Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 81, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 January 1910 — PAID IN FULL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PAID IN FULL

Novelized From Eugene Walter's Great Play

By JOHN W. HARDING

Cepyright. 1908. by G. W. Dillingham Co.

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. CHAPTER I—lntroduces Captain Amos Williams, president of the Latin-Ameri-can Steamship company, in very bad humor over a threatened strike of his dock laborers. Joseph Brooks, underpaid accountant and collector for Williams, expresses his sympathy for the strikers and is ridiculed by his fellow clerks. H—The president sends for James Smith, superintendent of the company's docks, and instructs him to spare no expense in crushing the strikers. Smith advises pacific measures, but is overruled and prepares to obey orders. Ill—Mrs. Emma Brooks, the handsome young wife of the discontented clerk, tries to encourage him on his return to their bandbox apartment. but he is bitter against his employer and also against his wife's mother and sister, who dislike him on account of his inability to gain position. In his desperation he turns on his wife and suggests that she must regret her choice of him when she might have had Smith, who had offered himself. IV—Smith, who is the Intimate friend of the family, makes his appearance on the scene, and Brooks continues his bitter arraignment of his employer and violent protest against his own impoverished condition. The discussion becomes rather personal, and Brooks takes his hat and leaves the premises. V —Accompanied by Captain Williams, who is an old friend of the family, Mrs. Harris and daughter Beth, mother and sister of Mrs. Brooks, enter the room. During the visit Brooks returns and makes a scene, accusing Williams of being the cause of his unhappiness. Mrs. Brooks reminds her husband of his breach of hospitality, and he apollglzes and leaves the house. VI When Brooks returns he astonishes his wife and Smith by Inviting them to go to the theater. Smith offers to lend him 110, but he declines. Brooks extracts 810 from a roll of money collected for the company. Vll—Smith prevents a strike. Vlll—Williams and Smith go to South America, and Brooks’ prospects improve. Brooks tells his wife that he has been promoted and money is plentiful. The couple move Into an expensive apartment hotel, and Mrs. Harris ceases to reproach them for their poverty. IX— Smith makes his appearance suddenly and Informs Brooks that Williams knows of his dishonesty and that the going to South America was only a scheme to entrap him and that he is shadowed by detectives. X and Xl—Smith tries to prepare Mrs. Brooks for the exposure by telling, a story. Williams enters, and Emma thanks him for the change in their circumstances. He looks amazed, and Smith tries te avoid a climax. The captain takes the cue and holds his peace. Brooks enters suddenly and is terrified. Williams goes, and Smith tries to keep up the delusion, but Brooks breaks down and confesses all to his wife. She asks Smith to ler ve them. Xll—Emma endeavors to comfort him with her love and sympathy. Maddened by his disgrace and peril, he accuses her of being the cause of his downfall. She declares herself willing to do anything to save him, and he asks he to go alone, late at night as It Is, to Williams’ bachelor npartment and obtain his freedom He tells her that the captain Is fond of her and will do what she asks. When she realizes the baseness of the proposition she is stunned, but finally consents. Brooks arranges the rendezvous by telephone. XIII— While waiting for Mrs. Brooks, Williams has a call from Smith, who offers to pay the amount of Brooks’ stealings in full. Williams refuses, and Smith warns him to be careful in his treatment of the culprit’s wife. awaits his wife's return In an agony of suspense. Mrs. Harris and her daughter happen in and demand the reason of his wife’s absence. XV—Mrs. Brooks meets Captain Williams and secures her husband’s freedom.

CHAPTER XVII. EMMA moved toward the door, but her husband ran and intercepted her. , "Wait a minute. You can’t go that way,” he said determinedly. “You are my wife, and you can’t leave here without some explanation.” “I’ve no explanation to make,” she retorted coldly. “You will please let me go. I’ve done my part, and it’s my right to leave.” “I tell you I won’t let you go until you tell mo the truth. What happened with Williams, and how did you induce him to agree?” “You’ve no right to ask that. Th® price I paid for that letter is none of your business. You set that price at the highest possible figure a woman can pay. Now. how I bargained or what I paid Is none of your affair.” “It is my affair. I want to know, and I will know!” “When you sent me to that mar! Joe Brooks, I told you that if I made the bargain I was to make it alone, that it was to be my business alone and that I should never be asked. You agreed. I’ve carried out my part. Yop carry out yours. I gave you your free dom. You give me mine.” “There Is only one reason why you should leave here now. and that is Williams. Are you going back to him?” She stepped back from him and swept him with a look of cold disdain. “If there was one thing left for you to do to make you the most contemptible cad you’ve done it now!” she exclaimed. “When you sent me to Williams I thought you’d sunk as low as you could, but I see I was mistaken, There was a depth that even in my disgust, my loathing of you, I never Imagined existed. But now you’ve reached it. I don’t hate you. I just pity you." A gleam of fury glowed In his eyes under this merciless castigation, and he moved toward her menacingly. “That's not the answer I want,” he sald harshly. “You’re quibbling. Tell me the truth about Williams.” “You'd better let me go.” “Ton’ll tell me the truth about Williams before you leave this room!” he Shouted. “Make up your mind to that now, because thafa Just the way It’s going to her She realized that she had gone too taf in her denunciation, that his anger was dangerous and that be would st- p at nothing, not even blows, not even murder. He was white, his teeth were set. and on his oulverlng face was an

- expression of ferocious determination that warned her that she must temporize and appear to give in to him. “Very well.” she assented, turning from the door; “if that’s the way It’s going to be. I'm perfectly willing.” “Then answer me.*“I intend to do that, blit I intend to do something more than merely answer that question, if you don’t mind we’d better sit down.” She motioned him to a chair and seated herself so that the table was between them. “In the first place.” she went on, very calmly, “In order to relieve yous mind I might tell you that I have done nothing tonight which can reflect upon me as a good woman. I had no intention of doing any such thing. So far as I can find out, you are the only person who had my degradation In mind and was willing that It should happen If It resulted In your escaping the consequences of being a thief.” “What do you mean?” “I mean that Captain Williams did not have the slightest Idea of putting a price on your freedom toward which I in any way would have to contribute. You seem to be the only one who thought that I, with all I hold precious, was a fair figure to offer. Had I gone, had he demanded, had I submitted and brought back that paper and given myself to you again, as well as your freedom, you would have been contented and happy.” “You know that’s not true, Emma," he protested. The white heat of his ire had been dulled by her quietness, and little by little he was becoming cowed. “I know It is true, Joe, and so do you. I wanted to go to mother without having all this talk, but now that we have to talk let’s be frank with each other and with ourselves. And you try to appreciate the truth as much as you are able. To begin with. It seems that I have been alone In not realizing how worthless you are. My father when we were to be married warned me not to take you unless I thought you indispensable to my happiness. You know that every one else put it a little more bluntly. But I thought I loved you—l’m sure I did. Now it seems utterly beyond belief. But then it must have been love. 1 mistook your egotism for a deeper sentiment, a determination of purpose, and I thought In my girlish way that the things you preached about socialism, the crueltj of the rich and all that meant that you were noble, self sacrificing, even brilliant. Now I

know the difference. You fight capital? God sometimes is kind to a fighter, but he can’t have much use for a man who whines.” “You believed me then, Emma,” he said brokenly, “you know you did—you know you dkl.” “That’s the wonderful part of It I’ve always believed you till tonight and now I know I never should have believed you. You've always been a liar, and you’ve always been dishonest at heart. Your incompetency, the way you were distrusted by your employers, I thought was hard luck, injustice. But now I know that you never were and never will be the least bit of good to yourself or any one else. You married me to help yourself. You tried to disgrace me to help yourself. I was willing to meet the situation, but you couldn’t, and tonight you wanted to sell me to help yourself. I pity you from the bottom of my heart. I think I’ve told you the reason why I cannot live with you any longer.’’ She rose. “Emma,” he supplicated humbly, “It will all be different. Let me start out again. Give me another chance. I’ll never lie to you again, and I’ll never take a cent that isn't my own, I promise you I won’t.” She shook her head. “Oh, yes, you will. You can’t help It. Captain Williams told me tonight that a woman who was good couldn’t be bad and a woman who was bad couldn’t be good. It’s that way with men. One who is Inherently honest could never be dishonest, and one who la Inherently dishonest could never be honest You are both a thief and a liar, and there Is no hope for you. -You’ve struck the downward path, and you’ll keep on going until the end. If you ever a chance it was with me. and you've thrown it away. I’m sorry, more sorry than I can tell. Goodby.” He leaped to the door, which she

was about to open, and placed his hand against IL “Emma, you mustn’t go. Yon can’t go. I will not let you go." “I will go, and I request that you ■will open the door,” she said firmly. She grasped the handle, but he put out his arm and forced her away. “Enough of this tomfoolery!” he cried, with a savage scowl, following her up menacingly as she staggered back. “I’m your husband. I order you to stay here, and here you will stay!” “It only remained for you to strike me!” she gasped. "Strike you! I’ll strangle you if you ever dare th try to speak to me again as you have done this night. I’ve borne with you-and humored" you and put up with your Insults too long. What I did was for you, and you know It What you did, about which you are giving yourself such airs, Is np more than any wife would do for a husband who’d acted as I did. That’s all there is to It, and I don’t want to hear any more about It now or at any other time. I’m master in this house, and I’m going to remain master.” "You are not my master, and you can’t frighten me with your threats,” she retorted. “Open the door this instant!” grasped her roughly by the arm. “You take your hat off and go to bed,” he ordered, pushing her toward the bedroom. “That’s the best place for you.” “Never!” she panted, wrenching herself free and grasping a vase on the table to defend herself with. “If you make one step toward me, you coward, I’ll scream for help.” Rushing at her, he seized her by the throat and hurled her on the sofa. His fingers tightened their grip, choking all utterance. “You will leave pie, will you!” he cried, shaking her with all his strength. “Leave me! Leave me! Then you will leave me dead!” He did not hear a knock nor the opening of the door that followed It A hand gripped him by the collar, and his own grasp of Emma’s frail form relaxed. The hand swung him round and sent him reeling across the room. “What’s the matter with you, Brooks? Has it got to wife beating now?” * * Smith stood looking at him scornfully. Emma struggled up, more dead than alive. “Oh, Jlmsy,” she cried, “he tried to kill me because I would not stay with him!” “All right, Emma, you go now,” he replied. “You stop here!” commanded her husband furiously. “What does this man mean by Interfering in my affairs?”

“I guess that man has a big claim on your gratitude,” said Smith. “That’s two escapes you’ve had tonight—one from the penitentiary and one from the electric chair. You’ve a whole lot to be thankful for if you only knew ft. Brooks, but It looks like you don’t.” Emma had reached the door and hurried out without looking back. Her husband would have rushed after her. but between him and the exit stood the tall form of Smith, and there was something In Jimsy’s look, in the lines that had tightened a'bout his mouth, that caused him to hesitate. He had never Imagined that the kind, genial face could take on such an expression. The eyes had become hard and forbid* ding, and under their keen gaze the man’s feeble courage wilted. “Brooks." said Smith, “you have no more rights. You relinquished them all under the terms of your deal with Emma, and you have been paid in full. Of course if you repent of the bargain Captain Williams, as a party to the contract, may be induced to cancel the receipt and leave the matter as it was earlier in the, evening. I will get him on the phone in a jiffy if you say so.” A smile so sickly, so distorted with baffled rage, that it became a hyenalike grimace, flickered on Brooks’ visage. "I see,” he said. “You’ve all turned against me now you think I’m down. Well, as you like. Consider I’ve been paid in full. I’m agreeable. I’ve done nothing but slave for her for five years and been kept down by her. I didn’t send her away; but, seeing she’s going against my wishes, she'll stay gone. It lets me out. In future I’ll only have myself to think of, and you bet I’m going to do it.” “That’s up to you,’.’ retorted Smith sententiously. Without saying good night he turned and left the room to rejoin Emma, who was waiting for him at the bottom of the elevator shaft. (To be Continued.)

“I won’t let you go until you tell me the truth."