Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1888-10-27

after the poor wretches, which was not until
little roll of bills had passed from their
hands to his, and came back to his seat, the
young mill owner did not seem to observe
him until the lawyer said
II have filed out a complaint but have
not signed it yet"
Philip looked at him blank1y. "What is a
complaint"
"Well, my dear sir, a man of your position
might pass lifetime and never know.
Aheml 1t is form of procedure that is
generally understood to be applicable only to
the poor When wretch has committed a
burglary, for instance, some friend of justice,
as l for example, goes before a magistrate
and makes certain charges. Then the poor
devil is arrested, dragged before the court
and tried"
'Wel, sir, what are your complaints to
me!n
The lawyer smiled "Strictly, nothing,
unless you identify yourself with woman
calling herself Bertha Bretonn He paused
to notice the effect of his words.
"My wife," gasped Philip "Oh, for Gods
sake, speak quick"
"You have been lately marriedf'
"a week ago.
4Hc Ou udNc utS u uuS-
band already. By remarrying as she has
done she has committed felony by our
laws. Some rather inaccurately call her
crime bigamy. A state prison offense, l
suppose you know-I mean for her The law
of our state does not touch you,n
sBut she told me she was free to marry
How far off his voice sounded Was it he,
indeed, in a low attorneys office, discussing
his wife, whether she We're a felon or no. 1t
was like horrible dream; too horrible TO be
anything but dream; but he could not
awake from it.
"No doubt she thought so,n said the law
yer, charitably; ''but let me show you" He
opened a drawer in front of him, and took
out a long paper. Isn't it odd, women have
no notion of folding legal document cor
rectly. Did you ever notice it?'
No, l 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. 1t is
proper i'll form, you will see"
Yes; it seemed correct. Bertha's 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 tNned away. Yes; it was
not an hour ago he turned him away.
''Who is this Thomas Bailes!"
He was waiter at the Lockout house
where the happy couple were made one"
The paper huttered 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, in his mercy, sending him death? When
n.
ing still.
You will wonder how happen to possess
this paper, but you will recolect 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
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. Il 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, ha!" And he laid his head
back ON his chair and laughed till the tears
ran down his face.
''But you procured her divorce?" 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
was 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
a reward for what he had done, aye, and he
should have it. There was no gift too great
for him who had turned this young husbands
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
Il guess you don't understand" he had
enough of his manhood left to hesitate. 1t
was actually more disagfeeable 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 a 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 ths%e We're such 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 OF the
DEGREES of any foreign state or territory a.e