The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1915-09-09


opportunity to see you curse yourself"
Her sister!" uttered the man unss-
lovingly. IL have married the cmld
Therese. have held her sister in ny
arms all these months and never knew.
1t Is a dream. /"
"Ah, but you have felt even though
-
He struck the table violently with
his fist. His eyes were blazing. What
manner of woman are you? What
were you planning to do to that un-
happy boy-her son? Are you a ienA
to-"
In good time. James, you will know
what manner of woman | am" she In
terrupted quietly. Sinking back in h
chair she resumed the broken strain,
all the time watching him through
half-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. l 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 sister!"
And yet you married me-" he NUT
tered thickly.
Not 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 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 vas all hers.
But no! 1t was your revenge to de-
prive her Of the child she had brought
into the world. You worked deliberate
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 a 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 hated you when | married
you'll" 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 I
could provide, Notwithstanding the
curse | had put upon your sister. I
don't believe a word of what you are
saying to"
Don't you believe that l am her sis
teri"
"You-yes, by heaven, l must believe
that. Why have / been so blind? You
are the little Therese, and you hated
me in those other days. l remember
well the"
"A child's d~espairing hatred because
you we're taking away the being she
loved best Of all. Will you believe me
when l 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 deyo-
ton, II 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
dying-it was not until then that | be-
gan to hate you with a 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?"
II wanted to take Matilde'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 comtesse's dim
ner. 1t was a wonderful, a 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. I am not that
bad. / would not nave damned his
soul In that way. I would not have
betrayed my sister in that way. Far
more subtle was my design. / confess
that 1t 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