The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-03-03
The Rains
Came

him. perhaps. in spite Of his sway
gerinr. he knew that he was an
III man and might never reach
England alive. Perhaps he had
meant to alter Il. cutting her OF
with nothing. He had been shrewd
about the marriage settlement.
making il cover her rights OF
dowry SO that if he chose he could
always die without leaving her
cent. That was it; on that last
night he had decided TO divorce
her and cut her out Of his will.
He could have added a line or
two with Bates and one Of her
own maids TO witness the sigma
ture Witnesses were not sup
posed 10 know the contents of a
will or To be included in it. And
then. as she held the paper in her
hand. she thought. Perhaps that
is what he did do; but when she
glanced hastily at the end there
was no sign OF codicil. Quickly
she began to read it through.
It was long and contained
number of snowy requests 10
charities and schools and hospitals.
In life he had been mean about
gifts to such organizations unless
he felt he must make them TO buy
respect for himself But now, be-
cause he could not take the money
with him. he was generous.
And there was a provision about
his newspapers which she did not
trouble To read. and then she came
to the list of personal bequests-
10000 to that lower middle-class
brother of whom he had been
ashamed. never allowing her to see
him, and a thousand pounds to two
maiden ladies she had never heard
OF, perhaps his aunts or cousins,
and 1900 TO Bates-Bates who had
betrayed him and Knocked at him
and hated him.
And the rest, the residue of the
estate, was left TO her.
The will lay there in her lap and
for moment she felt for it A
curious, indescribable horror. That
bit of paper made her one of the
richest women in the world. and
the thought gave her no pleasure.
nor even much excitement.
II had enough with the settle
ment,' she thought. What can
do with all this 30
BY a chance it was hers.
He had meant to divorce her
and cut her off, but the decision
had come too late. This horrible
country. this monster with its
plaques and terrors, its splendor
and shabbiness, its hospitality and
its cruelty. had killed him too soon.
Then she saw the bitterness of
the will - that in all the world
there was no one TO whom he
might leave this huge fortune he
had built up out of ambition and
trickeIy and ruthlessness none but
herself, who had always been con-
temptuous of him. who had be-
trayed him again and again from
the very beginning. For a moment
she tried hard to think of someone
to whom he might legally have left
his wealth, but there was no one.
She saw suddenly that she had
been right; he had never had any
friends.
Half aloud. she found herself
speaking as if Albert were still
alive in the room with her instead
of having to be buried before sun
down for sanitary reasons. But
| don't want it, What am to do
with it, and thought. Il may
never even go back to England"
For now she knew that there was
only one thing she wanted and
that was something that money
could not buy.
Thrusting the paper and jewels
back into the box. she closed the
lid and locked it, thrust the KEYS
into the pocket with the torn bits
of paper. and crossed the room to
the battered mirror where each
morning Bertha Smiley did her
hair.
1t was not like the glass on her
dressing-table in Hill Street. made
with a pinkish tinge to flatter her.
The quicksilver which backed il
was blotched and had peeled off in
spots from the heat and dampness.
and the whole thing had a bilious
yellow tinge. When she saw her.
self II was with a sense of shock.
Tor she saw a tired. pale woman
who looked more than her age.
with hair that hung Imply against
her face.
In A day or two" she thought
the parting will begin to lose its
color l suppose l must have
reached the bottom of something
this morning" But what il was
she did not know.
She walked TO the window
mere beneath the trees. standing
IN the rain about little mound of
fresh earth, were Mr.. and Mrs
Smiley and Aunt Phoebe and that
girl Fern. They were singing in
voices to the accom-.
paniment OF melodeon PLAYED bv
one Of the Cntouchables And
lhen she understood: they were
ourying what remained of the mis-.
and his daughter.