Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-01-12

/, suffering from great mental distress
he strove by expostulations to calm
her.
You are angry with me, Mamie
strangely, unreasonably angry, and
seem to forget that l am quite in
ignorance of the cause of It. Tel
me of what | am supposed to be guilty.
''That you may pooh-pooh it, OF
try, by some plausible excuse, t.
hoodwink me. No, you cannot do this
now. l shall never be so easily duped
again-never!"
IAN l not to be heard in my defense:
Is this your idea of woman's Justice:
Still I demand to know the nature OF
the CRIME l am said to have com
mitted."
"Said to have committedr Mrs.
Rossiter repeated, with heavino
bosom. care you ideas of right and
duty so lax, that you do not look upon
it as a sin to keep up a secret intimacy
with that vilest of women-that Mrs.
Ferguson?"
Neil Rossiter's face became very
grave.
Hush! I cannot let you say a
word against her. Who has been
filing your mind with such atrocious
trash?'
mo one; what I have learned have
discovered myself"
Indeed! viii you tell me how?
Yes, l insist upon it. You seem to
be making preparations for leaving
me, but out of this room you shall not
stir till you have told me the reason
you are acting so madly."
She pressed her fingers to her beat
ing temples.
Yes, 1 am mad; I have been mad
ever since l went to Doreys this morn
ing. 1t was there-it was there [ learnt
your treachery,
And then, by dint of little question
ing, Neil Rosslter elected the rest.
AS soon as he heard his wife's story
he ran downstairs, snatched his hat,
and quilted the house.
Was it because he saw himself de-
tected, and had no excuse to offer for
his conduct?
Slowly and sadly, her tears drop
ping on the garments made not so
very long since for her bridal, Mrs.
Rossiter resumed her task of packing,
stopping ever and anon to fling down
some pretty trife Neil had given her,
cry those bitter hopeless tears that had
never visited her blue eyes before.
Her life was blighted; all thos
sweet hopes she had been cherishino
were crushed. If she became the
mother of Il living child, how could she
rear that child to love and reverence
father from whom her self-respect
compelled her to separate?
Again poor Mamie's head sank or
her hands, and she was sitting on the
floor oblivious of everything but he1
grief, when her husband returned tc
her.
He held out the label she had seen
at the tishmonger's
Here is the cause of all your
trouble, my too hasty wife, and now
hear the explanation.
Mamie shook her head and turned
from him, but listened eagerly all the
same.
Just as I reached Dorey's shop this
morning l met Dr.. Finniss, and he
stopped to speak to me. He had Just
come from the death-bed of Mrs. Fer
guson. You start-you look incredu-
lous, but it is too true. She had died
of heart disease after an illness of a
few hours. Knowing how young she
was, and how fondly loved, in spite OF
her faults, by her husband and friends
| felt so much shocked, that for the
next hour | was like one in a dream
| did your errand faithfully as
thought, but here is q proof that, in
the confusion of my mind I wrote.
without knowing it, the wrong adj.
dress"
Mrs. Ferguson dead!
Mamie clasped her arms about her
husbands knees in a paroxysm OF
mingled shame for her injustice and
relief.
Forgiveness was earnestly and soon
accorded, but she was very i'll for some
days in consequence of the agitation
and fatigue she had undergone.
Need we say that no illusions are
ever made to that basket of fish, and
that Neil Rossiter's wife is quite cured
of unfounded jealousy.
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