Atlanta tri-weekly journal., 1924-08-09
HIS BROTHERS WIFE
BY RUBY M. AYRES
CHAPTER .XXXIX.
DOIIV'S TpftpI.


girls face when presently Mary made
some excuse, and went off to bed, She kissed
her aHectlOnately, and went with her
eternal knitting, quite unconscious of the
tragedy in Mary's heart as she sat down on
the bed behind her locked door, with Doly's
letter clutched in her hand.
In the last few days she had forgotten all
about Dolly. Her old life seemed to hava
slipped away from her so utterly since she
came to the Red Grange; and now, like
menacing voice from the past, came this let
ter from across the sea.
She felt a curious repugnance in opening
the envelope but she forced herself to do it,
and slowly drew out the many sheets.
Dolly began:
Dearest Maryland the writing was very
scribbIed and blurred, as if she had written
in a great hurry haven't written to you
for some time because we have been in such
fearful trouble. Oh, Mary, it seems as if
my luck Will never change; just when |
was so happy, tool Robert has had bad
accident, and they say that he will never
walk again. We haven't shilling in the
world except what he had saved, and that
won't keep US for more than a few weeks.
SO l am going to write to David Brother
ton. After all, | have some claim on him,
and he was always stingy with us even when
Nigel was alive, and he has so much money
himself. He can't refuse to help me a little
even hundred year would be better
than nothing.
[ don't know if he has found out that
am married again, and [ don't very much
care. 1 always loved Robert, and | still l-love
him, though l suppose he will be invalid
all his life.
am sending this letter to the old address
and hope it will find you. Write to me as
soon you can, and say what you think
about my chances with d. B. Have you seen
him?
haven't heard from you at all since
left England. If you sold our furniture and
things you might let me have the money for
them after all, as | really am most fearfully
hard up; and it's terrible being out here
amongst strangers, though they have been.
very kind to through all this trouble.
Write to me, Mary. Whatever has hap
.pened to you all this long time?
Your poor unhappy
Mary let the letter futter to the floor.
Her chief feeling at the moment was indig-
nation.
How dared Dolly, after all she had done,
contemplate asking David for money? She
had not the slightest claim on him; 1t was
outrageous.
And then she remembered that it was
nothing worse than that which she her
self was doing. She who had no claim on
him either-she who was stranger-a
mere nobody! Dolly had at least been
Nieel's wife whatever she had done since
but for herself
One thing remained clear to her. She
must leave the Red Grange; she must leave
David and Miss Varney, and the beautiful
house and garden, and go back to the old
weary drudgery Of life as 1T had been when
she first met Nigel.
Any day, almost any hour now, Dolly's
letter might reach David, and then She
found herself crying softly. She did not
want to go 1t seemed impossible to
walk away from this new wonderful life,
hoc to tpar hn nj
don on a few shillings a week. and yet
how much more impossible would it be to
stay here, dreadng discovery every mo-
ment of every day--acting lie.
Once she had thought that she could go
straight to David himself and tell him, but
she knew now that she could not. How
could she tell him that she had shameessy
called herself his brothers wife? How
could she tell him that she had once be-
lieved herself to have loved Nigel, when
now-at this very moment-there was
other man for whom she cared with every
beat Of her aching heart?
They so very different these two
men. For brothers they were amazingly
unlike, and yet at one time each in turn
had been dear to her. She had lost one
and she must lose the other also.
She crept into bed and lay awake, star
ing into a darkness that seemed pulsating
with throbbing thought
The gray ghost had warned her to go
Well, she would take the warning
But with the morning sunshine her de-
termination weakened; her coward heart
pleaded for just one day more-just one
day more.
A few more hours, with Davd-a few
more hours of forgetfulness-and then she
would write the finis to the story with her
own faltering hand, and steal away out
of his life.
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