, in
| the bureau drawer-the one by the
Window-there's all the little things
got ready years and years ago." her
voice quivered piteously. "And now
I'm old and there's another woman
a younger" the tears were streaming
down her cheeks now and Katherines
heart ached in sympathy with her
The girls throat was dry and her eyes
blinded by tears as she repeated over
and over again to her accusing con,
science: 81 didn't know. I didn't
know"
''If we'd only had children" Mary
sobbed, losing herself in complete col
lapse Nothing counts but children.
They're all we get out of marriage
when we're old. If we'd only had
children, he couldn't have left me like
this" her shoulders shook
Katherine started to her feet, I'M
able longer to bear the sight of the
woman's suffering.
Don't cry, Mrs. Slade, don't cry"
she pleaded.
my Cod" Mary exclaimed How
an | a-goin' to live out my life! I
can't | can't. I'm used to him, and
now he's going to have another woman
near him" There was remuneration
and anguish and anger in her out.
burst. And I've lived with him ali
these years. I can't help lovin' him."
she sobbed
Katherine watched her, aghast at
the vision of love such as she had
never before realized The hot tears
filed her eyes and her lips trembled.
Unable to fight any longer, she
stretched out her hand and touched
the older woman gently, almost rever-
emily.
"Oh, please-please don't cry like
that" she begged. 81 can't stand it.
Oh, please don't" and suddenly her
emotions swept away her control
her remembrance of why she had
come-of everything but this slender,
sobbing little woman. She flung her
arms around Mary, burying her face
on her shoulder. The woman in her
rose up and rebelled at what she had
been about to do. Love, not of the
world, mastered the worldly in her,
as the tears overflowed.
Mrs. Slade, you fight" she sobbed, |
breathlessly. Never mind what! You |
fight! He loves you best after all.
I've seen that. Don't you give in! |
You'll get him back. She's an out
and-out bad, heartless, selfish creature.
She's bad-bad, sitting every good,
honest impulse for money-money |
You're right to hate it. 1t is a dirty |
thing. If he were poor she wouldn't |
look at him. Don't you mind and don't |
you cry, Mrs. Slade. You fight-fght
them-all." and she Ioosened her arms
and sank sobbing and heartbroken,
into chair, throwing her head on her
arms in a perfect aban-
don of repentance and grief
For few moments the two women
sobbed brokenly. Mary was the first
to recover.
There, there" she cried, patting
Katherine tenderly on the shoulder,
don't you cry for me-"
Suddenly Hayes appeared in the door
way. He looked first at Mary, then
at Katherine. Katherine, her face
still buried, her sobs still uncontrolled,
had not heard him open the door. One
sight of the two women was enough
to convince him that in the encounter
the stronger had been defeated and
that the gentle little woman whom
he loved had come off the victor.
Mary stood looking from Hayes to
in bewildered perplexity.
Suddenly her eyes lighted with a
thought. She began to read her an
5wer in Bob's eyes, but he turned to
avoid her glance. She looked again
at the sobbing girl and as she did SO