The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-12-10
and draw back from them. They CT

know She was innocent" he said in a
low, unsteady voice.
And why | have hated you, ale?
But what you do not understand is
how | could have brought myself to
the point of loving you"
Loving me! Good heaven, woman.
what do you"
Loving you in spite of myself" she
cried, beating upon the table with her
hands. Il have tried to convince my
self that it was not | but the spirit of
Matllde that had come to lodge in my
treacherous body. hated you for
myself and | loved you for Matilde
She loved you to the end She never
mated you. That was it. The pure,
deafness love of Matilde was constant
ly fighting against the hatred bore
for you. believe as firmly as be-
| Ileve that am alive that she has been
near me all the time, battling against
my insane desire for vengeance You
have only to recall to yourself the mo-
ments when you we're so wildly re-
minded of Matilde Valeska. At those
times am sure that something of Ma
tide was in me. was not myself. You
have looked into my eyes thousand
| times with question in your own.
Your soul was striving to reach the
soul of Matilde. All, all these months
have known that you loved Matilde-
not me. You loved the Matilde that
was in me. YOU"
Il have thought Of her-always Of
her-when you were in my arms"
Il know how well you loved her,"
she declared slowly. 81 know that you
went to her tomb long after her death
was revealed to you. know that years
ago you made an effort to find Fever
ELI. You found his grave, too, and you
could not ask him, man to man. If you
had wronged her. But in spite Of all
that you brought up her boy to be sac
rificed as"
'T-I-good God, am to believe
you? If he should be my son!". he
cried, starting up, cold with dread.
HE is your son. He could be nc
other mans son. have her dying
word for it. She declared it in the
presence of her God Wait! Where
are you going?"
Il am going down to him!"
mot yet, James. have still more
to say to you-more to confess. Here!
Take this package of letters. Read
them as you sit beside his bed-no
his deathbed, for shall restore hin
to health, never fear. If he were t.
die, should curse myself to the enc
of time, for | and | alone would have
been the cause Here are her letter.
and the one Feverelli wrote to her
This is her deathbed letter to you. AM
this is letter to her son and yours
You may some day read it to him. Ant
here-this is document requiring m
to share my fortune with her son,
is a pledge that | took before my fs
Their died few years ago. If the bo
ever appeared, he was to have hi
: mothers share of the estate-and 1t
not an inconsiderable amount, James
He is independent of you. He nee
i ask nothing of you. was taking hir
J. home to his own"
She shrank slightly as he stood owe
her. There was more of wonder an
D. pity In his face than condemnation
: She looked for the anger she had e.
l. pected to arouse in him, and wa
dumfounded to see that it was not n
yealed in his steady, appraising eyes
Your plan deserved better fa1
. than this Therese. 1t was prodigiouS
. IL can almost pity you"
Il "Have-have you no pain-no regr'
II no grief?" she cried weakly
u yes" he said, controlling himse
A. with difficulty. Eyes, ! know all thes
n and more" He picked up the pac
e. age of letters and glanced at the su
y, scription on the outer envelope. Su
c. denly he raised them to his lips an
1t with his eyes closed, kissed the wore
that we're written there. Her het
,r drooped. and a sob came into n
lie throat She did not look up until
began speaking to her again, quietl
ID even patiently But why should yo
even in your longing for revenge-wl
q should you have planned to humilia
"A and degrade him even more than
II could have done? Was it just to yo
sisters son that you should blight
y, life. that you should turn him into
skulking, sneaking betrayer? VIII
would you have gained in the end? +
"a loathing, his scorn-my God, There's
o' did YOU not think of all this?"
~ have told you that | thought
everything. was mistaken. did
or stop to think that | would be TAXI
ne him away from happiness in the sha
re Of love that he might bear for someo
N, else. | did not know that there wal
er lydia Desmond. When came to knc
my heart roftened and my purpose Il
most of its force. He would have be
I'm safe with me, but would he have be
Die happy? could not give him the H