The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1915-06-17

II is a dream. L"
"Ah. but you have felt even though
-
He struck the table violently with
his fist. His eyes we're blazing. What
manner of woman are you? What
were you planning to do to that un.
happy boy-her son? Are you a fend
to"
"In good time, James, you will know
what manner of woman l am" she In
terrupted quietly. Sinking back in the
chair she resumed the broken strain'
all the time watching him through
halfclosed eyes. "She died ten years
ago. Her boy was twelve years old.
She never saw him after the night you
turned her away from this house. On
her deathbed. as she was releasing her
pure, undefiled soul to Gods keeping,
she repeated to the priest who went
through the unnecessary form Of abb
solving her-she repeated her solemn
declaration that she had never wronged
you by thought or deed. / had always
believed her, the holy priest believed
her, God believed her. You would
have believed her, too. James Brood.
She was good woman. Do you hear?
And you put curse upon her and
drove her out into the night. That
was not ALL You prosecuted her to the
end of her unhappy life. You did that
to my sister!"
And yet you married me" he NUT
tered thickly.
mot because loved you-oh, no!
She loved you to the day of her death,
after all the misery and suffering you
had heaped | ION her. No woman ever
endured the anguish that she suffered
throughout those hungry years. You
kept her child from her. You denied
him to her, even though you denied
him to yourself. Why did you keep
him from her? She was his mother.
She had borne him, he was all ers.
But no! 1t was your revenge t. de-
prive her of the child she had brought
into the world. You worked deliberate
ly in this plan to crush what little
there was left in life for her. You kept
him with you, though you branded him
with name cannot utter; you guard
ed him as if he we're your most
precious possession and not curse to
your pride; you did this because you
knew that you could drive the barb
more deeply into her tortured heart
You allowed her to die, after years Of
pleading, after years of vain endeavor,
without one glimpse Of her boy, with
out ever having heard the word mother
on his lips. That is what you did to
my sister. For twelve long years you
gloated over her misery. Oh, God.
man, how hated you when married
you!" She paused breathless.
You are creating an excuse for your
devilish conduct" he exclaimed harsh
ly. You are like Matilde, false to the
core. You married me for the luxury /
could provide, Notwithstanding the
curse l had put upon your sister.
don't believe a word of what you are
saying to-"
Don't you believe that am her sis
teri"
"You-yes, by heaven, l must believe
that. Why have been so blind? You
are the little Therese, and you hated
me in those other days. l remember
we'll the"
"A child's despairing hatred because
you were taking away the being she
loved best of all. Will you believe me
when say that my hatred did not en-
dure for long? When her happy, Joy
Gus letters came back to us filed with
accounts of your goodness, your devo-
tion, Il allowed my hatred to die. l
forgot that you had robbed me. came
to look upon you as the fairy prince,
after all. 1t was not until she came all
the way across the ocean and began to
die before our eyes-she was years in
dying-it was not until then that be.
gan to hate you with real. undying
hatred"
"And yet you gave yourself to me-"
he cried. "You put yourself in her
place. In heavens name, what was to
be gained by such an act as that?"
81 wanted to take Matilde's boy away
from you," she hurried on, and for the
first time her eyes began to waver.
"The idea suggested itself to me the
night met you at the comtesse's din
ner. 1t was wonderful, a tremendous
thought that entered my brain. At
first my real self revolted, but as time
went on the idea became an obsession.
l married you, James Brood, for the
sole purpose Of hurting you in the
worst possible way; by having Ma
tides son strike you where the pain
would be the greatest. All, you are
thinking that l would have permitted
myself to have become his mistress,
but you are mistaken. am not that
bad. / would not have damned his
soul in that way. / would not have
betrayed my sister in that way. Far
more subtle was my design. l confess
that it was my plan to make him fall in
love with me and in the end to run
away with him, leaving you to think
that the very worst had happened. But
1t would not have been as you think.
He would have been protected, my
friend, amply protected. He"
"But you would have wrecked him
don't you see that you would have
wrecked the life you sought to protect?
How utterly blind and unfeeling you
we're. You say that he was my son
and Matilde's, honestly born. What
was your object, may ! inquire, Id
striking me at such cost t. 4E,A? You
would have made a scounGrel Of him
for the sake of a personal vengeance
Are you forgetting that he regarded
himself as my son ?"