Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-09-24
|The Woman Halter
By Ruby Ares
BY Ruby Ayres

oosred no resistance when Grey
| III AN slipped q supporting hand
~ bis arm. He was hardly aware
-. mans presence. His heart and
s.,n were numbed with a great agony.
Ta..tber they stumbled up the mar
.,iS track in the darkness The
~" wh,rled and screamed around
~, W. Tosether they went back through
~. doserted village, and UP to the cot
.ss. II was in darkness. and Greyson
,sr, forward and opened the door, crop
w. hslp,essiy till he found q lamp In
.ss little sitting room. and managed to
light Il. -
10 burned almost out, and he made II
~ With some logs which he found In
the kitchen.
outside the cottage were voices and
.,o,steps, Every one had heard by this
,,r,o what had occurred, and people had
.a,,scted at the gate to stare and whis-
per together. :,
raversham dropped into q chair, he
ncs hidden in his hands. He felt as
= an almighty Judgment had descended
n,on him to show him his own arro-
rance and littleness.
Vengeance Is Mine" He had for
,o,ten that He had unworthily tried
- take a law which Is greater than
a. law of man into his own hands, and
hv 40 doing he had wrecked his life
"a dragged those whom he loved best
down into the ruins with him.
.wbat shall tell his mother?" The
,,ousht racked and tortured him. Her
,nlv son Her adored. only son!
sss had trusted him with something
more precious to her than life itself,
and that something lay out there In the
tarkness staring up at the sky with
slghtless eyes
And Lallie! Miles shuddered. He
Nad still to endure the greatest part
a his punishment, still to stand and
look down on the woman he loved. with
tbe knowledge that his hand had sent
ter to her death.
A woman haterl He had been proud
AZ the name the world had given him
In his arrogance he had hugged the
wrong Of ten years ago to his breast
and the ferceness OF his wounded pride
had brought the thing to life again, In
order to turn and rend him.
grew louder The tramp OF feet draw.
ing nearer broke the silence. Greyson
came running UP the narrow garden
path and into the room; he was breath
less.
was shaking from head to foot. his face
speak, but no words would pass his gray
Ssir-7Mrs. pundas-they've found
Faversham reeled and clutched at the
back Of a chair to save himself. There
head that with every instant threatened
TO snap under the strain that was rend
ing him.
The moment of his greatest torture
was here a voiceless prayer rose in hi
heart that he might be allowed to fal
Q little figure In a white woolly coat
all torn and soiled. and with brown hail
tumbling about her face In wild disor
der, stole into the room like a ghos
and looked at him across tho lampl ght
Faversham caught his breath with 9
she real or was this just a mockinl
phantasy TO drive him mad? .-.
He was afraid to move-afraid L
breathe-and then she spoke. She spok,
hIs iits name ns,,G IN pitiful whipser. sobbini
"MIeswoh, Miles,
Weak as 1t was. II was no spiri
voice speaking, and the iron band tha
seemed to hold Faversham In torture
broke suddenly. He reeled toward her
stumbling to his knees. and his shaking
arms went around her, holding her fast
nor spoke. Above his bowed head tn,
honey-bee eyes that would never b,
quite so young and happy again roved
round the room uncertainty. Then NOV
ing her hands slowly she took his fao<
between them, holding It away from hei
DO you-do you love me--after all
voice.
:, DO love you? Do love your
he drew her down into his arms. hold
HHs Hs Ris,sS her as In i he could never let her 20
white face to which even the passionat,
Touch OF his lips could not bring baci
the color; and presently he felt heI
sniver IN his arms and try to draw ava,
=, He let her 60 at once. and they stood
NJ ,
rrhllip Tranter between them.
Then Lallie said, tonelessly.
h,r,a6,es ae Is dead-you lsnow-you saw
And suddenly she began to shake an,
ITS my fault--ar my fault--he al
Tays said should be punished. Oh. 4
couia only die. too-if could onl!
;, The rSs. sight Of her frantic grief steadlet
craving her closer to the fire he pu
seG.ho ser INTO q chair and knelt beside her
sog,sIming ,Ing her. kissing her hands.
the fault is mine only" he told hel
gan san ana again. you are not to blame
,srlsv S dauit Is mine only" and sobbing
HEM ''o1e"' '' Aonei VIII
mo- he followed me-he nearly drove m,
hinrsL hi Inc things he said-the cruel, crue
M"Try to forget them-forget them 70,
diittle while" His calmness gave way
On my darling. / thought I had los
Sho ne broke out In an agony.
h.r sns f,nn sh'Vered away from him, hidinf
HE said YOU didn't love me! He said
nom hin al d9ne Just to take me away
pay me out-for what I did to you
Sis ago! He said you made a bet
y, ay aeave me alone; leave me alone.
Never % 'eo Sou asa'h'-he'er
ssversham rose to his feet; he laic
bis %snS %s on the mantel shelf and put
mead down on them with an over.
ITsimlng feeling OF defeat. -
NivIrsh shut MS eyes, and thought Of PhlliI
wans ws OUT there In the darkness. ane
pSys pSG,'o OF bitterest envy swept his heart
PhilIn had got the best Of II after all
na a"5 mad done with love and Jealousy
" IL Despair. whilst he Then suddenly
aob11 s,rangled cry broke the silence
hissa mliesl your hair" Favershan
Nrsa MS head wonderingly.
Aoe all Ipundas rI,,1s was looking at him, hen
9h your hair-your Door hair" sh,
n sssin, IN a frightened whisper.
raw saa asa only been family tinged with
js,s ,sp%ove the ears that last day wher
earcS ner but now-ths agony Of that
whit. through the darkness had turned