Show a a 4 ib s ib jieh Ji iH 3 forsaking all others by AMELIA CHAPTER X nearly half an hour passed before the married pair looking formidable determined and united presented themselves at her door and in the interval she had forced herself into a cold calmness that enabled her to meet them composedly almost before they were seated harvey who seemed much excited opened the subject in the minds of all so you threaten to sant up the bouse and go to new york he a asked it is an intention harvey not a threat and do you think I 1 will submit to auch a course merely because you have chosen to juanel with my wite whose only has been her care for us botha apu do not know me madam I 1 am afraid I 1 have never known you harvey perhaps not you haan hadn t applied to my character the test of injustice and tho most monstrous selfishness ever shown by mother to son he hotly retorted helen had made good use of her half hour you reared me with the expectation of sharing your prop erty but tor that I 1 should not nave married and now you coolly say that henceforth I 1 must depend upon myself I 1 who have been accustomed to every luxury I 1 think you would have married in any case said gladys in a tone that made his eyes waver tor a moment it Is as well I 1 do not fear tor your fu ture you certainly have not suffered from my selfishness in the past don t you think the less you say about your past the betters he asked carried beyond all prudence all kind nees by a burning sene of his wrongs for a full minute they looked stead lly at each other her womanly in tuition enabled her to read the thoughts that owed their existence to helen and her weakened affection tor him seemed to fall dead it I 1 live to be a hundred ehe said slowly her face hard with scorn I 1 will never forgive you for that insult even though I 1 know it originated orgina ted with the woman who has so strangely per averted your moral nature your wick edness and covetousness deserve pun ashment and it has overtaken you in the way you will feel most for though you have no legal claim upon my money I 1 always intended to provide for you when you came of age and should have carried out the intention in spite of the tact that you married against m wish had not your wife s character so soon revealed itself re cent events have shown me that you are equally unworthy and not a dol lar of mine shall ever pass into your possession and hers unless you come to actual want A dead silence ensued both listen ers saw that mrs atherton was in earnest and had been pushed too tar though righteously pushed for they bad so blinded themselves by specious reasoning that even now they would not admit they were wrong it was helen who the dreary pause you hated me from the first she said in a voice uneven with rage and have well calculated your revenge you know I 1 would die tor harvey and by making me the apparent medium of bis downfall you try to inflict upon me the most harrowing of punish ments but here you tall gladys atherton for it is you who have been his ruin you have scorned me not n words perhaps but with meaning looks tor having decoyed him into marriage before your appointed time 1 know how you regard my people that too your looks have told and what are you pray with all your in the beginning a bold pam girl following the first man who though it worth bis while to beckon her to shame for auant she knew or cared so that her fancy was agrati fled harvey cried gladys deadly pale bid this impious woman toe silent bhe is speaking of your mother A mother to be proud of truly exclaimed helen her eyes imperative ly demanding harvey s silence though ehe spoke so fast and loud that he had no opportunity to interrupt her even had he wished the wife of a drunk ard and gambler the widow of a crim inal I 1 despise you and so shall your son be very sure of that but well have our right it we claim them in a court of law I 1 doubt if you have power to withhold what you call your money how do we know your story is you were not squeamish in the past when you had a purpose to serve it appears why should you be over particular at this late daya gladys still pale but with her former look of scorn turned to harve you have heard your wife sir I 1 have no claim upon her affection as on yours and care nothing tor her opinion unless you uphold her in it do youa this is not the time for heroic speeches and professions of belief in virtues that never existed he said sulkily his ays eys on helen s prompting face we must recognize the fact that the person who marries unwisely entails certain consequences upon the children of the marriage for which he or she owes them compensation through you I 1 am my grandfathers natural heir and should not be of my birthright it I 1 am covetous in urging a just claim what then are you in keeping control of your prop erty you may be right by law but you are acting dishonestly none the ess so far I 1 agree with my wife with a low cry gladys fell back in her chair As if waiting tor the sig rial phebe entered the room a terrible did woman in her wrath I 1 am going to tell them the truth miss gladys whether you forbid it or not she defiantly announced As mr harvey says this isn t the time or pretending and I 1 guess we can lettle the matter out of court gladys ut up a protesting hand but she would not heed make short work of it you re arons in thinking rou have any sort of share in the mis ress property mr haney because er father joseph stirling your grandsire own a dollar in it he married twice first a poor girl who died when her baby was born then a rich young heiress who also died early in life leaving her money to her only child gladys your aint or half aunt for ou are the son ot the daughter 0 the first marriage my god the mater Is not my mother cried harvey after a stupefied pause he sprang to bis feet and gazed wildly from one face to the other with the look of a man pierced to the heart madam madam Is this he imploringly asked then meeting gladys compassionate yet strangely cold look with a half sob he threw himself into chair and burled his face in his hands never moving until phebe had finally ceased helen said nothing her burning eyes were fixed on the housekeeper she knew she told the truth and that from the fair domain which had prom ased to be her garden of eden she was banished forever you know how your mother mar ried mr stirling swore he would never forgive her but he was a just map and sent her the money she would have had when she came of age it dian didn t last long twenty thousand dollars isn t much in the hands of a gambler and when it was gone he went too miss gladys was at school when your poor mother begged her way to new york her baby in her arms she did not seek her father she knew hia unforgiving spirit but she sent tor mei was in hia service from the hospital where she lay dying and by her deathbed I 1 promised never to for sake her child and to hide him from he husband matthew harvey who would try to make use of the boy to get money from his young aunt gladys he was bad enough for any thing she said I 1 had a little money saved and put you to board with a woman I 1 knew T always had it in my mind to tell the master some day but he had a heart trouble and I 1 dareen t do it I 1 a chance to worry long tor in a few months after your mother died he fell dead in the street without a moments warning miss gladys came home for the funeral and after the first shock was over I 1 told her everything she had a tender heart my lamb and rest till she haaf seen her poor sisters baby CHAPTER XI phebe paused overcome by sad memories gladys unnerved by all that had passed was crying but not as the wholly desolate weep she no longer strove to prevent her old friend from speaking lour mothers sorrows had left their mark on you mr harvey you were a sad little tot with mournful eyes and manner you ran to my dear young lady attracted by her sweet voice and hid your face in her gown and when we left they had to drag you away we heard your screams as the carriage drove oft and miss gladys sobbed all the way home after that the idea of your growing up among strangers with no one to love you just considered tor the money you brought mayhap was ter to her we must take you tar away to a carner in the west where none would know us and you d be sale from your father I 1 begged her on my knees not to spoil her life but she coaxed and argued and cried till she got the better of me and we left new york unhindered her having no relations she put on widow s mourning to make her look older and prevent ex and took your grand moth ers family name your mother had given it you for a first name it was easy to change it round rockville was only a village then people haan hadn t taken to coming here tor their healtha and what are now streets were farms it was just the place to be lost in and until mrs leonards doctor sent here here last year nobody but the family lawyer mrs leonard is his daughter knew what had become of the pretty miss stirling how much she has been to you mr harvey you well know she was only eighteen when she left new york a light hearted girl now she s turned thirty six with a great sorrow on her of your brewing she 11 get over it tor ashes young yet but you ve made a strange return to her toy wasted years not a word was spoken by either 0 the other three helen stole over to her husban I 1 and timidly laid her hand on his shoulder all self conal dence was gone from her bearing she seemed cowed and beaten and for the first time her loving touch was un heeded phebe looked at her frown angly ay comfort him if you can be 11 have need of it she said in a hard tone it he comes to ruin he may thank you but for your avarice and meddling he d have had a good bit of money a aundre 1 thousand dol lars no less he 11 never have it now perhaps hell not reproach you just yet for his loss since he helped you out with the deviltry you called your duty but he 11 know it s to you he owes it he gasn wasn t full grown when you took him in hand and easily led and the thought will grow and grow until one day he 11 despise you in his heart and turn from the love that dragged him down As it that day had come helen moved nearer to her husband the rich color ebbing even from her lips gladys half rose be merciful phebe she gently re rated you are too hard go now dear old friend enough has been said muttering all phebe lumbered away furtively wiping her eyes under her bristling exterior beat a warm heart and despite her anger she felt for harvey in his hour of darkness As the door closed behind her he raised his head revealing a white wild face I 1 must speak to my my aunt alone helen he gald hoarsely leave us together to be continued |