Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1917-03-17
The DESTROYING ANGEL
By Louis Joseph Vance

me, to make me think It was me YOU
loved and not rhe woman you felt
bound to take care OF, because you d.
you had"
MARY, ustcn TO me-" he interrupted.
/ Il swear / didn't know you. only.
that night on the stage, as Joan
/ Thursday, you were that girl again.
l never dreamed OF associating you
with my wife. Dear, / didn't know,
/ believe me. 1t was you who bewitched
/ me-nOt the wife for whose sake
/ fought against what thought infatua-
| ton for you. l loved-I love you only,
| you as you are-not the poor little
girl of the Commercial House.
Il have loved you always she said
softly between barely parted lips
always, Hugh. Even when | thought
you dead l did believe that
you were drowned out there. Hugh
| You know that. don't you"
Il have never for an instant ques-
toned it."
at wouldn't be like you to, my
! hNSAA II nOuAUn bE IOu, Ivy I1uRu.
! No other man ever knew-no, let me
say it lever measured up to the
standard you had set for me to wor-
ship. But Hugh-youn understand,
won't you?-about the others-2"
please" he begged-''please don't
harrow yourself so Maryv
/ mo; / must tell you. The
world seemed so empty and so lonely,
/ Hugh: l tried to lose myself in my
work. but It wasn't enough. And those
/ others came, beseeching me, and-and
| l liked them. l was starving for af-
/ lection. Each time, Hugh, 1t was
/ the same. One by one they were
| taken from me, strangely, terribly.
Poor Tom Custer, first; he WIS dear
boy, but didn't love him and couldn't
marry him. had to tell him so. He
killed himself. Then Billy Ham,
iltOn; l became engaged to him; but
he was taken mysteriously from q
| crowded ship In mid-Ocean. A
man named Mitchell Thurston loved
me. l liked him; perhaps I might
have consented TO marry him. He was
| assassinated-shot down like a mad
| dog in broad daytght-no one ever
knew by whom, or why. He hadn't
an enemy In the world we knew
of. . And now DrummOnd Il"
"Mary. Mary" he pleaded Don't
-dOn't-those things were all acct
| dents"
She paid him no heed She didn't
seem to hear. He tried to take her
hand, with a mans dull. witless no
ton of the way to comfort a distraught
woman; but she snatched it from his
touch.
"And now"-her voice pealed out
like a great bell tolling over the mag
nificent solitude OF the forsaken
island-"and now l have 1t to live
through once again; the wonder and
terror and beauty of love. the agony
and passion Of having you torn from
mel =. Hugh E. l don't believe
l can endure it again. l can't bear
this exquisite torture. Tn afraid
shall go mad Unless i
unless"-her voice shuddered-"I have
the strength, the strength to"
stop" he cried in desperation.
you must not go on like this Mary /.
Listen to mew
This time he succeeded in imprlson- /
ing her hand. MARY" he said gently /.
drawing closer to her. "listen to me;
understand what I say. l love you; | !.
am your husband; nothing can pos
sibly come between us. All these other /
things can be explained. Don't let .
yourself think for another instant" /
Her eyes, fixed upon the two hands .
in which he clasped her own. had /
grown wide and staring with dread /
Momentarily she seemed stunned.
Then she wrenched it from him, at
the same time jumping up and away.
"NO!" she cried. Tending him from
her with shaking arms. No, Don't
touch me Don't come near me. Hugh
It's :. it's death Ny touch is
death know 1t now--I had begun
to suspect, now l know! / am nc.
cursed-doomed to go through life like
pestilence, leaving sorrow and death
in my wake. Hugh :" She con
trolled herself a trife: Hugh. !
love you more than life; I love you
more than love itself. But you must
not come near me. Love re II you
must but o my dear one keep away
from ne avoid me, forget me II you
can, but al III cost shun me as you
would the ia-ae. I will not give
myself to you to he your death"
Before he could utrer a syllable IN
reply, She turned and fed frcas hir