The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-04-13
be gained by such an act as that"

be gained by such an act as that"
Il wanted 10 take Matilde's boy away
from you" she hurried on, and for the
nrst time her eyes began to waver.
The idea suggested itself to me the
night | met you at the comtesse's din
ner. II was a wonderful. tremendous
thought that entered my brain. At
first my real self revolted, but as time
went on the idea became an obsession.
! 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. | 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
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
Won that bl m con
and Matilde's. honestly born. What
was your object, may | inquire, in
striking me at such cost to him? You
would have made scoundrel Of him
for the sake of personal vengeance.
Are you forgetting that he regarded
himself as my son.
NO. | do not forget, James. There
was but one way in which | could hope
to steal him away from you, and !
went about it deliberately, with my
eyes open. came here to induce him
to run away with me. | would have
taken him back to his mothers home,
to her grave, and there | would have
told him what you did to her. If after
iNhAi my my oNO4 llC 'l'NNNu W lNlui ~
TO the man who had destroyed his
mother, | should have stepped aside
and offered no protest But | would
have taken him away from you in the
manner that would have hurt you the
worst. My sister was true to you.
would have been just as true, and after
you had suffered the torments of hell,
1t was my plan to reveal everything to
you. But you would have had your
punishment by that time. When you
were at the very end of your strength,
when you tremble on the edge of OBJ
livion, then | would have hunted you
out and laughed at you and told you
the truth. But you would have had
years of anguish-years, | say"
Il have already had years of agony,
pray do not overlook that fact" said
he. Il suffered for twenty years.
was at the edge of oblivion more than
once, If it is pleasure for you to hear
me say it. Therese."
1T does not offset the pain that her
suffering brought to me. 1t does not
counter balance the unhappiness you
gave to her boy, nor the stigma you
put upon him. | am glad that you suf,
fered. 1t proves to me that you secret
ly considered yourself to be in the
wrong. You doubted yourself. You
were never sure, and yet you crushed
the life out of her innocent, bleeding
heart You let her die without word
to show that you"
Il was lost to the world for years"
he said. There were many years when
| was not in touch with"
But her letters must have reached
you. She wrote a thousand Of
They never reached me-" he said
significantly.
You ordered them destroyed" she
cried in sudden comprehension
Il must decline to answer that ques.
ton"
CONTINUED TOMORROW
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