Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1915-02-26
BY GERTRUDE STEVENSON
Illustrations from Photographs Of the Stage Pr

know"
eff 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. II 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! l
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 all
these years. l can't help lovin' him."
she sobbed.
, Katherine watched her. aghast at
eve 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. 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 he
world, mastered the worldly in her,
as h 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-money!
You're right to hate it. 1t is a dirty
thing. If he were pool she wouldn't
look at him. Don't you mind and don't
you cry. Mrs. Slade. You fght-fght
them-an." and she loosened her arms
and sank sobbing and heartbroken.
into a chair, throwing her head on her
outstretched arms in a perfect aban-
don of repentance and grief.
For a few moments the two women
sobbed hrokenly. 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 rae
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 q
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 SC
the conviction came to her that
Katherine was the m her hus
band was planning to marry. She
opened her mouth as IL to speak
and turned questioningly again to
Bob. But Hayes could not meet hel
eyes Suddenly Mary pointed an &C
cusing finger It Katherine's bowed
head. She! Oh-h!" she gasped.
Katherine, unconscious OF the reve
lation that had just taken place. was
still sobbing bitterly. but with sweet
or 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 years OF forgivine
and self-sacrifce.
There. there, there she crooned