The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1883-01-27

/
wrote him, and in reply he told me to
meet them with bold face. for he had
| settled the matter with bis father, not
the matter of his marriage, which was
stIil a secret, but that of his continued
absence, by telling him that he had en-
| gagged IN some cotton speculations, ont
OF which Unexpected to realize fortune,
and had drawn a large amount from the
Old man 10 carry on the business, and
JUSTIFIED the deception by the. fact that.
as married man, he needed much more
! than single man, and that neither jose
ma or her mother understood the mean
ing of economy.
did not like all this, but as | could
not help 1t | was obliged to face It, and
when l met Davidson, senior, | listened
calmly TO his prattle about Walters
smartness, and his delight to think that
his boy had drIfted so naturally into
business, when there really was no oc-
| caslon for II.
He's chip of the old block, sir
be said, rubbing his hands and chuck
| ing TO himself. g was Just that way
| myself at his age. I'd rather see him
lose the money I've sent him ten times
over than see HIM turn up his nose at
business, as you college-bred bows are
| apt to do IN these days. -
| How 1t was all to end [ did not know,
| but | confess that it worried me q great
| deal, and when l received a letter from
Davidson urging me to go to New Or
| leans and establish a practice there. IN
| which he could aid very materially, |
| felt inclined to listen to It; not that
could do him any good, but ! was as
much attached to him as | could have
! been to a brother, and / wanted to be
J with HIM. l had written to blm that |
| saw 1t would be next to impossible for
me TO locate in New York, amid the
/ crush OF competition, and the invit alton
was the result. L would go anyhow, if
| only for a visit.
| had been away for almost a year,
and when Davidson met me at the cars |
must have visibly started. Such
change, IN SO short a time, had never
before beheld. [ spoke OF it, but soon
found il to he a subject he would not
talk on. But If | was startled at him.
how am l to express myself about his
VIE 1t was strange, not only ply
siclally, but mentally She wandered
IN her sreech, han long fits OF sullen
'A@AAONs 14Ot Nbt4o anu way tC uitlNE-
ments. L could come to but one conclu-
sIon-that she was IA opium eater, and
before the day was out Davidson told me
so. Could | cure her? Not.wlthout her
and aud consent shat she would not
give. She had held the habit-learned
from her mother-ever since she was a
child, though she had kept it in check
when she first knew hun, until after
their marriage, when she had ceased to
restrain herself.
L will pass over the next few painful
months. | saw that the woman was II
retrievably lost, aud that she was adding
bsynthe-drinkng to the opium. One
day her mother, who lived with them.
did not make her appearance at break
fast. This was not unusual, and moth
ing was thought OF it till midday.
Then she was found dead IN her bed. an
overdose of laudauum-she drank ii ike
water-the cause. This tor 2 while af-
fected Josefua. but il a few weeks Sue
reIapsej, and added TO her former vaga-
rIes by disappearing sometimes for a
week at time, when she would reap
pear, draggled and wild, from nobody
could tel where, nor could she herself.
During all this time the devotion of her
husband surpassed al Icon mendatioD. He
would not allow her TO be confined, but
had care-takers aud watchers, bat still
sue would slip away from them with The
cunning Of a luuatic.
At last, in one Of her departures, she
did not return, and she could not be
found. Every possible and impossible
place was searched, and a large reward
| offered, but no response until one day
Il man Appeared. There was a body.
| that of a woman, at the dead house /: it
| had been fshed out Of the lake that
morning, and had been in the water a
time corresponding with the disappe
| auce Of Mrs. Davidson. Would he come
and see it?
/ was with him at the time, and Of
| course accompanied him \ glance was
| enough and Davidson tainted. He was
| carried away and never looked upon the
body again. thought it better he
| should not. It was blOated and dis
/ figured and bad been robbed. perhaps
murdered. Her Jewels and watch were
/ gone, but the coroner persisted that if
was a case OF drowning. and SO nv
only conclusion was that the body had
been robbed by the finders. As far as
IL Wv Il GIllllCdbEbl We'll, hOt hBON
ing OF any special marks. [ was satisfied
with Davidson's recognition. To avoid
| all publicity was now the only thing,
and that was soon settled by bnbe to
the coroner.
Time, the soother of ali things. had
its effect on Davidson, although at fest
4 | really thought be would become a.
I lunatic Ia a few weeks he Gained
down into a settled melancholy, aud
then 1t was that suggested a return to
New York. New Orleans had no. at
fractions for him, quite the reverse, and
] had determined not TO settle there. I
don't think there was much sentiment
talism about Davidson. There was 80
visiting his wIte's grave and decking it
with flowers, only rich but very private
funeral and a stone with the simple
name Josetina, and that not even beside
her mother. He did not even 80 TO the
spot before We lett the city, bUt with an
ample sum provided for the future we'll
keapiug Of the grave, We departed.
He was most heartily welcomed home,
and the Importing TO his father that lac
had lost nearly all the large sum sent
him, and that he should never 20 back
to New Otleans, did not affect it. The
old man felt his years, and wanted Wal
ter, his only son, with him. He at
tribuyed ms melancholy to iil-luck III
business, and tried to offer advice and
remedy III the shape OF employ
ment in the counting house. ma mar
riage, Tue first the young man accepted
and worked very bard. the second he
showed no irclration for.
Two years went by and Richard was
himself again. He bad shaken off his
melancholy and was going into society,
If not with all the ardor of past years. at
least with enough to delight bis two
sisters, one married, with an establish
ment of he1 own, who We'd with each
other IN giving entertainments and
bringing all the pretty and rich girls to-
eether for their brothers edificatiou.
OF these there was one Maud
Berthol3. beautiful blonde, the