Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-04-08

She could not so easily upro1t So
tightly rlven ties. For Jack had s.
come as a part OF her very beiSs.
Is was only for his sake that 81
thought OF going away, because of 81
sacrifice she deemed it would be pns5
ting upon him II he should wed be-
Something of this she tried to tel -
when he asked her to be his wife. ~
he would not listen; he was Satisfied
he said. Then almost desperately ~
begged that he would hear iier. 80
shielding her face with her hands -
related to him with pit Iful pathos ~
story of her life before his path cross
ed hers, holding back nothiagfrounf ~
bitter degradation Of the past. WIZ
tears streaming down her cheeks -.
implored him not TO judge her -
harshly. She who had never knoua|
a mothers care; never had homs|
until he came into her life.
Pityingiy as he might have soothaa|
a little child, Jack gathered the strick1
en- woman to his arms, saying:
''Mary that old life IS dead an eona
buried away this FIVE year back: ~
it rest. Together We viii start afresh
1t We love me. ha' ma fear TO- the f1l1
ture, lass"
What woman could have resists1|
such faith? And so there was a ouies
little wedding. and Mary became ack +
wife, and went to dwell with him Il
in the pretty log cabin he had briil|
"agin that day"
For two years not a cloud had con,s|
to dim their happiness. Yet soma
times Mary became possessed with 2
wild fear that it could not last. One
day IN her husbands absence she sa.
a man approaching the house. Their
was something strangely familiar
about the saucy, devil-may an
with which the stranger saunters3!
along, but not until he stood within
a few feet of her did it fash upon he,s|
who this man was. 4 smothered err
escaped her, and convrlsively claspin5jj
her babe she FASTENED to enter thsa
house. But the man called out.
Here, l say, carn't We give me
bite OF sumat7 I've had a eoodIsl5
walk and I'm about dead beat.
White as death, she turned and laced
him, when, with an oath, heexciaimed5
asst thunderstruck:
Mol! by all that's blue" Then
insolently laying his hand upon hss
arm. he added: "I'm blamedif IdidnY
think ye'd kicked the bucket. III
rather overpowerin' to have We tun1
up here in this unexpected fashion
lou might offer me a chair, Pm thinH
in, after our long separation" Ne
chemically Mary stepped aside and IA
the man pass into the house; there
fiinging himself upon a seat and
chuckling amusedly, tie continued.
Eyer seem TO be pretty well fixed
but yer always was a lucky devil
suppose you've got suthin' to eat
the house?"
Placing some eatables before til
man, Mary at last spoke, the word
seeming to come with an effort, as 81
said:
Eat what you Rill, then go. Nj
husband will be home shortly and u
must not find you here"
laysg' CALCULATED the man, with
wink
THE day has gone by for me to led
your words, jim. / have taken d
with different life. With you an
the past have done"
; Not so fast, my fine beauty. u
didn't live with me for seven years ID
nothin'. an d--n me if | don't eiaid
yer as my wife and then what 'ull d
come OF yer-different life, like
know If could Just have tai
with that husband OF yourn I'd e
yer different life fur yer.
A wall OF despair issued from Mary
white lips as a stalwart figure dad
ened the doorway, whilst her BID
bands voice said quietly:
eye would speak with Jack Sturd
stranger, but first let me say, tina,
tween me an my wife lie no secrei
an the man tina says aught agin d
has to answer TO it TO me Out ID
the men are not given TO many word
an I've learned the way of the COD
try With us it is a word an, a bio
but | ha' known the blow to COZ
fust-' Then pointing sternly 10
door he added: at Is three miles
the next settlement. II We woa
reach theer before darl; &c ha' best
goin'r'
Perhaps it was Jacks calm ev
tones, or an undefinable sense ofpos
that superior minds oftentimes ed
else over inferior ones, that stag
the clustering answer upon the mai
lips and made him stink out OF
house like chr, turning, however.
the gate TO shake his fist defiantly
'"Theer, theer, lass" soothed j
as his wife chung sobbing about
neck, ''ye ha' ma call to fret, He'll /
trouble We aSin, I'm a-thInkini'
But, oh, Jack, you'll not love
the less?" came tiesparingly from
ry.
Love We the less, lass. Why
couldn't do it if | would, an where
we are a good, true woman an
wife"
\ few DAYS afterward the dead I'D 1
of a man was found in a gully.
theory was that, having drank I
freely ten empty leather flask !
found in his pocket, he had mad
nisstep and percipitated himselfto
death. The body was identified {
that of stranger who had stop
at a wayside house the night bef
the accident. There was nothing {
on his person to tell from whence
came OF who he was They bur
him, marking his grave by a Z (
wooden cross. And when Jack
Mary concerning Jim's death, for :
had recognized the man, he ad1
gently: {
Let the past die with him, Nd
lass. Please God the future shall :
o'ny good TO We on the little i !
and honest-hearted Jack lovia 7
clasped his two treasures within
arms.