The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1885-09-25

w "a SWIM "
"My Dearest Percy. Your entreatles
| and my own heart will not longer al
! low me to remain silent. My beloved,
| / am so miserable! These clandestlne
letters Of yours which | receive are my
| only comfort in the world. l feed on
them. They are the only brightness
| which Eliminates my dark way. My
| life is almost insupportable: You
| know that | do not love my husband;
that / never loved him. You, only,
| know the whole army circumstances
| under which | married him. Well, he
is my husband and | try to be a
| good wife, but this existence Is like
! some dreadful nightmare dream, Per
cy. 1t does not seem as If 1t could be
| me who lives and breathes and an
| swers to my name. am so desolate
and oppressed-so despairing! lhaVe
thefeeling, sometimes, that am under
a spell, that my faculties r paralyz-
ing and that | shall lose my mind IN
this dull, void living. Only when your
letters come | am alive. | feel that
| you love ne, and | live and feel and
am exquisitely happy and miserable
both together.
my husband-as long as [ perform
my daily duties he is COntented. he
knows nothing ofmy feelings. HeCon-
siders me a machine for his comfort.
Sometimes I loathe him. Usually l
am indifferent to him. -,
But, tonight it seems almost as II
I dared escape to you. Freedom, love,
happiness-may they still be NINE!
Before long l will grant you an inter
view. I will promise you nothing
more than that now. Percy, my only
love. God bless and keep you until we
meet.
lone word more. Pray be autiOus.
If my husband should discover this
correspondence | cannot answer for
the consequences. Though he has new
err lll-treated me | know him to be a
hard man. Let me hear from you
soon. Yours
The name was iIlegible, for the sheet
was much discolored and bIotted by
the rain. But it was Lucie's fine, del
icate c~hirography, and [ felt as II a
thunder-bolt had broken around me.
After a moment S blank wonderment
and strange, bewildering pain, l put
the sheet in my pocket and quietly
continued my way. Such a flood OF
emotion was stirred within that L
summoned a superficial calmness from
an instinct of self-preservation.
Twas conscious of one predominant
feeling as | went to the Clty-hatred
| against my wife for her duplicity. |
must have looked wretchedly when L
reached the Office, but my partner was
too much excited to notice it.
"Knowles," he exclaimed, there was
a terrible fire in Philadelphia last
night, and our branch house Is burned
to the ground. Here is dispatch from
Weiss. He wants you to come on I'M
mediately."
In two hours 1 was on my way to
Philadelphia.
There was much to do to restore our
interests, and l lent myself to the work
with all my energies. 1t was the best
| thing that could have happened to
me. 1t gave me no more timetothlnk
of Lucie.
wrote her once, telling her very
briefly that | should not be at home
for a month. 1t was six weeks before
l again arrived at Daphne Dell. The
maid was washing the hall.
"How do you do, Dorcas? How is
Mrs. Khowles?'
every comfortable. / think she is
sleeping now, sir"
Somewhat bewildered by this reply
I went into the sitting-room. No sign
of Lucie or of her work. l mounted
to the chamber and quietly opened
the door.
The room was darkened. Luciewas
sitting up in bed nursing the infant.
Sweetly and calmly she extended her
hand to me | went to her-I put my
arms about her-I kissed her. Icould
not help it, for / felt that the child up.
on her bosom was my own. The
nurse came in, took the infant from
her, and babe her lie down to rest.
She was very weak. Icannot ex'
press my contending feelings as ]
watched her fragile face upon the pill
low.
Slowly she gained strength. 1t was
midsummer before she was about tn,
house again. The little one had beer
prematurely born, but it throve, ant
the mothers health was finally re
stored.
Twas rejoiced at this. / should
have been perfectly happy but for tn
letter. The memory of it was like al
ugly devil that Knocked me.
One day as Lucie sat tending he
child in q low chair by the window
laid the sheet before her. had fxe'
my eyes upon her face, and saw aslo,
surprise dawn upon it.
} Where did you find this, Will?
lost it months ago"
| "Under the orchard wall. VIVA
does it mean, Lucie?"
II "Well,n a slight blush. ssyou hay
: found me out. It's o leaf from a stor
I was writing"
"And Percy"
"Was the hero. The sheet mus
have hlown ont tha windOwthat rain