Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1919-07-31
When Rhoda
Atoned
Copyright. 1919. By western Newspaper UnlOn.l
By JACK LAYTON


source Of lnterest-and speculation
to his townspeOple. For though he
had grown up among them, and many
remembered the days Of his care-free
boyhood, Paul had among them no in
innate or confdant. Even a natural
affection for the opposite sex seemed
to have been denied him.
Paul, falling into the succeeding line
of lawyers in his family, took UP the
| business where his father laid it down,
and modestly started upon his career,
with neither alteration nor improve
ment of the old, well-knOwn Office. But
! in Pauls practice there was this differ
! ence, money was not an important fac
tor; his ambition was to remedy mat
| tiers where most needed. And his free
consultations were q great benefit to
! the countryside. The housekeeper
! who prepared Paul's meals in the I'M
changed home Of his father spoke ad.
miringly of his sweet and patient dis
position.
Many maidens who secretly admired
!
wavy hair on his forehead, sighed dis
consolately at his Indifference Paul's
distinguished bearing and manner Of
speech must always bring to him an
admiration, neither sought nor desired
Rhoda Caruth, in her stately man
sion at the end of The towns avenue,
had come the nearest to winning
/ Paul's friendship. But as years
passed even that friendship seemed to
drift into sort of perfunctory ac
quaintance.
1t was not strange that Paul's inter-
est to his townspeople remained
Rhoda was altogether charming; even
: now with her first youth past, the
/ charm remained. And RhOda was
wealthy, sole heir to her Aunt
Agatha's fortune.
One evening, when the early moon
light turned the tall poplars to sill
YER Rhoda came forth In her white
/ gown and descending the broad stone
steps of her home, walked swiftly
down the long street to where a light
still burned in Paul Webster's Office
window. And when she had climbed
the narrow stair to his door, she stood
breathless and pale, awaiting his APP
pearance. Paul, too, was pale when
he saw her there, but he bowed cour-
teously as she stated her errand.
II have GOMEZ said Rhoda, "to have
/ you straighten out some property pa
pers. am going to-dlspose of my
home"
"Your homer echoed Paul. Alb
sently he drew forth a chair, and
Rhodai sat down and looked into his
eyes. 1t was very long since they had
i sat like this. Paul arose abruptly
Rhoda smiled.
II WISH" she said, ito donate my
home for a city hospital, and you, to
arrange the matter, Wait" she inter.
rupted paurs evident intention to
speak. 81 want to explain llysels."
''You, who knew me in my girlhood,
will remember Aunt Agatha's complete
dominion over me- There were those
who put false construction upon my
docllity, believing the hope Of obtain
ing aunt's property to be my motive
But this was never so. Only one In
my place could realize the penalty Of
disobedience to h4r wishes. In one OF
aunt's frightful hysterical attacks
7 don't know what else to call them
| annoyance or disregard for her will
would be sure to bring on spasm
which might last for hours, leaving
both her physician and myself ex-
hausted. And so-when fell in love,
not with girls passing fancy, bat
/ as a woman must love bur once and
forever, I-failed to acknowledge the
truth to my aunt, knowing that her
wish was to keep me free-unmar-
ried, as she had been, and the con-
tInued dispenser of her charities.
But--my lover was also dominating
and his cause was just.
Impatient at my dalying, he took
me with him one summer day to
country parsonage, and-we were mar
ried. You see, l cannot yet speak .uf
that time without a break in my ySice,
and tears in my eyes. | loved HIM
so, yet like one other traitor--I had
denied him within the hour Master
4 fully my husband announced the fact
Of our marriage standing beside my
Aunts chair and while her face al
ready growing liyld turned to mine
denied the truth-poor fearful,
trembling coward that / was. My
husband had gone, / would have called
i him back But the shocking announce
ment brought on one of aunt's pro-
longed attacks And-when she had
gone. they read to me the will. Be
cause of my allegiance to her, / was
sole heir to her fortune.
When my husband heard, he be-
lleved what all had believed before
him but with deeper reason. was
so desplcable in his sight that my let
tiers TO him came back unopened, and
no soul, save an old country minister,
ever knew of our marriage. so now
Paul. come,to you to help me to dis
pose OF that which was never right
fully mine"