Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-05-12

o ols and slingging closely to Fitzger-
AID. She held my hand a moment.
"He is going so far from me. and two
years is SO long! You will take care of
MN, Promise mech, promise me!n
90, with nay whole hcart.n I an
swered, and turned away from them.
L liked her better. The tears and
the sob in her voice had touched me.
Almost won me. My dull senses were
partially Weakened to the attraction
Whlch such a creature might have for a
man OF strong passions and magma
tlon. lit had not been for that first
wretched impression, 1 should have
been in love on the spot with Fitzger-
AIDS wife.
We were on our way home when he
asked me what 1 thought of her. I
praised her in the best words I could
find, and thought 1 was acquittinp nv
self well. Fitzgerald's hand fell on nv
shoulder.
What are you saying, Jackp You
are as cold as ice"
"You forget. You are at fever heat"
"Ihen what are you feelinp?" he
burst out, irritably. tsWhat are YOU
ma SCtL dCeS HUH DCTs
had Deer coldly thinking the worst
ocal answer.
81 am thinking that she has not the
strength to appreciate you, or to be true
to you. | am fearing that nothing but
Ill will come to you Of what you have
done to-day"
l expected that he would turn upon
me %furiously, but he did not. His face
lost its color, and he said, as if reason
ing to himself, not in answer to me:
cit was her own wish. Iwould have
trusted her without any pledge. 1t will
be strange if she does not regret this
day, yet l stake my soul that she never
l said to myself: "He has given her
his best; surely that can not have been
unworthily bestowed" l dug a grave
for my doubts and suspicious, and tried
to cover them deep.
We were in winter quarters in a
canyon of the Fraser River. We had
had no mail for several weeks, and
toward the end of the year we concluded
that there were a noble army of martyrs
and an accumulation of mail-bags be-
meath the snow-drifts which stretched
almost unbroken for a hundred miles,
the distance to the nearest post station.
One day, after a week of almost unin-
terruptedly fine weather, the welcome
visitor arrived-arrived on his low
sledge drawn by eight sure-footed dogs
arrived in hot haste, with bells iing-
ling, and frost-powdered beard, and
bright eyes cleaning out from a frame
of furs, for all the world like a belated
Santa Claus.
Fitzgerald, as usual, opened the bag,
and | knew by his puzzled look that the
letters eagerly expected by him from
his wife were missing. He kept apart
from us all day, but in the evening
joined the group round the fire, with a
pipe and newspaper.
There was a youngster in our party
who l knew vas fully informed of the
love of Fitzgerald and Miss Emily Cor
don-as far, that is, as the affair had
been gossiped over by his mamma and
her women friends. When this youth,
shrilly, and shouted: 'say, Fitzgerald.
here's q nut for you!" 1 felt certain that
he had news of Fitzgerald's wife.
"What is it?" Fitzgerald asked, in
differently, not looking up from his
paper.
"About that stunning Miss Gordon
the girl you were such spoons. on. Do
you remember"
Fitzgerald took his pipe from his
mouth. II remember. What about
her?:"
1T is reported from Rome that Miss
Emily Gordon, one of our faircst
daughters, is to marry the young and
distinguished Count Mondella. The
wedding is soon to be celebrated in the
Holy City with great eclat.'n
l wondered how Fitzgerald could
quietly listen to this announcement,
read in the most deliberate manner l
could hardly refrain from getting up
and yelling. My establishment increased
when, having asked for the paper, he
carefully re-read the item; then, taking
his great fur coat, he left the room. In
a few minutes l joined him, and we
walked to and fro together on the hard
packed snow before the shanty. .
"You see, Jack, l must leave at
once"
EYES," I acquiesced; II suppose you
could not rest here" Then | protested:
''Fitzgerald, let her 60. She is weak,
faithless, unworthy
He repeated my %adjectives with evil
dent perplexity.
81 see. Your old injustice to her.
You misunderstood. The case is as plain
as daylight. The Count dances attendance
on her; her parents encourage him; peo-
pie talk of them together, and a whole
sale manufacturer Of lies-a newspaper
correspondent-sends idle gossip to
America as fact. She is the victim of
persecution. They may have discovered
our secret, and prevented her writing
to me. How far away is she? Not miles,
days--ten, twenty, thirty. l shall not
rest till she is safe in my arms, for she
is my wife. You know it, Jack. They
may marry her to a thousand Counts,
but she is my wife"
Feeling that the moment was not
happy for the presentation OF views, l
presented no more. l agreed to all the
absurdities he chose to advance.
The next morning he announced to
- 1900 80 ~ lar