Tombstone epitaph., 1915-10-10
CHAPTER iiI.

| tnln lips as she read the Item In the evening newspaper.
 Wife of Broker Leaves Him on Eve of Bankruptcy" she read Mrs Wn liam Wright returns to her fathers house. She will apply for divorce from her husband. naming his stenographer Daisy Dean. as correspondent
 She folded the paper and laid 1t down That's one for Robert" she said And I. unsuspicious that I am. never even suspected that anything was really wrong"
 She swung round as the door opened. Her brother Robert stood on the threshold. livid and trembling In his hand he held a copy of the same | newspaper
 | Do you know what this infamous sheet Is printing?" he demanded. Miss Susan laid her hand on his shoulder. Yes. Robert, my poor boy she answered T am so sorry. We never suspected. even though we used our eyes, how bad it really was 1t is a scandal to the whole neigh bornood She must be forced to leave Dots boro-"
 Robert elared at his sister. "She will come to this house to be my wife!" he shouted, slamming down his fist on the table. Susan, do you sup. pose believe those infamous stories Do you think am going to abandon her in her trouble."
 Robert, you are mad, To bring that girl to our house" ''If she'll have me- said Robert, humbly.
 "Oh. she'll nave you fast enough" his sister sneered. "OnIy if you bring her here I walk out. Thank heaven I am a respectable woman. There is a limit, and I draw it here. Robert. Why, do you want people to say that you married a girl Austin Clark wouldn't look at after he found her out?"
 Her brother, unable to trust himself 10 answer her. stamped out of the room
 In her own home Daisy Dean sat in a chair and stared. dry-eyed, at the newspaper.
 She had found her employers office closed that morning when she arrived. and the office boy waiting outside. MT. Wright was habitually SO punctuai that Daisy had telephoned to his apart ment She learned that it was closed. | MT. Wright had come home the eve ming before and gone out again. That u olI that Il hS was away on visit.
 Again that morning Daisy went down to the office. to find the door still locked. The office boy had grinned sheepishly at her this time He told ner everything except the one salient fact, and that he would not have blurted out for all the raises that his imagination had ever devised. The boss has had a row with Mrs Wright. Miss Dean" he said. She's bring her back. No. don't know what troubles about The colored mans kid in the apartment house told me about it."
 What had happened was this: Mir Wright had gone. rather frantically, to his father-in-law's house, thinking that his wife might be there Even then Ae did not surmise the nature of the trouble. Yes, she was there, but she refused to see him. Instead, the old man haa come downstairs, and a stormy interview followed.
 
 of-fact man. He did not feel so much the moral obliQuity of his son-in-law's behavior as the scandal that he had brought about He had heard the ru- mors that were flying oyer the town and had disbelieved them; but his daughters hysterical return the same afternoon had convinced him as to their truth. He wasn't going to f. nance a son-in-law ~ho made such fool of himself. especially since his daughter announced that she would never return to him
 You've played the fool, William, and you'll have to get out of your trouble as best you can," he said. If my daughter goes back to you again I'll see if I'm willing to help you. As matters stand. she says she won't, and that's enough for me"
 But I've made all my arrangements in view of that ican," cried Wright. Don't you see. sir. that my wife's hysterical and wrought up about noth- ing. so far as l can see? Why the whole charge is preposterous."
 T don't care what it is," shouted the old man I've done with you. and I've better uses for my money than to lend iu to fool like you"
 And suddenly wright's anger cooled The utter malignancy Of the whole thing. which had come home to Daisy. struck home to him also. He looked at the old man in a dazed ~ay
 "Youm be sorry he said. But itn be tco late tomorrow"
 And he walked slowly out of the house and back to his apartment
 At a late hour the following after noon he pulled himself together and went down ts his ofiice Seated alone there. he went through the hopeless