The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-08-28


you've both made fool of me-"
II can make it all right with YOU
Take MON away now"
He turned on her savagely.
You can make it all right with me,
can you?" he cried II suppose YOU
thought when you got through with
him an he cast you off you'd fall back
on me, the patient. good natured fool
down in the country that didn't know
nothin'. that wasn't wise to the kind
Of man he's turned out to be, nor to
the sort you've proved yourself to be.
He's one of the rich men you professed
to be so willn' to give up for me-
Well, you needn't. If money counts
for more than love. you're welcome to
1t and to him."
the Injustice of her treatment, Dams ,
readiness to believe i'll of her without |
waiting to give her chance to have
heart to heart explanation with him,
stung poor Patsy to the quick.
Love" she cried scornfully. "a lot /
you know about it, Love is trust, an
you're the man banked on, an the
first minute puts you to the test you
falls down hard. If you think I'm bad
you can think it. I'm through with
YOU"
Patsy's outburst not only carried no
conviction to her fiancc; it aroused the
anger and resentment of Mrs. O'lsrien,
In whose mind there was no doubt of
her daughters guilt
"Have We no shame-to stand there
nv,S IA 1,,A
loved ycz?" she said hotly. LET us
be goin'. Danny. Lave her father to
settle with this man."
But Mallory was beginning to under
stand what 1t all meant to him. what
he had lost, the significance of the
laundering of his hopes. The pain
and misery Of the heart wvnching his
separation from Patsy would mean
were already beginning to make them
selves felt. All his rage and sorrow,
all his humiliation. all his jealous hate,
surged within him, prompting him to
kill the man who had blasted his life
"No! he answered. "D'you think
he's goin' to wreck her life an wreck
all my hopes an go scot free? No,
he's goin' to answer to me-here-
now"
himself with evaporation. lie had
had more than enough Of the compli-
Gated mess his intrigue with Nora had
stirred up. He was not lacking in
physical courage and had no fear of
Mallory, but he was afraid of the no.
toriety and ridicule ''row" of this
kind would bring upon him IL it at
tracted outside attention, as u scutile
inevitably would do.
"1'm not going to fight with you," he
said angrlly. I'm not going to have
my name mixed up in n dirty scandal
with lot of race track hangers on and
chorus girls. I've had enough of this
I've had enough of the lot of you.
You'll leave my house and at once, all
of you-evcry last one of YOU"
He moved toward Patsy with the in
tention Of driving Nora from the bed
room and bundling the whole family
out.
Patsy OWNED his purpose.
mo, don't do that" she whispered
quickly and despairingly. selling his
arm. mot after all I've done. There
won't be any scandal; there won't be
any fight. I'll get rid OF them. Leave
1t to me-"
Crawford could not but respect her
grit and devotion. lie turned from the
door. and Patsy advanced toward NAL
Iory.
"Why don't you leave us?" she de-
manded coldly. what do you want
me to do? What more do you want
me to say? l love this man. He's
everything to me and you're nothin
to me-"
Mallory and her mother gazcd at her,
stunned. shocked. by this declaration.
Don't stand lookin' at me like that
go-go!" she ordered ilnpaticnuy.
Slowly Mallory and Mrs. O'Bricn
went out.
Patsy and Crawford stood gazing
after them until the sound of the shut
ting of the front door by Rogers ap-
priscd them that they had really gone.
Then Patsy's tortured heart could bear
no more and she burst into tears. A
long drawn "Oh-Oo!" escaped through
her quvering lips. and she stifrened
and twisted her arms in her suffering.
| Crawford was moved by the sight
to scmblance Of generosity.
| you needn't mind about that money
you needn't pay. he said patronizing-
~, taking seat by the table.
The mans cynical assumption that
to woman in her station of life
money was salvc the application Of
which would there and then heal all
heart wounds. dry all tears, make
wrong right, was too much for the girl,
already gonded to the verge of distrac-
| ton. She dashed the tears from her
eyes with her hand and turned upon
him pnssionatcly.
Needn't pay! needn't pay!' she
calculated. II have paid-paid with
my good name. with my mothers trust,
with the love OF the man I've loved all
my life. That's what I've paid to save
my little sister from you-you beast!
You pay? No! It's the woman that
pays-and pays-and pays!"
She walked to the bedroom door and
flung 1t open.
Come. Nora" she commanded.
you're safe now"
Nora came forth. and without an
other word the two girls left.
Crawford, who had listened to Pat
|