The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1915-07-08

NlCl yOu, JdHltS.
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, ai-el
But what you do not understand Is
how I 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 fighting against the hatred | bore
for you. l 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 a 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, II you
had wronged her. But in spite OF all
that you brought up her boy to be sac.
rificed as"
"I-I-good God, am l 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. l have her dying
word fo- 1t. She declared 1t in the
presence OF her God. Wait! Where
are YOU golng?"
81 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-not
his deathbed, for l shall restore him
to health, never fear. II he we're &c
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. i
is a pledge that | took before my IA
ther died a few years ago. II the boz
ever appeared. he was to have hii
mothers share of the estate-and II 1.
/, not an inconsiderable amount, James
, !, He is independent OF you. He neet
u ask nothing OF you. I was taking hin
y home to his own"
She shrank slightly as he stood owe
. her. There was more Of wonder ant
= pity in his face than condemnation
She looked for the anger she had ex
: pected to arouse In him, and wa
= dumfounded to see that 1t was not re
: vealed in his steady. appraising eyes.
r Your plan deserved q better fat
q than this Therese. It was prodigious
a IL can almost pity you"
d "Have-have you no paih--no regre
u mo grief?" she cried weakly.
u "Yes," he said. controlling himsel
!. with difficulty. "Yes. know all thes
n and more" He picked up the pacl
B. age of letters and glanced at the sui
Y, scription on the outer envelope. SUD
c. denly he raised them to his lips anC
It with his eyes closed, kissed the word
that we're written there. Her hea
IT dropped, and a sob came into he
10 throat. She did not look up until h
began speaking to her again, quietl,
d even patiently. But why should yo,
even in your longing for revenge-wh
o, bnOulu YOU nave piahhcu W hulullldt
d and degrade him even more than
u. could have done? Was 1t Just to you
sisters son that you should blight hi
N life, that you should turn him into
skulking. sneaking betrayer? Whf
a. would you have gained in the end? HI
:, loathing, his scorn-my God, There's
y did you not think of all thls?"
II have told you that thought
everything. l was mistaken. did M
'r stop to think that | would be takin
10 him away from happiness in the shaI
re Of love that he might bear for someor
u else. / did not know that there was
CT Lydia Desmond. When came to kno,
my heart softened and my purpose lo
most OF its force. He would have bee
m safe with me, but would he have bee
10 happy? could not give him the dr
en- OF love that Lydia promised. / cou
OF only be his mothers sister to him. +