The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1879-10-10

| access to the sideboardY
AS far as I knew, the only person. re-
piled.
And did you say her letter to her broth
er Frank contained money
'Yes-a P. o. o. for ten pounds.
Had she ten pounds OF her ownY'
| Not that know Of
| WAS she'likely to have saved IL from her
allowance for housekeeping or private pur-
passes p
| Very unlikely indeed
| Then, my mother continued 1T seems to
me that the nearer home you look for your
money the sooner you will find it,
| When arrived home my mind was torn
and distracted by conflicting opinions. /
felt very anxious to discover some sign of
innocence, or, may be, guilt.
Marian said, as gently as / could,
where did you get the money from that you
sent to Frank p
She started, and turned quickly round
upon me.
How did you know l sent money to
Frank p
| Never mind how knew it, / replied.
Where did you obtain it? You must an
swer me that question before you leave this
room, | added, more sternly for her eva
sion of my question dsqueted me.
| She looked at me steadily in the face for
a minute, then, dropping her eyes and clasp.
ing her hands tightly together, she ex.
claimed:
Il see now the drift of your question. The
money was lost at the same time that sent
some to Frank. Harold, you suspect me
your own wife, of being the thief, and you
have sent that man I saw he was detective
directly to track me out, and prove this
prison?
Marian,' l answered, excitedly, when |
sent that man here, no such suspicion had
ever occurred to me, and now that must
confess it has, one word from you will dis
pei it or, if it should be otherwise there I
extended my hand to her, but she flung it
from her) you have only to acknowledge it
to obtain my free forgiveness
Your forgiveness ? she added, haughtily,
Il do not need it, and without another word
she left me.
For some minutes I remained stunned by
this new aspect of affairs Could it be pos
sible that my Marian was guilty I? l would
never believe it. And yet she had not at
tempted to deny it. Again, the anxious
face she had lately worn, together with 9TH
| pirc ,to of tbo
confirm the idea. Would that it had not
been so, or even being so, that she would
come to me for the reconciliation | was long
ing for and the forgiveness l was only too
anxious to bestow.
day or two after this l found a note
awaiting me when l returned home to din.
ner. The handwriting was Marian's, and
my delight at seeing it was so great that /
kissed it again and again. Eagerly open
ed it and read it. 1t ran as follows
'The society of thief cannot be conger-
lal. For that reason l have kept out of
your way till had made up my mind what
to do. l shall not trouble you any more.
Baby and have gone to my father. know
you can claim baby if you like to do so, but
| think you will see that it is better for him
to be with me. Do not ask me to come back.
| never can. The miserable life have been
leading lately would soon have killed me,
and my life is precious to my child Your
unhappy wife.
MARIAN
That was all, except a few words at the
end that had been hastily scratched out, of
which l could distinguish only, ooh, Har-
old !!
Strange as it may soem. this note did not
shock me as the discovery of Marians guilt
had done. | felt so angry with her for her
unreasonable conduct that my tenderer feel
ings remained almost untouched. My love
for the Marian of former days had not de-
creased one whit, but my anger with the
present Marian was for the moment para.
mont. The child was better with her, and
for the present she should keep him, for
had no idea of fetching her back She had
let, me through no unkindness of my own
and no wife could be justified in leaving her
husband in the way Marian had left me.
was get iblie dCCustoIheo
to my renewed bachelorhood, when one
night, very late, a telegram was brought me
worded thus:
Come at once to baby
The night train would leave in about ar
hours time. l packed few things and
started to catch it. In about three hour:
more was conducted into the room where
: Marian was sitting with our little one lying
in her lap, struggling hard for life. Some
medical man was already there, bending
over the child and anxiously gazing at it,
: contorted and livid features, but, as far as
could see, doing but little to assist in the bat
tie against death, He left at once, and Ma
rian looked up into my face, and said
Thank God, you have come He wa
doing no good. Oh, Harold save my ba
by save my child
Il will do what can to save my child'
answered.
/ called a servant and gave my instruc
. tions. In a few minutes the room was file,
: with vapor, every vent carefully guarded
The cloud of vapor kept on steadily ncreas
ing, till drops of water began to trckle dow
the walls. Still the child on Marians la
lay almost choked, its struggles CROWN
: fainter each succeeding time. The clou
. was still pouring out into the room, an
y nothing more could be done, so | stood a
/, Marian's knee, watching for the approach @
a some favorable symptom. Only once Ma
;. rian spoke, and ther it was to ask me wit
blanched face and fatering lips if there wa
any hope.
k TO the last moment, yes answered AN
st she was relieved at once, hardly compr,
!. hend from my words how faint that hop
\. was.