The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-07-07

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Here, I'll give you something to give
him." and she darted into the adjoin-
ing bedroom ct will remind her OF
something she hasn't got-his youth! !
His youth! His youth! Seer" and
she thrust before Katherine's eyes the
picture of Dan Slade when they were
first married, the picture she had al
ways worn. That's the way he looked
when he was young. Tell her she
can keep It." And she forced the
brooch into Katherine's reluctant fin
gers. "She can see what she's missed!
Well. I'm done with it--and with both
of them. There!" and weak from her
frenzied outburst, she sank into a
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 It amt
as though | had any children. Who'd
/ ever have thought we would have
| come to this-here in this house. II
! I had had baby, here's where it
/ would have been born-and that's the
real reason / stick to this house-it
amt spunk-
I'VE were both very young" she
/ talked meditatively, more to herself
than to Katherine. 81 was awfully
happy. couldn't wish you any bet
! ter. dear" and she turned imDulsively
TO the gTT1, VINO sat amazed, breath
/ lessly watching her, than hoping to
have a 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 allthe hope of ever"
Her voice broke with the agony of all
childless good women since the be-
i ginning of time.
s. 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
] younger" the tears were streaming
down her cheeks now and Katherine's
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: IT 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, un-
able longer to bear the sight of the
woman's suffering.
Don't cry, Mrs. slade, don't cry, .
she pleaded.
MY God!" Mary exclaimed. How
am | a-goin' to live out my life! |
can't. ! can't. I'm used to him, and
now he's going to have another woman
near him. There was Remuneration
burst And I've lived with him all
these years. can't help loyin' him, .
she sobbed.
Katherine watched her, aghast at
the vision Of love such as she had
never befS-e 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. II 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 overf1owed.
r Mrs. Slade, you fight" she sobbed
breathlessly. Never mind what! You
1ghti 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
j. You're right to hate it. 1t is dirty
- 1AAhSs IL AC were pOOT sue WOuIun
look at him. Don't you mind and don't
q you cry, Mrs. Slade. You fight-fight
. them-all." and she loosened her arms
. and sank sobbing and heartbroken
into a chair, throwing her head on hel
outstretched arms in a perfect aban
+ don Of repentance and grief.
For few moments the two womeI
sobbed brokenly. Mary was the frs
to recover.
9 There, there" she cried, pattint
b Katherine tenderly on the shoulder
n don't You cry for me-"
/. Suddenly Hayes appeared in the door
d way. He looked hrst at Mary. thel