Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-06-18
CHAPTER MIMI,


She locked the door OF her hc,lchamhcr
aud threw III her walking dress; light as it
WIS. She ieit rs it it would Stiilr her. Even
tho lDhban round her neck WAS more than
she could endure and breathe freely. Her
aNrrhurlcncd heart found no relief in tears.
In the solitude ut her room she thought of
the future. The drrary tnrehudmr at what
It might be hilcd her with a supcrNtltouS
dread from which She rccoilcd One OF the
windows WAS open already; She threw up
IT," other to get more air. In the cooler AT
m"sphrre her memory recovered itself; She
r'Colcctrd tho newspaper that Herbert had
taken from her. instantly she rang for the
maid. ASK the first waiter you see down
stairs ior to-day newspaper; any one Will
do So long MS don't wait for it," The re
port of the divorce She was in 4 frenzy Of
tmpattencc now to read what he had read
the report of the divorce
When her wish had been gratiicd. when
she had read il from beginning To end, one
vivid impression only was left ON her mind.
She could think of nothing hut what the
Judge had said in speaking of Mrs. Linlcy.
\ cruel rcproot-and, worse than cruel, 4
public reproot- administered to the generous
friend. the true wife, the devoted mother;
and for what For having been too ready
1 forgive the wretch who had taken her
hn>hand from her. and had repaid 4 hundred
acts of Kindness hv uupapionahl" iugrati-
tudr.
She fell an her knees, she tried wildly 10
pray for inspiration that should tell her " hat
To uo. "oh, Got, how can give that wo-
man back the happiness of which have rob
bed hcr9'
The composing influence OF PRAYER on a
troubled mIud was something that she eN-
pCricuced now. An ovrrpowCrng impl-
thence Ia make the speCdeSt and ComnlcttSt
atoucment possessed her Must she wait till
Herbert l.nlcy no longer concealed that he
WAS weary at her and cast her or Mo- II
should he her own act that parted them, and
that djd it ut once. She threw open the door
and hurried half way down the stairs before
SHE remembered the one terrible obstacle m
her waN-thc divorce,
Slowly and sldly She submitted and Wen;
back 10 h,r room
There WAS 10 disgusting il; the two who
had once been husband and wife were part
Ell irrevocahly-by the wite'S own act Let
him repent ever 81 sincerely, let him b. ~ or
So ready Ia return, would the woman whose
faith Herbert linlcy had betrayed take him
hlck' Tho divorce, the merr.lr>> divorce.
answered No.
She paused thinking OF the marriage tk.t
WAS now a marriage no more. The toilet
table was close 10 her; She looked ahScntlv
at her ha-SaUl face in the glass. What \
lost wretch She saw The generous impulses
which other women We're free 10 feel were
forbidden Injuries TO her She was ashamed
OF her wlckedneSS; she was eager 10 SJcrihce
herself Tor the good ut the once-dcar friend
whom She had wronged. Useless lo0gin-S
Too hate, too late!
She regretted il bitterly. Why
Comparing Mis-. I.iuley's prospects with
hers, was there anything 10 justifr regret Tor
the divorced wife? She had her sweet litt,t
child e. make her happy; she had a fortune
her oon TO lift her above sorlid cares; SIC
was still haudSome-stilI woman to Ia All
hired. While She held her place in the wu4iL
high As ever what was the prospect before
sydney NeSterheld? The miserable sinner
would end as She had deserved to end. Alb
solutely dependent on a man who WAS At
that moment perhaps lamentlng the wife
whom he had deserted and lost, how long
would il be before she found herself an out
cast without a friend TO help her-with a
reputation hopelessly lost-face to face with