Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1879-08-16


ly opened and read it. 1t ran as fol
lows:
"The society of thief cannot be con
genial. For that reason / have kept out
OF the way till / had made up my mind
what to do. / shall not trouble you any
more. Baby, -andI have gone to my
father. / know you can claim baby il
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;I never
can. The miserable life l 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 few words at
the end that had been hastily scratched
out, of which could distinguished only
"Oh, HarOldp'
: Strange as it may seem, this note did
not shock me as the discovery of Marian's
guilt had done. / felt so angry with heI
for her unreasonable conduct that my
tenderer feelings remained almost un-
touched. My love for the Marian OF
former days had not decreased one whit
but my anger. with the present Marian
was for the moment paramount. The
child was better with her and for the
present she should keep him, for had
no idea of fetching her back. She had
left me through no sunkindness of my
own, and no wife could be justified in
leaving her husband in the way Marian
had left me. mr. NTEh
1 was beginning to get little accus-
TONED 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
an hours time. l packed few things
and started to catch it. In about three
hours more i was conducted into the
room where Marian was sitting with
our little one laying in her lap, strug-
Cling hard for life. + Some medical man
was already there, bending over the child
and anxiously gazing at its cOntOrted
and livid features, but, as far as could
see, doing but little to assist i'm the bat
tie against death. He left at once, and
Marian looked up into my face and said,-
THANK God, you have comet He was
doing no good. Oh, Haroldl save my
baby; save my child" 3 ~ w (
Il will do what can to save our child"
/ answered.
/ called a servant and gave my in
structiOn. In few minutes the room
was filled with vapOr, every vent being
carefully guarded. The cloud of yapOr
kept on steadily increasing, till drops of
water began to trickle down the walls.
Still the child on Marian's lap lay al
most choked, its struggles growing
fainter each succeeding time. The cloud
was still pouring out into the room, and
nothing more could be done, so / stood
at Marian's knee, watching for the ap-
prOach of some favorable symptom. Only
once Marian spoke, and then it was to
ask me with blanched face and faltering
lips if there was any hope.
ITO the last moment, yes" answered;
and she was relieved at once, hardly
cOmprehending from my words how
faint that hope was. sse,l sr a~,. rFe.s
Presently the struggles grew more
frequent; gradually the almost Iifeless
limbs became imbued with fresh vigOr,
the heavy lids relaxed, the gasps for
breath became more effectual, and with
a mighty effort nature asserted her sway.
In short time baby was nesting peace
fully in Marian's arms, wrapped in a
sweet life-giving slumber. "a
When he was laid in his cot his mother
turned to me and said pathetically, "Oh,
Harold when baby was so near death, and
you far away, could not help seeing
how wicked had been to leave you as |
did Will you forgive me, dear, and
take me back for baby's sake?"
IcOuld only kiss her and press her to
my heart. After while 1 said, at was
only those words, Will you you forgive
mep that / wanted. If you would have
spoken them sooner we need never have
parted" r u TH ~ ~ 2 a
ooh, HarOldl how can you? 1t was
not that was asking you to forgive me,
but my folly in leaving you. l am as
innocent of taking that wretched money
as my own child. Won't you believe
meT
Il do, my darling, do" Ireplied, with
genuine delight. IL would have believed
you then had you said this to me; but
you know you never deigned me a word,
and what was to Think"
II was so Mortified at your even, sus-
pecting me that fancied it was beneath
me to deny it. 1 cannot now UNDER
stand what could have prompted you to
think such dreadful thing of me. 1t
is very hard to BEAR"
I. was beginning to wonder, too, how I
could have suspected my own Marian.
Circumstances and my mother were
more to blame than ], however.
In answer murmered something
about Frank. - ID ~
"Ah, that letter to Frank;I remember
it. You were always so hard upon him
that / didn't like to tell you about it. He
really had been trying to keep on stead
lily at the post your kindness had obtain
ed him, but old debts were constantly
coming in, and his limited salary would
not meet them and keep him as well.
There was one man who had pressed him
hard for SO. He had spent his last
quarters salary within pound or two,
and more would not be coming for some
time. He wrote and told me this, ask
ing me to help him, but could not. He
wrote again and said he must draw ON
his salary, but I begged him not to do SO
so soon. / was sure his employers would
think it bad sign. The man threaten
ed to expose his former habits to the
firm, which you know might have ruin
ed him with them, 1 resolved to help
him this once, and in order to do so /
sold my diamond brooch, which scarce
ly ever had occasion to wear. got e10
for it and sent him notes to that amount
he little guessed what it cost"
my poor, prosecuted, self-sacriflcing
little woman; why did you not tell me
all this? Why could you not trust me?"
"Why could you not trust mer Marian
demanded half playfully, half pathetic
ally. Then she added earnestly, Il have
been very much to blame. was proud
and self-willed and all sorts of bad
things, and then leaving you was worse
that all. Harold, dear, am so ashamed
of myself for that. No woman is justi-
fed in leaving her husband on SO slight
a pretext as had" - -ESOS
Thought SO too. She was becoming
the most sensible little woman in the
world; but l had been to blame too, and
was not going to let all the magnamity