The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1915-07-10

and draw back from them. They con
vict you, James"
e Now l can see why you have taker
e up this fight against me. You-yol
| know she was innocent" he said in &
y low, unsteady voice.
n And why / have hated you, ale.
e But what you do not understand is
!. how ] could have brought myself to
E the point of loving YOU"
Loving me! Good heaven. woman
1 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. l hated you for
myself and ! loved you for Matilde.
one loved you to the end. She never
mated you. That was it. The pure,
deathless love of Matilde was constant.
ly lighting against the hatred I bore
ior you. believe as firmly as / be-
heVe that am alive that she has been
near me all the time, battling against
my insane desire for vengeance. You
nave only to recall to yourself the -.
ments when you were so wildly re-
minded of Matilde Valeska. At those
times l am sure that something Of Ma
uide was In me. / was not myself. You
nave looked into my eyes a thousand
tunes with a question in your own.
Your soul was striving to reach the
soul OF Matilde. All, all these months
l 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 well 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
ELL. You found his grave, too, and you
could not ask him, man to man, il you |
had wronged her. But in spite of all |
that you brought up her boy to be sac
riiced as"
T-I-good God, am I to believe
you? II 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!"
Not 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. If he were to
die, l 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 it to him. And
here-this is document requiring me
to share my fortune with her son. II
Is pledge that l took before my "a
ther died few years ago. II the boy
ever appeared, he was to have his
mothers share of the estate-and It is s
not an inconsiderable amount. James. 4
He is Independent of you. He need 4
ask nothing of you. I was taking him J
home to his own" J
She shrank slightly as he stood over c
her. There was more of wonder and 4
pity In his face than condemnation.
She looked for the anger she had ex. Il
pected to arouse in him. and was e
1umfounded to see that it was not re- S
'ealed In his steady, appraising eyes. v
Your plan deserved a better fate Z
han this Therese. 1t was prodigious! c
Il can almost pity you"
"Have-have you no pain-no regret
mo grief?" she cried weakly.
YES" he said, controlling himself
With difficulty. Eyes, know all these
nd more" He picked up the pack.
zee Of letters and glanced at the sub.
cription on the outer envelope. Sud. .,
enly he raised them to his lips and. =
With his eyes closed, kissed the words q
hat were written there. Her head y
rooped, and a sob came into her
hroat. She did not look up until he ID
egan speaking to her again, quietly.
ven patiently. But why should Won w
ven In your longing for revenge-wbv
hould you have planned to humiliate "
no degrade him even more than 7 ~
ould have done? Was it Just to your OF
'sters son that you should blight his o'
re. that you should turn him into a az n,
sneaking betrayer? What u
Tould you have gained In the end? His az
'athing, his scorn-my God, Therese. az
Id you not think of all this?" Oh
Il have told you that I thought of
Verything. was mistaken. did not ne
Top to think that l would be taking
Inn away from happiness in the shane ar
love that he might bear for someone
Sc. ! did not know that there was . bs
ydia Desmond. When l came to know al
y heart softened and my purpose lost tn
ost Of its force. He would have been hs
fe with me. but would he have been to
lppy? could not give him the kind sc
love that Lydia promised. could ut
lly be his mothers sister to him. He is
Is not In love with me. He has al. d.
ays loved Lydia. fascinated him to
st as fascinated you. He would not
We gone away with me, even after wi
u had told him that he was not your
n. He would not do that to You hi,
mes. in spite Of the blow you struck de