Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1879-02-13
and, as might have been expected, mutual un.

days before Bertha had ever pierced the poor
fellows heart with her darkly-splendid glance
or entangled it in the sable meshea of her long,
graceful rnglets-comparing those days to
cred blossoms OF hope, and it's lowering pre-
sentiments of an evil hour yet to GOMEZ was
startled by tap at the door.
"COme in!"
The plump and buxom housemaid entered.
IA boy 10 waiting, sir, at the door. He
brought this" -. ....,..-.-
my dear boy: Come in and see me. I, am
sick, frightened. Can you come immediate
~? - EUGENE"
Tell the boy will come, Joanna" said to
the girl and began dressing myself to go out
on the instant. A brisk walk of a half mile
brought me to the quiet little house-half
| hotel, half boarding house-where my old
friend lived. af
found him lying on the sofa before the fire,
in dressing gowC, smoking-cap. and slippers
the guady figures of which made his face
look quite ghastly. His sharpened features
and the blue black crescent underneath his
eyes told Of sleepless night; and his langud
action, as he arose and came forward to greet
me, indicated the exhaustion that follows a
| mental storm.
whats the matter now, old fellow |?
asked, with an assumption Of gayety.
ut is all up with me, Pm afraid. have
been a fool, an egregious fool and now comes
the consequences" ..
Don't be mysterious"
swell, must tell some one and you are
the best man 1 know for confidant; so had
| best give you the whole story. Sit down.
| There are cigars on the mantel-piece"
lit cigar, drew a caJaeious, softly cush-
| Toned arm chair up to the head of the lounge,
| and prepared myself to listen to his version
| Of a story, the outline of which had already
| anticipated. a.- .
1t touched me to see how he shielded Bertha
from all blame in telling this sad history.
1--WE are all human, you know, George"
said Eugene; "and l am equally blamable
with her; indeed, am the most in fault"
Then he told the terrible sequel to the
| romance. 1t had only happened the night
before. John Gage had heard something
that had aroused his worst suspicious, and
| there had been fearful scene between him
and his wife. He swore that he would leave
no stone unturned to get proofs OF her incon-
| Thence; and when he got them he would
ruin Eugene if it cost him his entire fortune.
| He had even gone so far as to strike Bertha a
heavy blow on the face, and then had stalked
away, muttering horrid oaths while the poor
| girl, terrified beyond measure-a little for
herself and great deal for her lover-ran- to
Eugene's rooms and sought a refuge in his
arms. 1t had been wiser had she sought that
refuge before the altar
This made Eugene fearfully angry; and his
feeling of mpotence-ofb being On the nnpop.
ular side-made him ill. The woman he low.
| ed more than his life was suffering, and liza
BILE to violence at any minute, yet he could
not interfere without making matters worse
He talked, foolishly enough, about suicide
| and asked me, with great naivete, whether
| thought prussic acid or laudanum was pref e,
able!
Use tobacco, by all MEANS" said l. "Pro
fessor Youmans once demonstrated, in my
hearing, that a single pipeful of tobacco
smoked in the ordinary way, would kill 6
man. l advise you to try it, and dismiss
all nonsensical ideas Of any other kind of poi
son, now and forever"
cheered him up as best l could, and gave
him open assurance that, COME what might
Charley Hale and myself We're ready to be
friend him.
Plainly, the best service Charley Hale anG
could render our friend was to send him of
| to the antipOdeS or anywhere else as soon al
possible. He was liz continual sort of low
nervous feve: that bid fair to bring him dow
| unless something were done to change thu
tide of his life. Gage openly avowed his in
tehtion to be revenged on the poor fellow
He would not kill Eugene, he said, but weulC
follow him up with his malice, and never al
low HIM a moments peace again
He was Just the man to do it, too. Rich ant
cruel-a golden hearted man-he had tn,
means, as Well as the desire, TO ruin hi
| enemy.
Eugene was fully alive now to the necessit,
Of going away omeWhere-anyWhere out q
scandal. He was satisfied that Bertha Wouit
DC treated more harshly while he was near
SO, after an impassioned leaYe-takng witt
her, he went off, away into the wilds of Min
nesota, with heavy heart and blank future
We tried to keep 1t a secret where he ha,
gone, but it was impossible Gage found
out, and sent a police officer to arrest him TO
having stolen a diamond ring belonging II
Bertha. So Eugene was brought back; ant
Bertha was compelled to swear in court tina
she gave him the ring herself!
This double humiliation nearly killed him
and for long time he was confined to hi
bed by a severe Illness. As soon as he recov
cred sufficiently Charlie and l sent him OF
again, incognito, to far Southern city.
But Gage was too keen for us again. He
found out where his enemy was once more
and by hiring two abandoned women to swea
that they were both married to him had hin
brought a second time before New Yorl
Judge, accused of bigamy. The greatest pos
sible publicity was given to both these trials
and although the two women were proved t.
be VIGOROUSLY bad characters, and would have
been indicted for perjulers had it not been TO
the lavish use of Cages gold, yet Eugene
fair fame was furnished. Nobody knew VIII
was right and who was wrong. 1t was dis
reputable charge anyhow, and the youns
man found himself an object of distrust ant
suspicion everywhere.
81 am sick of this" said he, one day to him
self and myself; Eugene Isle is a bad name
It has fallen into bad company, and he VIII
bears it is worse than dead. l wish he wer
really So"
''Then, why the deuce don't you die?" aske'
Charley; "we will help you"
What do you mean|'
"Simply that I have an idel. Stand u
alongside of George theresa; that's it-ye
-yes-I think can do it.''
do what?"
"Never mind; I'll show YOU"
"But what did you want us to stand up to
gether Tor" -.
"Only to see whether you could be made
look alike. think with little shaving an
,. little artistic making up, could fix it s
that George could be mistaken for YOU"
"We're not unlike"
"No Now l want you to write a note t
John Gage, in a trembling hand"
"John Gageg What forP'
''Never mind. Eli write the note. and yo
must copy it."
!. Charles sat down and wrote few line
when Eugene copied in a faint and irreguls
hand. They were as fellows:
"MR. GAGE: | am upon my death-bed, an
wish to see you. / have something impor
ant to say, and cannot live but few hours.
! EUGENE Isle"
"Now prepare yourself for long Journe,
to any place where you can go comfortabl
I until old Gage dies-he can't live forever {
t until this cursed affair if forgotten"
4 81 am prepared already. / have unpacke
!, none of the baggage took South with me-
$ can start off at two hours notice"
"Well, get every thing ready, for you mus
= go tomorrow"
/ The arrangements were soon made for