New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-07-21
Some foul fend prompted me to sad
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NC WINS CIOSS-eyeu, anu one organ
was blue and onegray.
'How very singular" said Mabel
with growing interest 81 should like
to see him. Tell me about his real es-
tate scheme"
| felt that if I hesitated l was lost,
and laying down my knife and fork, /
entered into q detailed account of a
series of fictitious investments con-
templated by Bancroft and myself. /
did not originally intend togo so deep,
but her questions drew me out, and
each successive step was necessary for
preservation. AS I walked out Of the
front gate | felt like a convicted fellow.
However, the mythical Bancroft was
convenient parsonage, and Iconclud-
ed that, now that had invented him
and put my foot in it, so to speak, |
might as well use him to
all possible advantage. Consequently
Bancroft was pleaded night after night
with success, although the continued
questioning OF my wife involved me in
a tissue of falsehood so monstrous
that I was afraid to contemplate it.
About this timeI became alarmed
lest she should visit his supposed place
OF business to read him a lecture up
on his habits, and told her he had left
Reeds and gone to an uptown store.
This necessitated going into all the de-
tails as to why he left, which l gave
shamelessly. My conscience was in
such condition by that time that I
was less troubled over my fabrication
of complicated lies than l was that l
should cross myself in some OF them.
How intricate, how manifold and
multiplied they were can be imagined
when | say that at the end of two
years Mabel was still unsuspicious.
Shehad however, conceived a violent
dislike, growing into an utter abhor.
renee, of the man. This was engender-
ed bya peculiar turn which the fiction
happened to take. One night the first
pencilings of dawn were showing in the
skies when l returned home. had
not intended to stay so late. real
lied with a sudden and humiliating
force that was a brute to leave a
young girl alone, unprotected, anxious
and afraid through the long night. l
felt ashamed, mortified, and above
all alarmed for | was we'll aware
a scene awaited me. With beating
heart entered the house. Mabel was
in bed, and turned her head slightly
without looking at me or speaking. l
felt lntuitively that she was crying.
At that instant. any plan, any lie, no
matter how black, that would have
relieved the poor girls distress would
have seemed noble to me. So it was
with no pang OF conscience that sank
into a chair and exclaimed in a hol-
low voice: 30, Mabel, if you had
seen what have seen you would be
sick at heart"
"What was it, Frank?" she asked
with instant curiosity, sitting up in
bed
This was the effect I had calculated
upon, and for a. moment said moth
ing,a if too much overcome to speak.
Then in a low tone [ continued:
Bancroft is III jail?"
30, Frank" she cried, her eyes sud-
denly dilating. what has he done!!"
Again was overcome with emotion;
/ had to have time to think.
"You know how Bancroft is when
he is drinking said, finally.
"Yes," she replied, eagerly, every
quarrelsome.
Exactly. Well, we were playing a
game OF billiards last night. [ hadn't
noticed that he was under the influence
OF liquor, but he got into dispute
with clergyman, who was perfect
stranger, and took his billiard cue
and"
CHILLED the minister!" shrieked Ma
bel.
"No, thrust it down his throat and
broke it OFF,
Mabel stopped her ears and Ipaused
for breath.
"Of course" [ went on, che was ar
rested and | went out to get bail for
him."
"What business is that Of yours!"
asked Mabel, sharply.
"For your sake, DEAR I replied.
although no party to the affair I
realized how the linking Of my name
with it would pain and mortify my
little girl, SO [ determined to sink
my pride and ask some of my friends
to 60 on Bancroft's bond to hush the
matter up"
"You dear, old darling" said Mabel,
impetuously, "can you forgive me?"
! forgave her, and, assuming the
mein OF a martyr. went to bed. From
that moment, however, she regarded
Bancroft as my bad angel, and hated
him with all the cordially OF indig-
nant womanhood.
Meantime Bancroft had commenced
to haunt me. From being a ma turally
frank and open disposition, became
preternaturally vigllant and alert,
fearful each instant that l would
betray myself and realizing that each
day put mefurther from the possibili-
ty Of an explanation. l grew pre-oc-
cupied, moody, morose. NY nerves,
quivering under the tension, were CIV
ing way. looked scared and guilty.
The very name of Bancroft was hate
full to me, and when my wife harped
upon him | felt that should 90 mad
ii | did not get away. He had become
astonishingly real to me, and I felt my
personality becoming mixed and
meshed with this myth-this man Of
air and nOthinonoca- in q pooppnr +ho+