The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-03-21

fralties to her also defended his sense
of honor The unthinkable could never
happen!
She Judged Yvonne too in spirit of
fairness that was amazing when one
considers the lack of perspective that
must have been hers to contend with.
Lydia could not think of her as evil,
immoral, base. This beautiful, warm
hearted cear-eyed woman suggested
nothing Of the kind to her. 1t pleased
her TO play with the good-looking
young fellow. and she made no pre-
tense of secrecy about it. Lydia was
charitable to the extent Of blaming her
only for an utter lack of conscience in
allowing the perfectly obvious to hap
pen so far as he was concerned For
her own qualification she was calmly
inviting a tragedy which was likely to
crush him without even so much as
disturbing her peace of mind for an in
stant. after all was said and done.
There was poison in the cup she hand
ed out to him. and knowing this be-
yond dispute she allowed him to drink
while she looked on and smiled. Lydia
hated her for the pain she was storing
up for Frederic, far more than she
hated her for the anguish she, herself,
was made to endure.
Her mother saw the suffering in the
girls eyes. but saw also the proud
spirit that would have resented sym
pathy from one even so close as she.
Down in the heart of that quiet re-
served mother smoldered hatred for
Yvonne Brood that would have
stopped at nothing had it been in her
power to inflIct punishment for the
wrong that was being done. She too
saw tragedy ahead. but her vision was
broader than Lydia's. II included the
figure of James Brood.
Lydia worked steadily, almost dog
gedly at the task she had undertaken
to complete for the elder Brood. Every
afternoon found her seated at the table
in the study, opposite the sternfaced
man who labored with her over the
seemingly endless story of his life.
Something told her that there were
secret chapters which she was not to
write. She wrote those that were to
endure; the others were to die with
him.
He watched her as she wrote, and
his eyes we're often hard. He saw the
growing haggardness in her gentle,
girlish face; the wistful puzzled ex-
preston in her dark eyes. A note OF
tenderness crept into his voice and re-
manned there through all the hours
they spent together. The old-time
brusqueness disappeared from his
speech: the sharp authoritative tone
was gone He watched her with pity
ia his heart, for he knew it was or
dained that one day he too was to hurt
this loyal pure.hearted creature even
as the others were wounding her now.
He frequently went out of his way
to perform quaint little acts of cour-
tesy and kindness that would have
surprised him only a short time be-
fore. He sent theater and opera tickets
to Lydia and her mother. He placed
bouquets of flowers at the girls end of
the table. obviously for her alone. He
sent her home-just around the corner
i'm the automobile on rainy or bliz.
zardy days. But he never allowed her
an instant's rest when ii came to the
work IN hand. and therein lay the gen.
tic shrewdness of the man. She was
better off busy. There were times
when he studied the face OF Lydia's
mother for signs that might show how
Ter thoughts ran in relation to the
conditions that were confronting all of