The Washington herald., 1916-05-21

about on him in white fury.
you have sold me!' she shrilled. You
have sold me and my love for handful
of money!"
RUTH he stammered, aghast at her
rage. Are you crazy? / did just what
you told me to do! / accepted the po-
sition and promised not to marry until"
You can promise not to marry till
doomsday, II you wait to marry me-" she
cried Historically 60! Leave my
mothers house this minute. I will never
see you again as long as 1 hve!"
Ruth" he gasped, in horror, 81
obeyed your own wish. You"
He got no further. In her anguish of
pain and disillusion, she would not listen
to him. The man she had adored had
just sold himself and her. for busi-
ness proposition. He had betrayed their
holy pledges for money. So. when he
sought to explain, she turned from him
as might an enraged child
Mr.. Blair" said Mrs. Alden. who had
followed him into the library. You'd
better go. I heard your contemplate
bargain with Mr.. Kendrick. Ruth will
never forgive you, nor shall I. Please
leave my house"
"Tn CO." said Blair dumfounded. but
cut to the quick by his sweetheart's be-
havior. And I will stay out my whole
year In Japan. But then / am com
ing back. II her love is worth anything
she will have come to her senses be-
fore then, and be waiting for meas she
promised in her note. Goodbye"
Mrs. Alden sat down beside the weep
ing girl and put her arms tenderly about
the heaving little body
"It Is hard-bitterly hard, to bear It.
dear child" she murmured. II know
that. There is no anguish in life like
a dual blow to the heart and to the
pride. No wonder 1t has crushed you!
But how much better TO find him out in
your whole life!"
He has wrecked my whole life" burst
forth the girl, tearing free from the
soothing embrace, and springing up, her
big eyes ablaze. He has killed my
heart as much as though he had driven
a knife through 1t. An hour ago I was
a foolish, lovesick girl. ] am a woman
dead. l hate him! Oh, I hate him.
I didn't know I had such capacity for
hatredr'
Mrs. Alden shrank back in dread be-
fore the concentrated wrath in her daugh-
ter's voice She did not know this new
Ruth Alden, whose vehemence so terri
fed her. Yet. with quickly womanly wit,
the mother sought to turn the situation
to her own advantage and to Hendricks.
And II you are a girl of spirit you
won't be content with idle hatred. You
will be avenged on him. can show you
the way. I"
IT don't want revenge against him."
stormed Ruth. 'I loved him once. Let
him go out of my life, unhurt. Butch,
do want revenge against the man who
tempted him away from me by a bait of
money"
'6NVby what 40 1ov ,,.an 5aar
quavered the mother, uneasily.
II mean Mr.. Kendrick. II was he
who offered Fleet the salary that tempted
him above his strength. II was he who
made him promise not to marry me I
would give my life to be revenged on Bat
son Kendrick."
"Dou you really mean that" asked
Mrs. Alden, in sudden earnestness.
DO l mean it?" ragged the girl He
has robbed me of my lover and the power
to love and OF my faith in mankind. Oh.
for way to punish him! May heaven
grant me the power. some day. to do It"
You have the power in your hands
at this minute replied Mrs. Alden. "Do
you know why Batson Kendrick came
here today? To ask you to be his wife.
He"
ITO ask me-to ask me to be" stam-
mered the girl. incredulously.
Then as she saw the truth in her
mothers face, she burst into a peal OF
laughter that was not pleasant to hear.
Hush, dear! Hush! begged Mrs. Alden.
You are hysterical. Listen to my plan.
The best way to avenge ones self on
man one hates is to marry him. That
may sound strange. But 1t is true. tt
Toto marry him." repeated the girl,
in horror
But all at once. her eyes dilated and
her mouth set firmly
You are right" she said, curtly II
understand, now. Tell Mr.. .Kendrick l
am ready to marry him as son a. he
may wish. II I don't make him repent
thousandfold for what he has done to-
day. II will be because my powers of
invention fail me. He has robbed me
Of love. ! will rob him of-everything!"
Batson Hendricks JOY in winning so
young and beautiful a wife was short
lived. Within a week after the wedding,
he began to see his mistake Within a
month he cursed his folly in marrying
Ruth, even while her Iovel..css still
bound him to her like any slave.
From the first Ruth treated her hus-
band with open contempt. She sneered at
his advancing age. at his gross flesh
mess; at his boorish manners She had
a genius for finding out his weaknesses
and the subjects on which he was most
sensitive; and holding them up to her
vitriolic mockery. She made his home
life a hell.
She insulted the men he most wished
to please She was warmly cordial to
men he hated. She encouraged her
servants to slight his wishes. She would
often refuse to attend the big dinners he
gave and at which he had hoped she
would shine. She Inundated him In pub
lie and treated him to scenes of blazing
temper in private.
Nor was this the worst. She early dis
covered that. in spite of his great wealth,
he was almost painfully stingy in the
matter of unnecessary expenses. A
needless waste of money always made
him wrtthe with misery. Ruth took swift
advantage Of his failing. Scarce a day
passed that she did not make a round
OF the shops, buying hundreds of dol
lars worth of things she neither needed
nor wanted. AS the wife of the rich
Batson Kendrick, she found no difficulty
in getting credit, everywhere. And, when
the bills poured in, her unhappy hus-
band used to go into paroxysms of help
less rage.
Milliners' accounts that ran into the
housands-jewelers' bills for sums that
would have kept a whole block Of fiat
dwellers In luxury-unbelievable depart
ment store charges-tremendous subscrip-
tions to charities in which he was not
at all interested-all these were as physi-
cal torture to Kendrick
Tr, xraf, la