The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-09-10

among your feIloW-men. "A man
who has abused his wife as you have
"a man who in cold blood has kill
ed the mother of his children
hangin' amt enough for him; il
amt enough said Krieff mockingly.
Come on here with me then, an
take your deserts, like the ghost OF
man should. Kreiff and Townsley
wife killers, eh? Yes, I've been
: loiterin' around here all day. Had
news I'd have a companion in mis-
cry if I'd wait a little. I've died
once of suspense; an now Pm like
. ly to suffer from 1t again if you
don't kick the bucket pretty IiVel "
Townsley's face became purple
|, with passion while this lCquacious
soul delivered his speech; but just
as he was about to cry out with rage
sense of his own condition by his
soul, which was now making des-
perate efforts to free itself. White
succeeded the purple in ToWsl9y's
face, blood OOZed from his mouth,
and a dead faint made his head rest
heavily on old Mother Earth.
"A pretty clever dodge, this dead
faint of yours continued Krieff,
coming down from the fence and
seating himself tailor-fashion beside
the still, white, bruised body of
TOwsley. But Pm bound to wait
for you, and I'm bound TO have out
ray say. Your body is as cold this
minute as that shell of mine in the
medical college,; but here's your
soul turned listener, and here's
what I've got to say
Il died like a man, you've heard
said Krieff gently, dropping his
voice aud thrO wing aside his rough
manner in his intense earnestness.
DO you know why? Because l was
dead TO begin with. 1t wasn't the
gallows that killed Krieff, though
that institution freed his soul. Krieff'
died of broken heart, and died
years ago. Who took his life? A
woman, Who broke my heart? My
wife.
DO you think [ didn't love that
little armful of Lucy when l mar
ried her? loved her from the rib
bon in her hair to the bow on her
slipper. l wOrshiDped her.
4 used to know somethin' of God
in those days. Used to think l could
feel'him near holdin' an keepin' Lu-
cy an me in the hollow of His hand.
But when Lucy crept away from
Him L let go too, and chung to her.
| When man loves a woman as /
loved her, she can lead him any
where. He will follow her to heav-
en-, or she may drag him to hell, if
she pleases. That is where Lucy
dragged me. She didn't mean to, 1
suppose. She didn't know 1t, most
likely. But there amt nothin' else
for man when woman he loves
an would die for stops giYin' love
back.
A'YOu see lost my money, an Luz
cy went with that. / couldn't be-
lieve she'd married me for that little
| property of mine till she twitted me
of deceivin' her and buyin' her love
with counterfeit bills. This from
that little armful that l loved so
But it didn't crush me. 'We'n have
gold in their place, Lucy says / /:
you shall be rich mans wife, yet,
darlin', only love me. l hain't got
the heart to work without that
But work grew scarce instead of
plenty, an was in such a rush to
make money for her / lost all
gained in hurryin' from one prom
| ISM chance to another.
Other men make money, WHY
can't Yon p she would say. And l
would say it oyer and over to N.Y.
self: Other men make money, why
can't youp After that, when | cot
little sums, l specialized with 'em in
q poor mans small way. | gambled
at the nearest grogshOp to win a
fortune for Lucy. But she sneered
at me when l lost, an when / got
ahead would forget the look of love
an encouragement l craved.
| Il had no peace at home--no COM
fort. She taught the little 'un to
make fun of me, it's father. ooh,
Lucy y said l, one day, you're kill
in mean / love you SOP 9You
can't die any too soon,' said she, 'an'
| your love is all wasted But [ !
couldn't believe she meant it, cause
twas Lucy as said it. Folks called
me henpecked, because in my love
threw myself down for her TO walk
upon to make the life-journey east
er.
MY heart didn't break, though,
till she got to lovin' Tom-a good |
for nothin' worthless scamp an
then all hope died within me. l
| took to drinkin' then. l sometimes
came home pretty drunk, but l new
er laid finger on Lucy. | always |
crept off alone till ! was myself |
again.
'AlI except that one night, when |
L had crept away an come back |
again sudden, my brain all on fire.
all except that one night when, |
comm back, | found her sittin' close |
to Tom; saw her givin' him hand |
fuls of touches ON face and throat, |
Il would have died years before that
to have had one lovin' touch from |
Lucy's fingertips); saw her kissin'
and kissed heard her talkin' to him |
in tones which woke up all the
memories of my happy long-ago,
an crooinn' to him of the bright fu-
ture comm when a drunkard's grave |
should have swallowed up John |
Krieff an she an Tom Porter should /
be in their own cozy home. Tom
kissed her after that an called her
his angel.
They didn't see me till 1 como
out with my pistol.
'TOm,' says l crazed with liquor
and passion, your angel in heaven.
perhaps, but never herep
Il fired then an Lucy fell dead.
'All this was indistinct while in
and clear to me now. 1 could have
saYed my life by dishonorin' Lucy IS
name; but even if hadn't cared to
keep her white to the world, yet
would have kept still. 1 had no
desire to plead my case. / was dead.
l was heart-broken, an longed TO
get out of the world.
There's some one else that's heart
broken in this world. There's a lit
tie woman down in the dark cellar
sproutin' potatoes this minute,
whose husband has killed her. Her
soul isn't free Yet-but she's dead
just the same. That woman is
Townships wife. Your soul is a
hearin' of me if you ain't' said
Kreiff, touching the cold. white fin
gers. You didn't shoot your wife
with a pistol, but you let her die a
slow, lingerin', terrible death! You
killed her in cruel, heartless man
ner. You starved her. Do YOU
think if I'd had a wife like yours,
TOwsley, I'D have been the man l
wasp
Tears filed Krieff,s ewes,