Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-05-16


l can address my travelling incogBita
when l meet her again at the Towers"
He quietly bent over The fay of Jessica's
neat RUSSIA leather bag, but saw only the
letters ~. NJ. s."
"Ah," he said, 1.-The same initials as
mine; then interrogatively, they spelIS"
"Jessica Montgomery Swift"
dead silence followed. Jessica lay
back against the customs, motionless,
with crimson flush on her cheeks and
forehead. Captain Swift felt that some
painful mystery was about to be dis
closed and that the woman by his side
was gathering strength for great effort.
He generously depressed every sign of
curiosity or establishment, and waited her
pleasure.
After a few moments she turned to-
ward him and spoke slowly and hesitat-
ingIy.
81 throw myself upon your mercy
Captain Swift; do not deny publicly to-
morrow that Your ever were married to
Jessica Wynne. Do not pursue those
who originated that-libel. Give me
time. l assure you that will do my ut.
most to undo what have DONE"
She looked very young and fair, with
her earnest eyes and moist lsshes. 'What
have you cone?" he said simply.
Listen to me and forgive me if you
can. When l first came to London, at
eighteen, found it horrid place; only
married women were admired, petted and
coUrted-we girls were nowhere. So 7
made up my mind TO come back to town
married.; snd as 1 had not a husband
handy-they a4e so scarce, you know
invented one. | thought / vas quite safe.
[ wanted him to be an officer, because
England has such lot of troops in places
people never go to. looked all over the
army and navy lists to make sure l did
not choose name belonging to any liv-
ing man; l christened him Montgomery
Swift, haphazard; I put the paragraphs
in the papers. He was very likely sort
of husband to have, you know, and it
seems so natural that ne should forever
be among the savages-anywhere. No
body see med to care about him at all; but
they did for his wife, simply because she
WIS not girl, and il was all wor King
beautifully. Oh, why did you turn Upf
Why did you have Swift for god
father? Why did he die?"
Would it have suited you to keep up
this farce much lopger?' said Capt.
Swift, graveiy, but an amused look passe
in his eyes.
"Only a little WHILE" said Jessica,
promptly. 81 intended becoming a WIDOW
very soon-some of the climates out
there are SO unhealthy-no one would
have asked any questions. One accepts
anything in London when it is convenient
to be credulous; but if you are that hor-
rid man please don't expose me yet"
''Not till am dead, eh?"
"I can't make him out dead, now" she
said petulantly; "but will 60 away, hide
myself, never show my face again"
THAT would be pity; there must be
some other way to achieve widowhood."
'Don't be cruel-tt is dreadful! and
know l have been very foolish. But
really" she added, with resumption of
her old quaint coquetry, 81 can't do more
than ask your pardon"
Eyes you can; you can ask for my ad
vice." he said, extending his hand, sand,
on my honor as gentleman, [ will help
you to get out of this scrape."
They talked low and earnestly for the
remainder of Inc journey. At Edinburgh
they shook hands warmly and parted.
But neither Jessica nor Capt. Swift went
to the Towers. Two separate kilograms
informed Miss Bellune that her expected
guests were unavoidably prevented from
joining her party; nor did Mrs. Mont
gomery Swift again gladden. the hearts
of her faithful swains by her presence at
the fashionable resorts of late summer
or early autumn.
Three months later Jessica was walk
ing on the seashore only mile distant
from a pretty village lear Bagni d; Luc-
ca, looking as fresh, crisp and fresh as
before her first disastrous London cam
paign, only there was new tenderness in
the dancing brown eyes as she lifted
them trustfully to those of tall man on
whose arm her small hand rested.
"And so you are really, truly not sorry
that you never denied your marriage with
Miss Wynne?" she said, coaxipgly.
Not sorry at ALL darling, as it sa yes me
the fuss of communicating it now"
answered Capt. Swift. "I'm sperately
glad, though, it's all settled ard done
with. "--London Truth.
John Wilkes Booth on the Day of the Assassin
III my here be said with propriety that
with his health, youth, personal grace,
and dramatic Inheritance, he could earn,
in the very alluring work of a leading an-
tor, from $500 to $1,000 per week at that
time. Yet the eccentricity born within
him made him ambitious, when in a
strange mood, of emulating the youth
who fred the Ephesian DOME" or 90 act
the part of Brutus in real life. His alb
duction plot was matured plan, conceiv-
ed in the fall of 1864, brilliant, daring and
full of danger, but it failed, and he felt
the modification as if it were sort of
disgrace. The assassination was the
Brutus impulse, and it came to him only
on the day of it's performance, and after
he learned of an portunity, as it may
be seen by what followed his arrival at the
theatre. Letters from other cities we're
waiting for him there that day. He receiv.
ed and read them in the front of the build
ing. He Was pleasantly tainted by some
of his Union friends there with the infor.
nation that the President and Genera
Grant would both be at the theatre that
evening, and enc added: General Lee
will be with them." Booth quickly
responded: "They won't parade Lee as
the Romans did their captives, I hope"
The remark about Lees coming was
Withdrawn, but the effect of the informa-
tion as to President Lincoln and General
GRAFT was apparent. Booth grew abstract
ed and thong htful, and soon departed, with
the first possible information he could
have had of the Presidents intention to
visit the theatre that night. At 1920 he
assassinsted President Lincoln.-John T.
Ford, ex-Proprietor of Ford's Theatre,
Washington, in North American Review
for April.
ARMY REG ULATlONs.
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