Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1889-04-04
GIRLIE'S PROMISE.
by vELMA CALDWELL-MELvHLE.

Promise me, Grille. that you will be
true to me, that you will never become
the wife of another"
Don't talk like that, Fred. Oh
don't! cannot endure it."
But will you promise me, give me
this assurance to make death easier, to
make it possible for me to leave you,
darling? Oh precious wife, how can
die now when we are SO happy? But
the promise, Girlie!"
Il shall never care for any one again,
dear, or want to marry"
mo, and so it will be easy for you to
crafty this last wish of mine. You
must promise me; you are mine! mine,
l ay!-and no one else must ever call
you his. Repeat this vow after me,
Grille, if you love me: Il will never
marry again, as Heaven is my witness.
But, dear, can't you trust me with
out that?" Don't you believe that /
love you and will be true to your" the
young wife sobbed.
"Girlie, believe that you love me
now; but by and by you will forget me,
will laugh and be gay as you used to be
and after while love and marry another.
Merciful heavens! the thought drives
me mad. My wife belonging to another
1t must not, shall not be! Promise
promise quick, or"
A paroxysm broke off the sentence
and the terrified girl cried out: "Oh,
Fred, I promise, as heaven is my wit
ness"
But the man heard her not, and the
next moment she was alone, widowed
on Easter morning.
A little more than year before
Frederick Gleason had married Doro-
thea Blair Tor Grille, as every one had
called her from babyhood), in her
pretty western home, and brought her
here to his handsome suburban resi-
dence. From their first meeting he
had loved her with all the depth Of
fervor of his jealous, passionate nature,
sometimes almost appalling her with
his worshipful alteration, at others
frighten her with his unreasoning jeal-
ousy; but in the main they had been
very happy. She loved him; but had
she been dying, the extortion of such a
promise as he required of her would
never have occurred to her. She
would have expected him to go on with
life and make the most of it-would
have wanted him to. After all, hers
was the truest, purest love; most de-
void of self and selfshness.
When the will came to be read it was
found that everything was hers-so long
as she remained his widow!
This proviso made much talk outside,
and among sympathizing friends; but
to the wife it made no difference; il
could make none since that Easter vow.
He may not have heard, but she had
called on heaven to witness, and doubt
less it was recorded there; and the
most poignant element in her grief was
that he had not given the promise
sooner, when he first asked. He did not
hear me; I refused his last request! y
was the burden of her silent moan
through weary days and sleepless
nights. Everything she could do tina,
she thought he would want her to, she
did, even fashioning each article of hel
mourning outfit with reference to his
known tastes.
The maiden aunt who had given hel
home before her marriage being
an orphan-now came to be company
for her. Besides these two, there were
in the house man and his wife, who
managed the work outdoor and in, and
were most faithful to their young mis-
tress' interests.
Spring and summer passed, and il
seemed to Aunt Millicent that Girlie
grew sadder and more grief-stricker
with each succeeding week. Must be
she amt well, for it amt natural for the
young to pine so, she confided to Ellen
the housekeeper.
1T looks strange; she ought to bt
picking up by this time" replied thai
worthy.