Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1925-01-16
THE WILL
THAT TURNED
THE SCALE
By H. M. EGBERT
20, 1924, Western Newspaper Union,)


A NINA FOULkES was thirty
~ nine, and her boy, the apple Of
4 n her eye, was twelve. Her
worthless husband had aban-
doned her seven years before. Annals
friends and acquaintances had CON
graduated her when six years of mar
ried life ended in her freedom. She
would not get divorce, but then she
did not want to marry again.
Curtin, having run through all her
money, had departed. At first Anna
dared only hope his decision not to
return was true; then she dared to
believe; finally conviction became GER
tainty. She left the neighborhood and
took up her residence In different
city.
Annals folks had been gentle. The
boy was to go to an expensive pre-
paratory school. For this she had
toiled and scraped in the office where
she was employed as a stenographer.
The hard-earned money had been gath
cred together. In three months Char
lie was to enter Grantwich.
And then-Curtin came back.
Anna found him leaning against the
gate Of her little cottage on the out
skirts Of the town. He was In rags,
but sober. He was thin and wasted
and deadly pale. 1nstinctively the
woman shrank away from him as she
saw and recognized her husband.
Curtin !" she whispered. why
have you come backT
I'll tell you, Anna, he answered.
May come mr.
Yes, It's your right" she answered.
But"
"Oh, you needn't be afraid that I'll
do any harm to the boy" he answered.
you needn't say"
THAT Is his right, Curtin" she an
swered. She called Charlie from the
garden. This Is your rather" she
said.
The frank-eyed boy gazed with nat
urnl repugnance at the wretched
tramp before him.
You didn't know that he was liv-
ing, my dear" she said to her son.
But"
II knew all about him, mother" the
boy answered.
Now Ill tell you why I've come
back, Anna" said Curtin Foulkes. I'm
dying. I've got just two months to
live. It's something that can't be
cured. You needn't be afraid Of me
any more. I've been a bad lot, but
even a dog comes home to die, and ]
want to die here, Anna"
She took him In and the next day
gave up her position to take care of
him. There was money enough for
the boys first term at Grantwich, and
at the end Of the two months she
hoped to be able to go back to the
Office.
The sick man grew neither better
r0r worse. The doctor confirmed his
statement, but he extended the period
o.. suffering TO three months. Before
the first month was ended there was
no more money in the bank. Anna
was confronted with the alternative
VI nv IVY . PNACNf
and sacrificing her husband. She sac
rliced the boy.
At least, she meant to. But Curtin
FOulkes made move which was even
more dramatic than his reappearance.
"Anna," he said, the evening before
she was to write that letter to the
head master OF Grantwich, Il want to
tell you something. They say the
worst man has streak of good In
him. Do you remember that insur-
ance policy for thousand dollars ]
took out when we were marrledf I've
kept II up-for you. I've borrowed to
the limit on It, but there will still be
seven hundred for you and Charlie.
after-I'm gone"
The letter was never written. The
tradesmen. clamoring for payment,
were told the circumstances. The doc
tor confirmed Annals statement.
Thenceforward II was race with
death.
The butcher, the baker, the grocer,
the physician, and, last Of all, the I'M
dertaker looked forward. each and all,
to the death Of Curtin Foulkes, that
they might get their money. And the
future Of Charlie Foulkes depended
upon his fathers death likewise. II
ever a man would be well out Of the
world Curtin would, blackguard that
he had been.
And, strange to say, as he lay there
through those weeks, humbled, re
pentant. a shadow Of her former love
began to grow in Annals heart And
onn dav aha knpplpd down and DraypI