The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1914-07-02

~ Ieft upoa ~ tabas a 6&Aah-
ioasA rstiesle. and following ths -,
vies givsa her. In rely - hsr ssas'
ton. passed up he Stair and A0vn
ths uppss hall. 70 the rooa vhers ~
Grace Halsey and her ehilA- There.
unknovA BY any Of tie household an1
aoesptsd BY tAoss whose preGessioaal
duties took then thither. che reaaias1
for many hours. HaIsey anA virgAnaa
Ravn did not know OF her coming.
1t was . cold hooe-coniAs. aIse.
which awaited John Ravn. Bat ~
came at last. to meet that which Was
Tor him to encounter 1t vas nisht
The lights we're few and din. No0s
crested him At his own gate. n0oe
even at his OWE door. which vas lsfl
unguarded. At length he found tAs
solitary footman-butler. asleep N
chair. the worse for wine.
Where Il shs!" he DEMANDED.
Where 10 Mrs. Rawn?"
He turned before he could BE- ..
herently answered. and passed down
the hall toward the library. through
whose closed doors he saw Q fajot
light cleaning.
Something impelled John Rawn "a
hesitate. He stood. himself the vssy
picture Of despair. his face drawn,
haggard. unshaven. his hair disor'
dered. his hands twitching. He must
ind his wife, he said to himself: bs
must ask her what success she had
had with their last hope. Yes. yes. II
must be true! With Halsey's aid hs
would yet win! II she had won-Hal.
sey would yet be on his side-Halsey
would tell him-Halsey would 60 back
to the factory
But John Rawn hesitated at this
door. He felt. rather than knew. b..
lieved rather than was advised. that
his wife was beyond that door. He
waited. apprehensive. but kept up with
himself the pitiful pretense of self
deception. All. power. control. com
mand!-those we're the great things
Of the world. he reasoned. True. he
knew his daughter lay dead in her
room on the floor abovs-the paper he
held in bis hand told him that; for at
last the doctor had prepared his state.
ment regarding Mrs. Halsey's death
by heart failure"-the rich and all
akin to them always die respectfully.
IN house 30 large as Graystone Hall.
But 1t was too late to save her. Rawn
reasoned. Let the dead bury the dead.
The larger things must outweigh the
small. He first must know what his
wife had done with Halsey.
To the tense, strained nerves Of
John Rawn the truth was now az ap-
parent ~ It had been to the sensibili.
ties Of all these others, late friends.
servants. sycophants. Ruin was here.
in his citadel. his castle Of PRIDE Only
one thing could save him. He
hesitated at the door, held back from
that which he knew he was about to
face. :. But no. he reasoned, she
was there alone, he must see her!
He nung open the folding doors and
stood holding them apart
Yes. she was there! Johp. Rawn's
face drew into q shastly smile. Yes,
she had won! She. the wonderful
woman. had triumphed a. he had
planned for her. to triumph. She had
won!
They stood before. him. those two.
silent, faoe to face. embraced: their
arms about each other even a. he
dung wide the door. They turned to
him now, stupehed. 30 weary. 70 over.
strained. that their arms still hung,
embraced. The face Of each was
white. desolate. unhappy: more hope
lsss and desperate than terrined, but
horrible. They were lovers. They
loved. but what could love do for them,
80 late! They had paid-but what
right had they to love. so latef
John Rawn, the man who had
wrought all this, stood and gaxed,
CHASTITY. smiling distortedly. at his
wife's face. Why, then. should she be
unhappy! What was to be lost save
that which he. John Rawn. was los.
ing-or had been about to lose!
But he was startled, stupefied. him.
self. for one moment. He turned back,
hesitating: and 80 tiptoed away, leav-
ing them. although the Joint knowl-
edge of all was obvious. They had
not spoken . word, had not started
apart. had only gaxed at him like
dead persons. white. silent. motion
less-not lovers: no. not lovers.
For one-half instant, alone in the
wide and darkened hall, Rawn straight.
ened himself up. threw his chest out.
Yes. she had won-she had done her
taskl She held Charles Halsey fast
thers-fn her embrace. He, John
Rawn. muitimiilionaire. collector of
rare objects, one Of Gods anointed
rich, had the shrewdest wife the world
had ever seen, the most beautiful. the
most successful.
Had he not seen-was It not there
before his eyesf She had his one en-
&E78SSSH9A @S