The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-11-13

hane did not weary at cnce of his
bride. He had been flattered by her
preference, and had felt 1t a triumph
to win One so universally admired as
Alice had been on her remittance in
to society. He had really loved her
very much, but not so much that he
was not jealous of Jasper's devotions
to her, and her own great fondless for
her son.
This was the entering wedge Of dis
content. Lawrence Ciephane and JAS
per could never be friends. Jasper
would not treat the man he looked up
ON as an intruder, and who was but
six years his senior, as father. and
Lawrence w.as jealous of every caress
that passed between this loving son
and devoted mother. Too late Alice
regretted tie hasty step she had taken.
She strove diligently to promote peace
between the two so deeply loved, but
i'm vain. There were elements OF dis
cord beyond her power to tame
In the strife of feeling and the deep
anxiety she suffered, her beauty faded
and her health decliued. Lawrence
CIephane had perhaps seen his mistake
before, and he wanted a pretext for
desertion. This furnished him me,
and gladly leaving his invalid wife to
the society of be- sons, he p'n' ged in
to the vortex of society a..d iissipa-
ton.
Arrived at such state, I'm g could
hardly fail tn go from '.a to worse.
Lawrence Clephane 49, dfawn daily
more deeply into the vortex upon
whose brink he had set his wandering
feet. Alice pinned at home and Jasper
nourished his fierce dispieasure as he
watched her paling cheek and saw the
white strand stealing through her goi,i-
en- curls. And soon, as in her former
marriage, Alice found her sole comfort
in her sons.
Lawrence Clephane became a con-
firmed drunkard, and at length only
visited his home for the purpose of OBJ
aiming those sums Ofmoney with which
Alice never refused TO supply him.
1t was during one of these visits some
ten years after their marriage, tina, the
terrible event occurred which forms
the catastrophe OF this brief sketch.
Lawrence, after an absence of many
weeks, had suddenly appeared at his
home, shabby in attire, and weary and
Worn from long wauderings, or pro-
tracted orgies. He came, as usual,
with no words Of affection, but with a
demand for rresn supplies. Alice was
alone. An habirual invalid. she re-
NAMED now almost constantly in the
seclusion of her owl apartment. She
heard the uncertain footstep of her
husband ON the stair, aud his voice
speaking to servant, and she arose
and closed the door between her apart
ment and that where Edwin, feeble
boy Of fifteen, sat reading, that he
might not witness the dreaded inter
view.
By Jasper's advice she had resolved
to be less liberal in her supplies to
Lawrence Clephane, ard to make
their continuance conditional on the
performance of some business, and more
creditable ways of living. And she
sommoned all her courage for the
dreaded ordeal.
Edwin, shuddering in the closed
room beyond, heard fierce words from
Lawrence Clephane, and his mother
gentler tones, now and then broken by
sobs- At length the alteration grew
louder on the part of the Infatuated
man, and the boy could bear it no
longer. He entered the room just as
Lawrence Clephane lifted his hand to
deal blow upon his wite's pale. up
lifted cheek. The sight was too much
for the boy, with ferocity very for
eign to his gentle nature, he sprung
upon the maddened wretch. A des-
perate hand-to-hand struggle ensued.
The combatauts made their way out of
the room, AMI Jasper Craig, who had
been hurriedly summoned from his
Office by the atfrighted servants, enter.
ed the hall in time to receive in his
arms the senseless form of his brother,
which Lawrence Clephane had hurled
with giant strength from the landing
above.
Hastily transferring his bundle to
other arms, he rushed up stairs, and
confronted the intruder. He had re-
treated to his wife's room. and, eeiz-
ing her 6ercely by the arm, was order
ing her, with the most fearful threats,
to comply with his demand for the
large sum which was needed then, in
some emergency of his vile life, to save
him from utter ruin. Thus Jasper
found him, and, exaggerated beyond