Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-12-13

"Have been here long?"
"Snce yesterday afternoon
Yesterday Oh, the children
Where are the children?"
you left children at homer
Two. Ny Harry aud Daisy. All
the rest are dead Yesterday! l
must go"
She tried to rise, but, moaning pit
eously, fell back again.
Tell me where you live said Sis
ter Agatha gently, "and / will send to
see about your children. / promise
you they shall be put in kind care at
once"
The patient gave an address in low
locality, and the name "Mrs. Hunting
DON aud the nurse left her to dis
patch trustworthy person, accus-
toned to such errands, to see about
the children. She returned soon, to
find her charge excited wholly dr.
lrious, but talking steadily, although
il was evident that every word caused
suffering.
II must confess before / die" she
said. II want TO tell something about
it, | want to send for Bertha Lewis!
Do you think she could ever forgive
me?' looking into the sad dark eyes of
the nurse.
"Did you wrong her?" Sister Agatha
asked in a grave steady voice.
Wrong herp Wrong her! / killed
her! Not-not her body, you know.
She did not die, but / killed her heart
her happinessl Oh, Bertha, you
loved me once. and | loved you, till
Harry Huntingdon came to ruin your
life and mine. Hush! Never tell it!
Listenl We were cousins. and lived
with Uncle James Warren, but Bertha
did not know her father died in prison
IA forger and thief! Uncle James
took her home, and she was so little
she never knew. Then Harry Hunt
ingdou camel He was so handsome,
so tender, so loving. | loved him!
And he had no eyes for any one but
Bertha. He sang with Bertha, He
walked with Bertha. 1t was always
Bertha that he looked for, no matter
who else was sick for want of kind
word from him"
Mrs. Huntingdon, you arc doing
yourself great harm, the nurse said,
putting a cool hand on the fevered
forehead; pray be calm, and try to
rest"
81 must tell you'll must tell you
all! | was mad with love and jeal-
ousy, and Bertha was like ice! She
knew nothing about love! She was rs
calm when Harry was near her as if he
had been her grandfather. How could
| know she loved him? But | found
out one day about her father; | found
some letters in an old desk Uncle
James let me use had no right TO
read them, for they were her fathers
letters to Uncle James. his wife's
brother, implorng him to care for his
wife and child, and begging his crime
might be kept n secret from Bertha. |
knew Harry Huntingdon's pride. |
knew that he would tear his love cat
of his heart rather than marry a wife
with such a legacy of shame, and my
heart eXulted that | was q Warren,
and no relation to this forger who had
taken his own life in prison, as the
last letter of all, written by the chap
lain. told me.
Mrs. Huntingdon" the nurse beg
ged again, 'you must try to forget all
these painful memories; you are injur-
ing yourself
But still the weak voice went on,
the words coming with more difficulty
every moment, and breathing growing
more and more oppressed.
al took the letters rs | had found
them, and writing anote in Il disguised
hand | sent them all to Harry. What
he wrote to Bertha | never knew, but
he did not come again 10 see MS, aud
his letter nearly killed her. Who
could have believed her cold heart
could suffer sol She grew ill-the
doctors said dangerously ill-aud Uncle
James took her abroad. | would not
90. knew Harry Huntingdon would
never come where Bertha was, and
Uncle James was furious about his
ucachcry, Uncle James Worshipped
Bertha, aud Harry had asked him to
let him marry her. He never told
Harry about her father, and he was in
hot rawc when the letter came to
Bertha that broke the engagement
They went abroad, and | stayed at
home. contived so let Harry know
that was alone there. aud he came to-
see me till | won him. We were mar
ried, and | had my fathers money.
Aud then my punishment began. Har-
nv Huntingdon was a scamp, a gambler,
man utterly without principle ar
virtue. We sank lower and lower
My children were sickly, puny babies.
and died. all but these last ones. Fiji
teen years. Fifteen years of misery!
Down. always lower and lower. Harry
drank, and | ate opium to Try and for
ret my wrotchoducSs.
&" All my money went long ago
and Uncle James never forgaye me
for marrying Harry. He wrote to me
once. and told me that my husband
had ruined Bcrtha's life taken away
all her happiness, knew that It
( was ! who had destroyed her life. that
my had hand graspcd happiness To find
only misery; for very soon after we
were married. l knew that Bertha
still held my husbands heart IN her
7 hand. He never loved me. He
/ would have made something of his life
/ if he had had a noble true woman like
! R,,rb, T., haln him forward How