Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-05-03
THE DEMOCRATIC NORTHWEST THURsDAY MAY 8 1883

TINS paper, uut You WIN recoIIect my adver-
tisement at the top Of my letter headi Well
II 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 nextl She leaves him. Fortune throws
my advertisement in her way and receive
letter from her address, then at Vineboro.
Here was q 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. ~ 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 poidency of the suit, and
he never guessed his wife was being divorced
from him; and l 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 divorcein 1t 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 joyfully he
could cherish his wife than before. There
WIS no blot of shame on her sweet name.
There was no page in her life the whole world
might not look at then. And this man wanted
O reward for what he had done, aye, and he
ST. Juld have it. There was no gift too great
"Jr him who had turned this young husbands
Interest memories sweet, who had made his
life and his love like that of other men. He
coached forward and grasped the lawyers
r'ily hand i'll hearty good will.
Gidding's stared at him in silence mo-
luent. 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. 1t
was actually more disagreeable business
than he had counted on. "Such secret con-
yenient divorces as get don't stand in our
courts. The whole thing is bogus, my dear
sir.n 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 q court,
and its genuine seal were stamped on decree
of divorce, it would amount to nothing when
both parties livs 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 Curran's wife yet.
She is as much married to him today rs she
ever was"
''How am to know but that you are lying
to meg'
The attorney handed him over q file of
letters with shrug of his shoulders. "You
, need not wade through them all, the last is
. conclusive, l think you will agree with me-"
Mr. GIDD1Nas-Dear Sr-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 7 have q
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 sc
, easily. l only wonder Mr.. Curran has taken il
so calmly, he seemed almost wild when + frs
left him. Yours gratefully,
BERTHA ELLrNGswoRTH.
Yes, there was no doubt about it. II wa!
Bertha's handwriting; no forgery could havt
deceived her lovers eyes. How little sh'
fancied he would ever be reading it over, anc
cursing the first hour he ever looked on he
, dear face He watched the attorney put i
! back on file again 1t seemed desc, ratiol
> to lay one of her notes in the stained, til
;, box, with the ignoble company of lying anC
! suppliaut letters.
: "She seems to have relied completely Of
. 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 treu
: bled, and almost broke.
"You are not WE'LL" exclaimed the lawyer
!, aud he opened another drawer in his des
s and drew out square shaped, yellow colore
d bottle "Take swallow Of this"
!! Philip clutched it eagerly He though
II now he could understand how man migh
p want to drown all pride and sense in drunl
10 enness. He poured the crude stuff down h
# parched throat as if it were water. On
IL swallow was not enough, nor were two, bu
IT when he set the bottle upon the table at las
le the lawyer resumed:
70 "And so it would have been good, min
times out of ten, good enough to make a
| SOhSCl ASO SOihlOt OIOAOs n NOSAAAASA
is document to most people, a seal is a sea
As a man thinketh, SO is he. Parties divorce
by my fiat alone, remarry and raise childrel
N and are as happy and clear of conscience {
v. if they were not committing sin ever
is hour of their lives, unless it happens to CON
70 out.n
"This has come out, suppose, and Lockot
Q, is all agog with it." Philips heart stoppo
te beating while he waited for his answer.
Or "No, my dear sir, another mistake; no ci
rt under heaven knows Of it but me, and yc
now" Breton must have taken him for
to fool.
Philip started from his chair like ligh
s, ming. "Thank God, then Bertha is safe yet
IN But Giddings attempted to look very sterl
I'd "Did you suppose made out that complain
for nothing? She is rich and beautiful ar
rs proud, no doubt, but the same law han!
over her as the rest of us. No one knows
her crime yet, but before the sun GETS" Il
attorney rose, and cautiously put the tab
IS between himself and his guest, whose ey
as seemed to him to gleam dangerously, "b1
nr before the sun sets" he continued, watchir
erI the other closely, "an officer with warral
J. will call at your front door"
n Philip lifted his chair high in air, al
brought it down like trip hammer whe
~ G;ddinoe had stood Rut the apile attOrnt