Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-08-07

"eouASms VI q negro gives the white ruffian
who looks on at the whipping! Is that itl
Why, sir, be satisfied with your sons work;
but you shall not stop me from calling him
villain! You would know why? Look at my
VIE yonder. Is there no answer in her facet
LOOK at this hand. Never did it tremble as now
II does. am aged score since yesterday,
and hat is thy sons doing. No" he shouted,
IN a strange shaking voice, ''Ill not put my
dishonor again into words. Sir, I wish you
a good morning"
He rose from his chair and stood upright,
with his hand extended toward the door.
His wife sat in a c%rouching attitude, hugeing
herself. DIR. Shaw did not offer to move. His
face was pale, but otherwise his manner was
collected. He put his snuff-box in his pocket,
and, drawing forth a pocket book, he ex-
tracted a paper, which he held in his hand
while he addressed Mr.: Strangield.
Sir" he said, in a slow, deliberate tone.
throughout my life l have ever striven to
act the part of an upright man. resolute in
the vindication of things I hold to he just
ana true, but always ready to acknowledge
my error. Through haste and surprise and
disappointment which, in imitation Of your
own admirable candor, I hal be at no pains
to dlssemble, l have fallen into a grievous
Of misjuding youthful folly and
calling it sin; that of repelling with rude
doubts the ~pleadings of helpless innocence;
That OF ~denouncing my own flesh and blood
as q monster Of vice when he was not at
hand to justify himself. But, sir, the God
who rules over us is the Vindicator of the
Just, and last night I humbled myself before
Him with gratitude and remorse. 1 beg you
to be seated. came to you with two items
of news. One l have related, and the other
! will now relate, in mercy to you who, by
desiring me to leave the house, would be en-
failing upon yourself tho endurance of a
grief greater, in spite of my theological
opinions, than could wish you to know"
Mr.. S%trangaeld continued standing, lean
ing heavily upon the back of a chair and
looking down with o scowl upon the doctor.
Mrs. Strangfield, in a half-risen posture,
supporting herself with her hand upon the
table, stretched eagerly forward, her eyes
fixed on the paper in the doctors grasp.
"Last night" continued the doctor, "after
the ~coastguard left me-, I reflected upon his
story, and felt persuaded that the riddle of
my sons disappearance was solved. But,
though there was a melancholy satisfaction
in detecting the means by which one portion
of the mystery had been brought about, the
boys honor still remained befouled by the
charges that had been made against him by
you. It was clearly my duty to leave no
stone untlrned, either to prove that he was
actually your daughters husband, or that
their connection was sinless, and the af1rma-
tions of your daughter the delusions of an ig-
norant loving woman. This morning Ishould
have taken the coach to London, and remained
in that city until every vestry had been
searched by persons l should nave hired for
that purpose, and every clergyman and dis
senting minister officiating called upon. But
l AVE been m~ercifully spared a duty which,
at my time of life, would have made heavy
demands on my strength. Before retiring to
rest l entered my sons bed room. Up to
that moment, beyond q cursory inspection of
the room, l had made nc close examination
of it. But l felt that it would greatly facili-
tate my project il l could obtain some clew
to the name or ~neighborhood of the church
where they were married; and l further re-
membered that he had written to me- one let
ter from his lodgings, though could not
find that letter and had no recollection Of the
address upon it. l found his desk in a drawer,
and had no difficulty in opening it by a bunch
of keys of my own. Sir, among letters Of
his mother, most tenderly preserved, and
letters signed in your daughters name, I
found this document" holding it up scare.
fully sealed in a sheet of paper, on which
was written Jenny Shaw; and l also found"
continued the doctor, drawing from his side
pocket a small sheepskin volume, "this little
diary, some passages of which, sir, I will take
the liberty to read"
There was breathless silence between bus.
band and wife while the doctor turned the
leaves in search of the entry he proposed
9.-% - ,,o,J NJ Ok..n-CaJl .- e ,
his posture nor moderated his frown; but
over his wife's face was creeping the illumi-
nation of an expression of joy pathetic to be-
and the faint parting of her lips.
The doctor read:
"'APR1L 5, 1867 am bewitched by
Jenny S%trangfield's beauty. 1t is a fort
night ago since l first addressed her, and to-
day we conversed like old friends. Strange
that anything so sweet and gloriously
feminine should be found among the hard
conditions and rigors Of the sect of whose
prejudices her father is tho most acid ex-
ponent hereabouts."
The doctor turned the leaves slowly, skip
ping evidently much that was too personal
for himself to read aloud i'll the presence Of
the deacon with relish.
"'MAY N.-Today 1 told Jenny I loved
her. She believes me, and well she may, for
truly is she dearest of all earthly things to
me now. "You should not love me-" she
said, ''for what would thy father say to hear
that thou art in love with Michael Strang-
fields girl" What wonderful tenderness
her voice gains from use of that quaint old
fashioned thee-ing and thou-ingp"
"Why do you read such stuff, sir" cried
| Mr.. ~Strangtield, with an air of sullen impa-
thence. "You have something to prove by
producing that book. Come to it-or leave
it, if it be as I think-for you shall not
dangle our dishonor in our face, sir. By
God! your cool recital of your sons infanly
shall not drive NE madw
His face was again dark with passion, and
well might the violence of an emotion that
could force an oath from Strangfeld startle
even the imperturbable Dr.. Shaw.
II must detain you another minute" said
the doctor, curling his lip while he rapidly
turned the leaves of the diary, "and then I
am done. Here is the one entry that con-
Germs you:
"JUNE ls.-This day I was married to
Jenny %Strangield at the church of ST. Mat
thew. Dane street, London. Have I, as her
sweetheart and husband. acted wisely for
my darling by this secresya l will have no
fear, but thank God humbly for his precious
gift. How timid she was! All the way
from sydenham she scarcely spoke, and her
hand was Us cold as stone in mine rs we
went into the church-a gloomy church, in
deed, with a mistiness all about the altar, as
if the fogs of winter had not had time to
escape. How much happier and easier to
have been married in the dear old church at
Greystone, with her father AMI mine to Civ.
US a kindly word. But it is the mother
kiss my darling must most miss. Low