The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-08-12

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Mary, goaded to desperation by her
husbands love for Margaret, tries to
separate them. Kennedy, discovering
that she had persuaded Margaret to
leave the city, denounces her brutally
Unable to endure this final humiliation,
Mary determines to go away.
A dread fear tempering her leaping
hopes, Mary approached the general de-
livery window:
Anything for Mrs. H. X. Kennedy"
her voice betraying intent. Hungrily
her eyes followed the clerk as he took
marked * and thumbed through
them carelessly
Nothing
With sick detection she left the post
office and made her way back to the
hotel. He had not written Was he
relieved at his freedom? Had he no in
tention of writing?
Every word of the note she had left.
even to the blot in Nhe corner, was in
delibly photographed in her mind.
SHOULD you ever put this woman out
of your life-you may write me care OF
general delivery"
But the three long days in a desolate
hotel room had corroded her courage.
If he only would write her-she would
go back on any terms
Again in the barren loneliness of her
hotel room, she tried to face the future.
What could she do? A middle aged
woman with no other interests except
her home and her husband. Now that
she had left both-what would life hold
for her?
Of nl9ca the
cheap hotel dresser seemed the familiar
trinkets from her travelling bag-her
silver backed brushes and Horace s pic
ture, that had always been on her dress
ing table.
With tightening at her throat she
took up the leather framed photograph.
She had always been so sure of his love.
Even now it seemed incredible that any
ether woman could have come between
them. Yet it was true-that last night
he had even admitted it!
AS with a caught sob she replaced the
photograph, her glance fell on the morn
ing paper she had thrown down unread.
Her hypnotized gaze was riveted on the
conspicuous headlines:
Nominee Kennedy Near Ruin; Result
of Stock Speculation; Deeply involved in
sensational drop of II. & R.-Kennedy
out of city on campaigning tour"
she must save hlm-she must avert this
pending ruin. The next moment she had
his broker on the telephone, Posing as
Kennedy's secretary, she found that his
margin was within a point of being
wiped out-and they had not been able
to reach him.
In the hour that followed, Mary was
swept on by the fervent impulse of a
supreme sef-sacrifice. Rushing down to
TIL, all ha,. y,ol -,
count, with no thought of her own fu-
ture. she drew out the entire amount.
Then hurrying to Norwoods office,
with feverish excitement she explained
| to him the situation. She herself could
| not take the money to the broker, for
her husband must never know that she
| was making this sacrifice. 1t woulo
seem like a bride for his affections,
! Norwood listened gravely, trying not
to b. influenced by his personal Jealous
hatred of Kennedy. Yet he was hon
estly and strongly opposed to his reck-
less sacrifice of Mary's fortune.
But Mary was feverishly insstent
| Whatever her husbands disloyalty, she
could not stand by and see him ruined.
In the end Norwood yielded to hei
| pleading. Hurrying to Kennedy's broker
he was just in time to cover as the
stock dropped another point.
! Mary, waiting at ms Office uiitil ne
returned, thanked him with quiverins
| gratitude.
] 1T was very foolish thing for vol
4 to do, he disapproved.
"It was the only thing could do
i quietly as she rose to go. And, after
ALL" with wistfu smile. every WON
an is capable of some supreme sacrifice
for the man she Lowest
Il The next morning Kennedy returned
to the city, tired and harrassed from
the hardshps of two days campaigning
i through the upstate towns
i Buying a paper he was confronted
i with the ominous headlines:
'Panicky Break in HI. & r.; MANY
] Investors Wiped OUT
/ Leaping into taxicab, he shouted t
the driver his brokers' address.
/ He was ruined The accumulated for
i tune of Is years-lost in a reckless spec
ulation. With gritted teeth he though
| Of the men who had urged him to thi.
4 Investment Were they political enc
| mics in disguise? Were they tools o
| Brady? Was it a deliberate plot Il
! crush him?