The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1916-11-08

That was Jim's chance. Friendship
come his wife. Then the strange look
Of fear that he knew SO well came
into her eyes.
mo, you must not ask me that"
she said II shall never marry again"
And, seeing Jim's distress, she added:
II will tell you the truth. am n
runaway wife. l cannot speak i'll Of
my husband now. l could have borne
with his inhdelities, with his abuse,
butt did not want my boy to grow
up to be like him."
1t was weeks afterward that she
told him all. Her husband was a
wealthy man In Omaha. When she
found that she could endure life with
him no longer she had run away,
penniless, save for her railroad ticket.
He had one redeeming quality: he
loved his son. On this account she
knew that he would leave no stone
unturned to find them.
Jim went away. sorrowing. He
knew now that she could never be
his. For she shrank instinctively, he
felt without asking, from the pub.
licity Of divorce. Besides, to seek
divorce would be to put her husband
on her trail. She wanted to let the
years roll between them, creating an
ever widening barrier, until she felt
that the past could never stretch out
Its grisly hand upon her.
So the months changed into years.
1t was nearly three years since Leila's
coming when something happened
which Jim had always known to be
inevitable.
1t was morning, and he was on the
high pastures with his cattle when
he saw her running toward him, with
the boy, scrambling up the steep hill
side. She reached him; her face was
white with fear.
He has found mel" she gasped.
20. save mel Help mel"
Up the road came the toot of an
auto horn. Jim saw the car climb
the grade like heavy locomotive.
The car stopped. A man leaped
out, man In the prime Of life, ab.
surdly strong, absurdly healthy, with
the bluster, and yet the sense Of pow
er. that sometimes accompanies the
successful man.
He leaped to the ground and ad-
vanced upon the woman, smiling. Jim
barred his path.
MY wife," he said.
II know" answered Jim.
See here, young man. You don't
perhaps understand. am here to
claim my own, my legal own, my
wife and child. She hns nothing to
fear from me. have never laid my
hands upon her. Stand out Of my
path"
You may have legal right" said
Jim, but you amt going to take her."
The man laughed, whipped off his
coat, and displayed pair of muscular
arms. "Her lover?" he sneercd
God witness, there has never been
love between u.s." answered Jim.
The woman sprang between them.
"Jim, he Is right" she said. "Now
he has found me, must 60 with him.
jim, amazed at the change OF attI.
tude. stood absolutely mute The man
nodded.
Good for YOU" he said. leila,
the past Is past. You'll never hear
OF 1t from me. It's only for the boys
sake | want you back. And I guess
you'll be happier than you were"
Mechanically the girl entered the
auto. They lifted the boy inside. The
norm footed. They were gone. And
Jim stared focliShly after them.
How strong the bonds between hus.
band and wife! She was gone out of
| his life. He had never dreamed Of
I! such thing But why had she gone
with him. when he was ready to fight
! for hcr2
Jim did not understand women,
their changes, their sense of duty
coming in so oddly at critical mo.
mentS. Like man in dream he
watched the car shoot down the hill.
1t was going very fast. The brake
was damaged by the rough road in
! 1act, but Jim did not know that. All
he thought was ;hat it was going very
| fast toward the cutting. And sud
denly there came the roar of the train
leaving the tunnel.
The auto shot forward. 1t was now
evidently beyond control. Jim began
to run.
But he was much too far away to
be of any help. AS he ran he saw
the dreadful picture: the train rae.
ing along the narrow cutting, the auto
caught and, overturned; the desperate
efforts of the occupants to free them
selves.
Then he saw the man staggcr to
MS feet, lift the boy in his arms and
| toss him tn tha forthar hon,, I'M, -