The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-07-03


arms ali these months and never knew.
1t is dream T."
'Ah. but you have felt even though
He struck the table violently with
his fist His eyes were blazing What
manner Of woman are you2 What
were you planning to do to that IN
happy bOy-her son? Are you a fend
to"
In good time, James, you viii know
what manner OF woman am" she in
terrupted quietly Sinking back in the
chair she resumed the broken strain,
all the time watching him through
haIf-closed 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 alb
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 a good woman. Do you hear?
And you put a 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 sisteri"
And yet you married me-" he NUT
tered thickly.
Not because I loved you-Oh, mol
She loved you to the day of her death,
after all the misery and suffering you
had heaped upon 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 hers
But no! It was your revenge to de-
prive her of the child she had brought
/ into the world You worked deliberate
/ IL in this plan to crush what little
/ there was left in life for her You kept
/ him with you, though you branded him
with a name cannot utter; you guard
/ ed him as If he were 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.
/
/ you'll" She paused bresthless.
You are creating an excuse for your
! devilish conduct" he exclaimed harsh
/ Iy. You are like MatiIde, false to the
! core. You married me for the luxury 1
could provide, Notwithstanding the
curse had put upon your sister
don't believe a word Of what you are
| saying to"
Don't you believe that 1 am her sis
teri"
"You-yes, by heaven, must believe
/ that. Why have been so blind2 You
are the little Therese, and you hated
Pme in those other days I remember
well the"
"a child's despairing hatred because
/ you were taking away the being she
/ loved best of all. Will you believe me
when 1 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-,
/ ton, IL allowed my hatred to die I
forgot that you had robbed me. 1 came
/ to look upon you as the fairy prince,
after all It 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 I be-
/ gan to hate you with a real. Undyfng
/ 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 MatiIde'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 eomtesse's din
ner. It was wonderful, tremendous
thought that entered my brain At
| first my real self revoited, but as time
went on the idea became an obsession-
I 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 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. 1 would not have
betrayed my sister in that way. Far
more subtle was my design 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
it 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 prOteetf
How utterly blind and unfeeling you
were. You say that he was my son
and Matilde's, honestly born What
was your object, may I inquire, In
striking me at such cost to him2 You
would have made a scoundrel Of him