The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1915-08-13

| iO'in6Iy. nave married lho CnllQ
Therese. have held her sister In my
arms all these months and never knew.
1t is 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 I'M
happy boy-her son? Are you fiend
to"
In good time, James, you will 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
haH-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 abb
solving her-she repeated her solemn
declaration that she had never wronged
you by thought or deed. l had always
believed her, the holy priest believed
her, God believed her. You woult
have believed her. too, James Brood
She was good woman. Do you heart
And you put curse upon her and
drove her out into the night. Thai
was not all. You prosecuted her to the
end of her unhappy life. You did thai
to my sister,"
And yet you married me-" he mut
tered thickly.
mot because l 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 evei
endured the anguish that she suffered
throughout those hungry years. You
kept her child from her. You deaied
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! 1t was your revenge to de-
pFive 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 l 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 word of what you are
saying to"
Don't you believe that am her sis
ter%
"You-yes, by heaven, 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. VIII you believe me
when say that my hatred did not en-
dure for long? When her happy, Joy
Gus letters came back to us filled with
accounts of your goodness, your devo-
ton, IL allowed my hatred to die. !
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
iying-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
rom you" she hurried on, and for the
first time her eyes began to waver.
The idea suggested itself to me the
hight met you at the comtesse's din
Ter. 1t was wonderful, tremendous
thought that entered my brain. AT
irst my real self revolted, but as time
vent on the idea became an obsession.
married you, James Brood, for the
'ole purpose of hurting you in the
worst possible way; by having Ma
ilde's son strike you where the pain
would be the greatest. All, you are
linking that l would have permitted
myself to have become his mistress,
nut you are mistaken. l am not that
lad. l would not have damned his
oul In that way. would not have
betrayed my sister in that way. Far
more subtle was my design. confess
hat it was my plan to make him fall in
owe with me and in the end to run