The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1914-05-20
| can't help IOWA. him, "

these years. can't help fovin' him."
she sobbed.
Katherine watched her, aghast at
the vision of love such as she had
never before realized. The hot tears
filled 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.
ooh, please-please don't cry like
that" she begged. Il can't stand 1t.
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 overlooked.
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-moneyi
You're right to hate 1t. 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 loosened her arms
and sank sobbing and heartbroken,
into chair, throwing her head on her
outstretched 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
Katherine in bewildered perplexity.
Suddenly her eyes lighted with a
thought. She began to read her an
swer in Bob's eyes, but he turned to
avoid her glance. She looked again
at the sobbing girl and as she did so
the conviction came to her that
Katherine was the woman her hus-
band was planning to marry. She
| opened her mouth as II to speak,
and turned questioningly again to
Bob. But Hayes could not meet her
eyes. Suddenly Mary pointed an &C
| cusing finger at Katherine's bowed
head. "She! Oh-h!" she gasped.
Katherine, unconscious Of the reve-
lation that had just taken place, was
still scbbing bitterly, but with sweet
er tears than she had shed for many,
many years. The sight of the girls
misery called for all the treasures Of
love and sympathy in Mary's nature.
sweetened by long FEARS of forgiving
and self-sacrifice.
There, there, there" she crooned.
as she patted Katherine's head. Over
come with an emotion she could not
control, Katherine clasped her arms
about her comforter and wept softly
and quietly on her>breast.
Bob, too surprised to believe his
own eyes, came up to her.
'Katherine!" he exclaimed.
ooh, Bob, I'm so ashamed" Kath-
crime confessed as she got to her feet
and stumbled into his arms, crying
out for forgiveness and the love she
had SO cruelty and so thoughtlessly
| flung aside.
Il understand, l understand" Bob
was very gentle and forgiving as he
took her in his arms.
Il love you, Bob" she sobbed. II
don't care who hears me say 1t. !
don't care. / love you"
Come" he said, leading her ten
derby toward the door, We'll talk
1t over on the way home"
L