The Southern herald., 1915-09-10

1 NhA hAo" buSh AAOhA NhNAus hCy NOh'
vict you, James"
Now ! can see why you have taken
up this fight against me. You-you
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
Matilde 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
hated you. That was it. The pure,
deathless love of Matilde was constant.
ly lighting against the hatred | bore
for you. ! believe as firmly as | be-
lieve 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 vividly 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 a 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 we'll 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.
elli. 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"
"I-l-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 no
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. l have still more
to say to you-more to confess. Here!
Take this package Of letters. Read
them as you sit beside his bed-not
his deathbed, for | shall restore him
to health, never fear If he were to
die, should curse myself to the end
of time, for and | alone would have
been the cause. Here are her letters
and the one Feverelli wrote to her
This is her deathbed letter to you. And
this is letter to her son and yours
You may some day read 1t to him. And
here-this is document requiring me
to share my fortune with her son. II
is a pledge that took before my ia
ther died few years ago. II the boy
ever appeared, he was to have bis
mothers share of the estate-and 1t Is
not an inconsiderable amount, James
He is independent of you. He neeC
ask nothing Of you. was taking hin
home to his own"
She shrank slightly as he stood ovel
her. There was more Of wonder anC
pity in his face than condemnation
She looked for the anger she had ex
pected to arouse in him, and wal
dumfounded to see that 1t was not re
vealed in his steady, appraising eyes.
your plan deserved a better fat,
than this Therese. 1t was prodlgious
IL can almost pity you"
"Have-have you no pain-no regre
: no grief?" she cried weakly.
"Yes," he said, controlling himsel
with difficulty. "Yes, know all thes
and more" He picked up the pack
age of letters and glanced at the sui
scription on the outer envelope. SUD
: denly he raised them to his lips and
with his eyes closed, kissed the word
that we're written there. Her hea
dropped, and a sob came into he
throat. She did not look up until h
began speaking to her again, quietly
even patiently. But why should yol
even in your longing for revenge-wh
should you have planned to humiliat
| and degrade him even more than
could have done? Was 1t Just to you
sisters son that you should blight hi
| life, that you should turn him into
skulking, sneaking betrayer? Wha
would you have gained in the end? HI
loathlng, his scorn-my God, There's
did you not think of all this?"
'T have told you that | thought {
everything. was mistaken. ! did ne
stop to think that | would be takin
him away from happiness in the shaI
Of love that he might bear for someon
l. else. did not know that there was
: Lydia Desmond. When came to know
my heart e1ftened and my purpose 10,
most of its force. He would have bee
. safe with me, but would he have bee
Q happy? l could not give him the kin
4 of love that Lydia promised. coul
I only be his mothers sister to him. H
was not in love with me. He has a
I ways loved Lydia. fascinated him
0 just as fascinated you. He would nj
7 have gone away with me, even aftt
q ,,nn, hnd fnld him thnf hn ,,tnn. :, l,t NJ,