The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-04-30

For the first time / allowed a sense OF
my mistake to frame itself in words.
She listened to them and then left the
room without n reply.
81 rather congratulated myself on
the effect, and went to my business as
usual the next day. When | came
home Bernice was gone, and gone in
sue a way that it was impossible to
hide my misery. The servants had
taken her version OF our dispute, and
l was severely blamed. | was in all
the daily papers. and l had serious
annoyance from her father and
friends.
every effort was made to find her
for some weeks, and was unavailing;
and | lived III constant anxiety. One
day, when various circumstances had
combined to make the affair almost
mtoierable to me, l was requested by
two friends to go to the city prison
and identity a man who had obtained
money from them and me on various
false pretences. He was not the nj
who had deceived me, but he was the
man who had married me. | made
inquiries about him, and discovered
that at the time OF my marriage he
was personatin2 a clergyman, and so
raising money for charitable objects,
which OF course he appropriated.
HE was not q Clergyman, he had
never had a license; my marriage was
null and void. | was III the mood to
fell almost exultant. / could tell Ben,
nice now that, ii | was so hateful to
her, she was free to ieaveme, and that
| had no legal claim On her, nor she
on me.
~"sinsularly enough, when I got
home that day there was a letter
waiting for me from q lawyer in
Mobile, saying that my wife had in
structed him to commencesuit against
mefor a separation. never answered
him at all. wrotea letterto Bernice,
Will, which | ought to have been
ashamed to write, and sent it to her
lawyer, with a request that it should
be given to her at once.
"All that night thought of what !
had done and felt glad OF it. For the
first time i'll my life | drank aloneand
drank too much. Very early in the
morning | fell asleep; but just as the
half-awakened birds began to twitter
in the trees about the house, | woke
wide awake, Villas peope often
do when their souls are aware OF some
near sorrow. A bell rang loudly and
imperatiye!y. / got up at once. |
knew ~instinctively that Twas wanted.
Before | dressed my servant stumbled
hall asleep into my Don and handed
me q telegram. 1t was signed by a
womon whocailed herself Adela Larve,
and said only, Your wife is at ray
house, dying; come at once
"NNhat bitter agony now seized me'
that dreadful letter. II she cot it be-
fore l arrived, / could not bear to
contemplate such an event. / char
tered a special train, and spared no
money in hurrying to he. side; and,
thank God! twas not quite too late.
The first thing | saw when | entered
the room was our dead babe; the sec
Ond, my ietter-unopened.
She had not been able to read it;
she was scarcely able to stretch out
her hands toward me and bid me u
long, last farewell with fast.gluziIlg
eyes. But in these few last moments
we We're all again, and my darling
died in my arms and close to my
heart. But oh, VIII! VIII! | tremble
yet when | think ROW near | cam to
being n scoundrel. My poor little
wife! We made q great mistake"
"IIow?"
~ caght not to have married her
until had in some measure prepared
her for her new life. The maiden
| would have learned for my sake what
the vile could not humble herself to
learn"
never thought OF marrying Nellie,
uncle, unEIl she had been. educ@Gea. |
was going to ask your advice on this
very subject: she Is herself anxious to
come to New York and go,to school .
"rhat s better"
Then we talked the matter over,
and the end Of it was that Uncle-JOhn
| said there was some woodlands for
sale in tAe neighborhood OF Nelie's
home, ARD that while he was.trying to
make a bargain tor himself he would
see If he could arrange mattersfor1ne.
The newt day Jacob Smith said,
chr. Whitfield has gone to- Sloeun,-
vile to bay some land" and l an.
swered. $50 he told iae." 'Thres
days af5erward Jacob said, MIR.
Whitfield has bought the lard: he
bought is'from that Israel Jones, with
whom ytya staid last summer" and
answered., Indeed! | rssther eNpacted
he woulGido so"
But itgwas a full week before Uneit
John sme back to che Office. Hs
looked pleasantly at meas he rntered
and sad, as he passed my desk, "Nir
Lawsoar / want to speGkto,y ouin my
room.
"NVif.. / have seen Year Nellie.'"
odd you like her, sir?"
"Sharis pretty well--fora begiiarinl,
] took. her. school this morning
to Miss Hnyden's, a very good school
l am5old. Nowyouarenottotr oubl,
her; she is to have a,fair chance will
her fassons."
Glow often ma 1 see hsr IN q week
sirsn"
Flow often do you thank fair an,
rigAt, WHIP"
Twice aday-5hat is fourteen time
al week, sir. | will help her with he
LfssOns."
"Twice Il day In that caseyou wi
Nave to live withme. Idare say you
\ Aunt Huldah would like that"
) Aunt Huldah! What do you mean
: Uncle john"
, S'To be candid, viii. as l was II
!, that way l could not help going to Sc
your fathes, and then and there
struck me to ask your aunt to com
and look alter my house and Nellie
Nellie has lots of things to learn tina
: only a lady like Miss Huldah ca
teach her, and l amgoing to supervis
, Miss Nellie's education myself,
Y have concluded it must be at home 9
4 well as at school,"
NDaar daar Ifnnla .1nhn ~