A Daughter of Delilah — page 220: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE LAST OF THE SIREN. 211 satisfied until I had eased yonder hoary-headed fool of a part of his wealth. Is it not wonderful to believe that the great Jabez Alston—the Wall street financier—the flinty hearted, hard headed old fossil—is it not wonderful to be- lieve that he was as plastic as clay in my hands?”’ She laughed mirthlessly, while he writhed in agony. ‘‘T made him love me—as I have made scores of better men, and to make sure of a goodly slice of his wealth, I have deluded him into the belief that I was his wife. We were married to-day by a sham priest, and my real hus- band, Gilbert Roseberry, witnessed the ceremony! Great Heaven! I believe that death is coming more quickly than I expected. Another hour would have seen me safely away, with the man I love, and yonder old dotard would have been but one more on the list of my dupes. Oh! I curse the memory of—I curse the very soul of yon masquerading Hawkley with my last breath! A hundred thousand dol- lars! And I shall never enjoy it! Oh, Gilbert, come back tome! Help! help! She sprang up as though riditeritty galvanized, then fell !?? back, gasping: ‘That man’’—pointing to Edward Hawley—‘‘has done me no particular wrong. Let him not suffer for a crime of which Iam guilty. I shot John Stimson—I shot him be- . cause he believed that I had fooled him. Pshaw! he was not worth it. I killed him only for the sake of sealing his lips. He had known me in the past!”’ ) Her voice became husky, and she suddenly clutched at her white throat, her very last words being: | ‘‘Gilbert! Gilbert! The bounding seas! My love forever!’’ ‘‘She is dead!’’ announced the solemn tones of the doc- Gomicbooks (E(0)