Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-11

MARY; soaded e aesptrattS,n gerpt tI,es 70 separa
Ssn%' .s.% ks"nedS Gys fSr Ss PC
sSs SHdsS STu,SS METS'tsa 10 endure ns hum'
iation. Mary determines to go away'
DREAD fear tempering her ieapin
"A hope. Mary approached the general d'
livery window.
"Anv,hing for Mrs. IT, X. Kennedy He
vo,ce betrayed her intent Hungrily ne
ewes followed the clerk as he took bunc
of letters from a partition marked * an
tbumbed through them carelessly
Nothing" ..
| with sick detection. she left the post
office and made her way back to the note
He had not written Was he re1eVeo d
his freedom? Had he no Intention
writing? ,,o,. .vo,
70 the blot in the corner. was mueh'''
photorraphnd In her mind:
"should YOU ever put this woman OUT o.
YOUR life, you may write me care OF genera
nut the three long days In desoiate
| hotel room had corroded her courage. II
he only would write her she would go pacR
on any terms. ,o,.,
| Again In the barren loneliness OF her note
| room, she tried to face the future. Wna'
| could she do, a middle-aged woman WIN
| M other interests except her home and net
| husband? Now that she had left both. Wha'
would life hold for her?
| How strangely out Of place on the cheap
| hotel dresser seemed the familiar trinke's
| from her travelling bag her silver-backed
| brushes and Horace's picture, that nao al
ways been on her dressing table.
with n Tightening at her throat she TOOK
IN the leather framed photograph. she had
always been so sure of his love. Even now
II seemed incredible that any other woman
could have come between them. Yet II was
true that last night he had even admitted
it,
granb Her glance fell on the morning
paper she had thrown down unread Her
hypnotized gaze was riyeted on the con-
spicuous headlines:
No"i'>r RESULT OF STOCK SPECULATION
Deeply Involved in ssnsatIsns9ll, t 9l,,v Drop GO of
II. R,-Ksnnsdy out torf OF CITY on
Marv's first coherent thought was that
abe must save him; she must avert this
nendins ruin. The next moment she had
his broker on the telephone Posing as
Kennedy's secretary. she found tnat MS
margin was within n 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 su-
preme self-sacrlfice. Rushing down to the
bank which held her personal account, with
no thought Of her own future. 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 would seem like a bribe for
his affections
Norwood listened gravely, trying not to
be Influenced by his personal Jealous hatred
of Kennedy. Yet he was honestly and
strongly opposed to this reckless sacrifice
of Mary's fortune.
But Mary was feverishly insistent. What
ever her husbands disloyalty she could not
stand by and see him ruined
In the end Norwood yielded to her plead |
ing. Hurrying to Kenndy's broker. he was
just in time to cover, as the stock dropped
another point
Mary, waiting at his office until he re-
turned. thanked him with quivering graft |
tude.
ut was a very foolish thing for you to
do" he disapproved.
ut was the only thing I could do" |
quietly as she rose to 60. And, after ALL" |
with a wistftl smile, every woman is ca
man she loves.
The next morning Kennedy returned to |
the city, tired and harrassed from the |
hardships Of two days campaigning through |
the upstate towns.
Buying a paper. he was confronted with
the ominous headlines: |
PANICKY BREAK IN H. r.:
MANY INVESTORS WIPED OUT
Leaping into a taxicab he shouted to the
lriver his brokers' address.
He was ruined! The accumulated for
tune of fifteen years--lost in a reckIsso
speculation. With gritted teeth he thonSbt |
'f the men who had urged him to this in.
,estment Were they political enemies in |
iisguise? Were they tools Of BradyP Was
deliberate plot to crush him?
White, rigid. controlling himself with an
enort' he strode into the brokers' office. n
was several moments before his throbbine
brain could grasp the reinsurance of the
,lerk. " ''o
His stock was safe! At the last, monent
ome one. who had refused to give his name
iad covered him. And now the market had
urned and was advancing steadily.
In bewildered daze Kennedy left tbs
,iflce. Who could have come to his rescrsS
ne mad many friends but none from whom
10 would have expected such a sacrIeoa
And why had they concealed their idsntS
les? His mind beat hopelessly against mi.
'affling enigma. 'AS
AT his office he was confronted with two
lays accumulated mail. Hurryins throue,
T. ne paused. transfixed at one brief note:
I'm at crosstown's Hotsl-if you wish 70 a..
In the drive to the Crosstown Hotel o.;
nrief moment Kennedys glowing low was
'louded by the thought Of Mary. Wbars
vas she? He knew that she was sufrerinS
that she was desolately alone.
ne had written to General Delivery hut
MY brief cold note saying that he coniS
iot make the promise she demanded anS
nat she must decide as she thought hast
WIN stabbins self-reproach he pictured her
opping despair as she read the note.
ana yet what could he dor How could
TIE CHEERFUL CHERUbi