The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-06-11

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of Goodwin Clay's divorce suit I"
NON Her chum, Mary Burnett, looked
Gf< at her
%I~ q hate divorce cases." she said.
VIM II never read about them They're
Wv sordid, dreary things :"
~ You don't remember" said
Mona. You've forgotten who Good
win Clay's wife is, haven't you-Dora Martyn?"
Dora Martyn!" said Mary, sitting up sud
denly. Did she marry that beast? l don't won
> der she's had to divorce him!"
"But--its he that is bringing the suit I" said
Mona.
thing Poor little Dora-she did anything
that wasn't right in her Hfe-except TO marry a
man like that"
what was she to do?" asked Mona, bitterly.
Except marry him-and be glad of the chance.
She was like us-she was struggling along, try
ing to make both ends meet-and having
stant fight. She chose marriage. We chose to
strike out for ourselves
And she's come to a horror like this |" said
Nary. "she did what nine people out of ten
would have done-and this is how she is paid
Oh Mona-I don't care If we have had to
brains. If we've had to trick few who
thought they were going to trick us, we've done
wiser thing than shei"
Lets go to the trial." answered Mona.
Maybe we can punish the beast"
Neither of them anxious to be recog-
nized in the courtroom. They did not care, for
thing, to be classed with the morbid minded
women who attracted by such cases as this,
and while there only a faint chance that
Mr.. Clay would remember them, they felt that Ii
might be as well to eliminate that posi-
bility. There plan in their minds; they
+ simply wanted to leave their hands free II it
turned out that there chance for them to
interfere, perhaps to punish Clay, perhaps to
! the wife he intended to treat cruelty. Not for
"a moment would either of them believe that she
could have done anything to justify the mire of
the divorce court.
So, to avoid recognition both Mary and Mona
were heavily yelled. They sat in the back of the
room, and they listened, with growing disgust, to
Clay's hypocritical denunciation OF the
who had 'wronged" him, and to the sorry batch
OF witnesses he had gathered in support Of his
charges
The chief Of these was a character
torious, In his way, as Goodwin Clay himself,
Jake Minter, proprietor of roadhouse of the
most dubious sort. This Minter. both the girls
knew, was hand in glove with certain crooked
politicians and had been mixed up, often in
shady affairs. His political pull had saved him
more than once And both girls convinced
that he was perjuring himself now. he reeled
on his carefully prepared story. which was cor
roboratcd by in his employ.
Lies. les" whispered Mary "But Clay win
get his divorce. Unless 1t be proved that
Minter is lying, the case against her is deadlyl"
The event proved that Mary was right.
Winters testimony could not be shaken by the
defense. ciay's divorce was granted; his wife,
disgraced. was left, dependent once upon
her own efforts, since Clay with refinement OF
meanness refused absolutely to make any pro-
vision for her. She had disgraeed herself, he
poured out for herself But of course Clay didn't
know Mona and Mary nor did he know that they
had decided to right the wrong he had done,
he might have been more considerate.
The two girls, In their natural incarnation
looked like fashionable girls, unlimited when il
came to the satisfaction of their desire to look
well. But that night, when they drove, in taxi
cab, to a fashy restaurant where they knew Clay
generally went, In the heart of the white light
district, they had contrived somewhat, to cheaper
themselves. They fitted in with the place where
they dined they looked like the who
thronged the place. And yet. there was a diff
ference. They could not, indeed they had not
tried, to conceal their charms.
1t Mary who took the lead: Mary who
vas, it appeared, decidedly particular as to the
location of their table She was matter of
fact, looking for Clay. And at last she sped
him, playing host 10 small and select
pany OF men, at table that commanded per
feet view OF the cabaret stage. And, what
more important, she that there a small
table, not far from Clays, that was, for the
ment unoccupied
Wen take this table" she said
There difficulty about it. Mary was
a stranger in that place, but they hoped, and
believed, that that would be changed. She
: and her friend it was obvious, were the sort of
patrons the proprietor liked to see.
We'll, there he Isl" said Mary. "Listen TO
him! He's celebrating his freedom, / suppose.
He has moncy-that's why those men are with
him Look at them! II he lost his money they'd
cross the street 10 avoid him.
The two girls, with deliberate intention, had
seated themselves that they were screened
from Clays view, though they themselves could
see him plainly And Mary, studying him atten-
lively, grew and bitter, more and
more determined to punish him.
"Mona-you'd better got" she said, suddenly.
tive made up my mind. You have got TO do your
part-but TO begin with I've got to work alone
I'm going TO make him come over here after
. you've gone"
Are you sure it's safer" said Mona, doubt
fully. Il hate to have you run any risk with
: that monster, Mary"
I'm not going to run any risk" said Mary
impatienty. If you're bound to worry, worry
! about him! He's more in need OF sympathy than
am"
ss~ And so, reluctantly, Mona left Mary alone at
the table. At once Mary changed her seat; she
saw with a smile Of satisfaction, that Clay
noticed her at once. He leaned over TO one OF
his companions, who turned at once and stared
frankly at her. He nodded In solemn approval.
and said something, at which Clay and the rest
OF the men at his table roared.
Clay at once began to play the game Of
& Irritation. He was direct, not subtle in his
methods; 1t was plain that he believed that any
woman he deigned TO notice must be delighted
By the honor he paid her. Mary pretended not to
notice him at first; finally. however she smiled,