The Red Cloud chief., 1879-09-25

wa certain that she could live only :
few weeks longer. One sunset. A. IA.
las with ia" ~lc--rming light falling nu
her wan face. I forced myself ,o .ay
that she Wa pat r,cpycry. Tear.
droppei from nay s,"-. and or
the weak. bite hand that she put otii
to me-.
~ Anew H." he said. with a pitiful
smile. s'ani ! am not -orry. | think I
am glad. There l. something for me "a
tell YOU. but not now: some time before
! go"
There Wa no i%n-incrriiy IN my grirt
then. aud ] am certain there J. none
now. Alice was a particularly lo,abl"
Woman, and her doom Ia aR early death
was ineNpress,bly SD. ! coGld dp moth
ing in the way Il cure. II Wa. too late
for that. sought only Ia give her fic-
titious strength with drugs. aud to make
her a. comfortable a. possible. ! pu,
the Early June flowers into her room, /
talked cheerfully to her. aud .or-
rUwed for her, Ahr 49, -"rr"Ufnl. tun.
l'iI uull for ia" separation from the man
who. -hc had told mc, Wa her untrue
husband.
On the 10Th of June a better arrived.
addressed 10 Mr.. Jane Wayfr.
Alice g"y, a faint cry ~ ia. sight - il.
and -woonrd. ~ Close 10 death wa-
he. that little strength No. left. and it
va IN hour b"fnrc n" Wa again thor
"ughly conscious. ! showed her the let
ter
Read it., if You please. Ia" aid.
She listened with ewes cln-cl and
hand c~la-I"i while I read
CHIc,Gn. NAY =. I~7-.
DEF AIfcT-i"u told M" that ! mutt
never com" back 10 Won until I could lawful
Is call YOU NV wife. That time j. come.
The WOMAN Mo wls IHy wife when ! mar
Iied You j. dead. and there J. no r,-a-"u
new. thai ] can -"r, why ~ -hould mol be-
united again. I am snrry ! ever derived
YOU. and AIN TrIdy Ia max. amend in any
way | can. ! viii bc in DUNN lille soon. hop
Ing h. find you ~ improved health. and will
ing 10 forgive ne. Another marTia.- ccr,.-
nom viii make YOU Hy VIII" ia The -iyhi If
the law. A. N"u ar" ALREADY in IN. -ight ~
heaven. Your. affectionaicll.
JAMES.
Alice dill not stir for a full minute af-
ter ! had finished reading. | thought at
a glance that -hr Mas dead. - palliL
and cNprr~Si"nlc~S va her face. Then
IA" opened her cy,- YEARLY. and hook
ed "ui ~ tn" red glow the sun. ii-clf
sunk out Of sight, had left behind il in
tlr. Ky. | retired from The room with
a chill III my >cn-"~ that | shall never
forget.
The purp"it at James Waytr', letter
flashed "n me like li@htuin" when | was
out "f Ali"c'- apartment. The clear
meaning of his language. Interpreted
with the aid Of what she had told me.
Vas that h" had married her when he
already had Il wife: that. his lawful wife
h"in" now dead. hr sought la lr-aliIr
his union with Alice, and -" gain her
favor and fortune. This Thought fol
lowed swiftly Alice Wa not Ia law the
wife nf James Wllt", and. according 1"
her father, will, ii she W., not LEGALLY
married Ia him ou her 2l-t birthday the
$4,000 would fall 10 me. That night |
Sa' at my open window until past mid
night. thiuhin" an the subject that. a. |
was human and reasonably selfish. mat
iurally a"itatc,l me. Before mning to
bed ! visited my patient. She va
asleep. hut the nurse said that she had.
until within an hour, been wak,iul. She
hreathcd with an unnatural. hollow
sound. Her vitality was almost "N-
hauStcd. Clearly. She could not live
many day, and she might die before
many hour~. ! mixed sonic powders.
calculated, 10y stimulation. To pr"l"n@
her life Il little. and rave the nurse di-
,......,.. - g.. I,.s,. ,. IL.
went from the room, the question came
{" mr. As though from some intelligence
outside of myself. '.Suppn>" he should
die before her 2I>t birthday" The "b-
NinuS answer was that | would have n"
claim on her fortune.
Early on the next morning. | tclc-
~raphrd la my brother and other rcla-
lives that Alice could not long survive.
! had previously kept them Informed of
her condition. She grew weaker dur
im% In" day. and. in the evening. WAS
barely abl" Ia speak. The end was
nigh. CAV" her more ~timulant with
out it, she would have died before mid
night before her 2l>l birthday. Nv
heart bounded when the clock struck l..
and impul>ivrly | bent over the almost
unconscious sufferer To- see if she really
was living. That WAS selfish. hut Ger
tainly it WAS moi criminal. In Keeping
her alive with drugs. | had done simply
duty - 4 physician. 80 far. my
conduct had not been affected by the
SJO.,to.
\ messenger ri daybrcak brought a
Geographic message for Alice. She was
Spccchlr>>, but not past understanding"
what WAS said la her. | opened the dis
patch aud read it aloud. 1t WAS from
James Waytc. dated Cleveland. june IL.
and ran IL follows:
Am on my WAY 10 Your bedside. Will
reach YOU t"-n,nrrow afternoon. You will
lee my wife on your 2l>t birthday. after all.
Bear up.
Alice smiled family. took the message
in her ~f"rcclc>> hands and tried L. put il
Ia her lips.
She was happy in the expectation of
Vet diving the wife al James Waite. A.
for me. | WAS stunned and. before | had
recovered my Sclf-pn>>c>~inn. | was
hrn'lim" over her and saving: "l"u
shall he his wife. | will have Il clergy
man here when he comes. There was
4 pressure Of her hands on mine, 80 faint
a. scarcely Ia be- felt. and her eyes look
cd the gratitude that she could not speak.
Kindly readers will observe that 10
this point | acted honorahlv. Further.
| sent for u clergyman. and To him. rs
we'll rs Ia the relatives who came in re-
Spouse TO my telegraphed summons. |
explained the desirability Of Il marriage
ceremony immediately on James Wavtc'>
arrival. Ii was hy stimulating medicine
that | kept Alice alive from hour To
hour. thus helping la put her Sjn."Oo
beyond my own reach. Why should |
Il" it? Was il fair Ia my>clfthat | should
put into Il raScal's pocket the money
that would otherwise fall int" mine?
These questions seemed Ia provide their
" answers.
At / O'Clock in the afternoon another
message came from Wayte. tele~raphed
from a railroad station. and saving that
he would arrive in the evening. | read
ii Ia Alice. She was too weak to exhibit
any feeling. Vet she might have lived Il
day OIL two longer on the drug that | was
~iNin" her in frequent doses. | started
toward the table on which the medicine