Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1915-07-02

plans have gone awry. It gives me :hs
opportunity to see you curse yourself"
her sister!" uttered the man unbe-
IIeVlngly. Il have married the child
inerese. have held her sister In my
arms all these months and never knew.
II Is dream. l."
An, but you have felt even though
-"
ne struck the table violently with
MS INST. 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 fiend
to"
In good time. James, you will know
what manner of woman l am" she in.
corrupted quietly. Sinking back in the
cnalr she resumed the broken strain.
all the time watching him through
naif-closed eyes. "She died ten years
ago. Her boy was twelve years old.
Sne never saw him after the night you
turned her away from this house. On
ner deathbed. as she was releasing her
pure, undefiled soul to Gods keeping.
sne 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 would
have believed her. too. James Brood.
She was good woman. Do you heart
And you put q 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 I 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 was all hers.
But no! 1t was your revenge to de-
prive her Of the child she had brought
into the world. You worked deliberate
~ 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 II he were 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
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 l married
vou!" She paused breathless.
You are creating an excuse for your
levilish conduct" he exclaimed harsh
y. You are like Matilde. false to the
,ore. You married me for the luxury
,ould provide, Notwithstanding the
curse had put upon your sister. /
lon't believe . word Of what you are
aging to"
Don't you believe that I am her sic.
err"
"You-yes. by heaven, / must believe
hat. Why have l been 30 blindf You
ire the little Therese. and you hated
ne in those other days. I remember
veil the"
"A child's despairing hatred because
'ou were taking away the being she
owed best Of ALL Will you believe me
When say that my hatred did not en-.
lure for long? When her happy, Joy.
'us letters came back to us filed with
.ccounts Of your goodness. your devo-
ion. IL allowed my hatred to die.
orgot that you had robbed me. I came
o look upon you as the fairy prince,
fter all. It was not until she came all
he way across the ocean and began to
lie before our eyes-she was years In
ying-it was not until then that be-
an to hate you with q real. undying
aired"
"And yet you gave yourself to me-"
70 cried. You put yourself in her
lace. In heavens name. what was to
70 gained by such an act a. that!"
II wanted to take Matilde's boy away
rom you," she hurried on. and for the
rst time her eyes began to waver.
The idea suggested itself to me the
light met you at the comtesse's din
er. 1t was wonderful, tremendous
bought that entered my brain. At
rst my real self revolted. but a. time
rent on the idea became an obsession.
married you, James Brood. for the
ole purpose Of hurting you In the
'orst possible way; by having Ma
llde's son strike you where the pain
'ould be the greatest. All. you are
linking that ] would have permitted
,yself to have become his mistress.
ut you are mistaken. l am not that
ad. l would not have damned his
oul in that way. l would not have
etrayed my sister in that way. Far
lore subtle was MY design. l confess
hat 1t was my plan to make him fall in |
I'VE with me and in the end to run
way with him. leaving you to think
hat the very worst had happened. But
would not have been a. you think
lie would have been protected. my
riend. amply protected. He"
But you would have wrecked him
ont you see that you would have