Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1888-02-16
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-.,xxs ,st S9Ss
Br8foD MILLS
BY CHARLES ]. BELLAMY.
BY CHARLES ]. BELLAMY.

~
'No doubt she thought So" said the law
yer, charitably; "but let me show you" He
opened drawer in front of him, and took
out long paper. Isn't it odd, women have
no notion of folding legal document cor
rectly Did you ever notice its"
mo, never noticed it" answered Philip,
mechanically. He felt as if he were standing
still, while the world was flying from under
his feet.
"This is the marriage certificate. It is
proper in form, you will SEQ"
Yes; it seemed correct. Berthas name was
there, and Curran's. They seemed to leap
out of the parchment as he read. And there
were two witnesses. He rubbed his eyes.
Thomas Bailes"-that was the name of the
servant he had turned away. Yes; it was
not an hour ago he turned him away.
"Who is this Thomas Bailes2"
"He was waiter at the Lockout house
where the happy couple were made one."
The paper fluttered to the floor, the walls
of the room seemed rushing in upon him,
while the grinning face of the lawyer danced
in hideous measure before his eyes, Was
God, i'll his mercy, sending him death2 When
his brain cleared again the lawyer was talk
ing still
"You will wonder how happen to possess
this paper, but you will recollect my adver-
tisement at the top of my letter head! Well
it seemed Mrs. Curran, excuse me, grew tired
of her uncongenial husband, quite outside
her sphere of course. A fine fellow that Cur
ran was too But the young lady naturally
sighed for her old, more refined associations.
Her husband does nothing but shock her.
She becomes wretched, her craze is over. the
reality is not to her delicate taste at all.
What next? She leaves him. Fortune throws
my advertisement in her way and receive a
letter from her address, then at Vineboro.
Here was short way out of it all, divorce
without trouble Or publicity, for any cause
desired. She would be free as air again, free
to end her life, as she no doubt intended, in
conventual retirement"
Giddings threw his feet upon the table and
smiled very slyly. 81 undertook her suit.
What better cause could there be than in
compatibility. Oh, no; she need not come to
Lockout, so there was no trouble; and as to
publicity, why, will you believe it, and
the lawyer winked horribly at his visitor:
"Curran himself was within twenty miles of
Lockout during the tendency of the suit, and
he never guessed his wife was being divorced
from him; and don't believe he knows it to
this day. Ha, hal" And he laid his head
back on his chair and laughed till the tears
ran down his face.
"But you procured her divorce?' It is
almost worth pain to have the exquisite de-
light that comes with relief.
Philip felt ashamed that he had distrusted
God SO much. How much more ioyfully he
could cherish his wife than before There
was no blot of shame Oh lIer sweet name
There was no page in her life the whole world
might not look at then. And this man wanted
a reward for what he had done aye, and he
should have it. There was no gift too great
hi
bitterest memories sweet, who had made his
life and his love like that of other men. He
reached forward and grasped the lawyers
oily hand in hearty good will
Gidding's stared at him in silence mo-
ment. Then he moved uneasily in his chair
and released his hand.
II guess you don't understand" he had
enough of his manhood left to hesitate. It
was actually more disagreeable business
than he had counted on. ''Such secret con-
venient divorces as get don't stand in our
courts The whole thing is bogus, my dear
sir" Philips face had become like dead
mans. ISSUED by the supreme judicial court
of Utah, it says on them; but there is no such
court, and as for the seal, keep it in this little
drawer. Besides if there were such a court,
and its genuine seal were stamped on decree
of divorce, it would amount to nothing when
both parties live in this state. Our state
makes its own DEGREES. Utah DEGREES or the
DEGREES of any foreign state or territory are
void here. Your wife is Currans wife yet.
She is as much married to him today as she
ever was"
GLOW am to know but that you are lying
to me!'
The attorney handed him over file of
letters with shrug of his shoulders. ''You
need not wade through them all, the last is
conclusive I think you will agree with me-"
MR.. G1DD1NGs-Dear Sir-I received this morn
ing the divorce from the supreme judicial court
of Utah, and you will find inclosed draft fol
the second half of the $500 agreed upon. OF
course have to rely wholly on your assurance
that my divorce is complete, and that I have a
right to resume my maiden name. thank you
for the quiet way in which you have have man
aged it, did not suppose it could be done So
easily. 1 only wonder Mr.. Curran has taken il
so calmly, he seemed almost wild when first
left him. Yours gratefully,
BERTHA ELL1NeswoRTH.
Yes, there was no doubt about it. II was
Bertha's handwriting; no forgery could have
| fancied he would ever be reading it over, anC
cursng the first hour he ever looked on hel
| dear face. He watched the attorney put i
back on file again 1t seemed a Dissertation
| to lay one of her notes in the stained, til
box, with the ignoble company of lying ant
suppliant letters.
''She seems to have relied completely O,
some assurance of yours that her divorc
would be good. Philip tried to speak calml,
to this man, who held his darling's fate il
the hollow of his hand, but his voice trem
bletl, and almost broke.
"You are not WELL" exclaimed th lawyer
and he opened another drawer in his des
and drew out square shaped, yellow coloret
bottle. .tTake swallow of this"
| Philip clutched it eagerly. He though
now he could understand how a man nigh
want to drown all pride and sense in drunk
enness. He poured the crude stuff down hi
| parched throat as if it were water. On
| swallow was not enough, nor were two, bu
| when he set the bottle upon the table at last
the lawyer resumed:
"And SO it would have been good, nin'
lines out of ten, good enough to make al
arties concerned comfortable. A documen
is document to most people, a seal is a seal
AS man thinketh, so is he. Parties divorced
by my fat alone remarry and raise children
md are as happy and clear of conscience a
If they We're not committing a sin every
hour Of their lives, unless it happens to conn
| out"
"This has come out, suppose, and Lockou
is all agog with it," Philips heart stopped
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