The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-10-22

taught mo, moro forcibly than all thu
sermons ever listened to, the futility
|of man ! hopes and the instability Of his
happiness.
Was seated one morning at break.
fast when : friend OF Ferrier's, barris.
ter like himself entered my room.
Though slightly known to me, he had
never called on me before, and Is he
was pale and visibly agitated saw tha,
something serious was wrong. He sa,
down without speaking, and / noticed
that his hand was trembling. Presently
he spoke the word .Ferrier," but was
unable or unwilling to proceed with
what he was about to say. waited a
short time and then asked:
rs anything the matter with Fer
rierf''
Have you not hearde"
mo"
''He is dead, or dying. He has com.
mitted suicide"
/ uttered an exclamation Of horror,
but was too astounded to say more.
..It is terrible" !" he said; .sbut he has
inflicted this blow not on himself alone,
but on all who were associated with
him. What will the world say of our
teaching now. when our leader has
taken this means to solve the problem
of life? We shall meet, 1 think, with
well-merited contempt. You orthodox
fellows will have good reason to tri-
umph.' -
1t is not such cause as this" I re.
piled, (which will enable us to triumph. y
Scarcely had the visitor left me when
note was brought to me. Though
hardly legible. I recognized Ferrier's
handwriting as read these words:
please come to mo at oncs; am dy-
ing.
! hurried from the house without de-
lay. and, entering cab. told the driver
to take mo as quickly as he could to
the address which gave him. On en-
tering Ferrier's house was met by a
~
doctor.
He is very anxious to see you," he
said, "but will be upable to speak to
you. He has not another hour to live. !"
"His poor wife," inquired. ..how
is she bearing up beneath this terrible
trialp'
'She was with him when he commit
ted the rash act She has never been
conscious since. and it is feared she
will lose her reason
I was then conducted to Ferrier' 8
bedside. Death was implanted on his
face; and there was bandage beneath
that mouth from which I had so often
heard the winged words of persuasive
eloquence. On seeing me he smiled
and stretched out his hand toward
mine. but tried in vain to speak. Then
making sign for the writing materi-
ais, which had been placed in readiness,
pencil and paper were given him.
He was propped up and began to write,
which he did with apparent difficulty.
After writing for some time he sank
back exhausted. Then he made sign
that should take the paper, which I
did, and Immediately afterward he ex-
pired.
On seeing the first words he had
written l knew he had wished me to
retain the paper, SO folded it up and
on my return home read as follows:
This is meant for your eyes alone
and, during my wifes lifetime, what 1
tell you must never be divulged. Dur
ing the last vacation I went for rest
to quiet part of Wales, and there I
formed an acquaintance of a gentle
man of good family, but poor, who
was leading secluded life He had an
only daughter, and between us mutual
attachment quickly sprang up, but on
my proposing for her hand her father
refused to permit her to marry me.
When l pressed him to state the rea-
sons of his objections, he at length
Told me that her mother had inherited
a taint of insanity, which in her early
years had nearly led to fatal act.
All SYMPTOMS of the disease, however,
had passed away in her twenty-fifth b
year. In view of his daughter marry
ing he said he had consulted an emil
nent Paris specialist who for some
time had had her mother under his
care. His daughter had never at any
time manifested the least signs of men
tai arrangement. and, owing to her
sound health, the physician was of
the opinion that she would enjoy al
most perfect immunity from the malady
and would transmit no taint to her chill
dren. But till she was twenty-five, the
age when her mother had recovered, he
would not consider she was beyond the
reach of danger. On learning that
corresponded with the physician and
was told by him substantially what
had already heard. Nothing that had
learnt seemed to offer any bar to our
marriage. and, yielding to my solicita-
tions, her father at last gave his con-
sent. He was in weak state of health,
and the knowledge that his daughter
might be left without a protector made
him more disposed to grant my prayers.
When on our honeymoon we passed
through Paris, and l then called on the
physician and told him l had married
the young lady regarding whom l had
been in correspondence with him.
She ought not to have married SO
early he said. and then he cautioned
me at some length, adding that her
mothers malady had been of most