The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-08-22

know another and their love had growr
with their knowledge. They wer,
ouriously dissimilsr, and to outsiders
it seemed strangely one-sided friend
ship. Katherine Grahame was 80 fai
the stronger OF the two, stronger in
her love, in her mental po yer, in her
social position, in everything, that il
was easy to see what she must be u
Mildred West. But nobody but their
two selves-perhaps not even Mildred
herself thoroughly realized what the
steady tender love of that little gentle
girl was to the strong, self.reliant
woman, and Katherine Grahame re-
turned the love she received with
interest. A reserved woman with a
few ties aud fewer affections, the
whole intensity OF her nature seemed
to concentrate itself in her devotion to
Mildred West. 1t was the pc Isiou of
her life.
Mildred had been on long visit to
some friends when she first met Calton
Leigh, and it had so happened that
during her two months engagement,
her only trouble rose from the fact
that her friend was abroad with an in
valid aunt aud could OILY become ac-
quainted with her farce through her
own glowing descriptions. Miss Gra-
hame did not return to London until
the night before the wedding, aud
when Mildred proudly introduced to
one another the two people she loved
best on earth, Cation Leigh was her
husband. Mildred's marriage seemed
TO make little difference in their friend
ship. If Miss Grahams felt any jeal-
oasy of Gallon Leigh, if il gave her
any pain to know that she had no long.
er the first place in her darling's heart,
she was too strong a woman to let her
feelings prejudice her against the man
who had superseded her. She accept
ed him frankly as Miles husband
consequently as her friend.
Then, two years after her marriage,
Mildred Leigh was found one morning
dead in her bed, aud in her own hand
was an empty glass which had contain
ed the prussic acid which had killed
| her.
Mildred Leigh had obviously COM
mil.ed suicide! An awful thing-an
incredible thing--her friends aud &C.
quaintsnces said. But facts must be
credited whether we will or not,
Mildred Leigh had committed suicid
aud the kindest thing that could be
said of her-said in hushed, pitying
whisper-was that she was mad. No
body saw Miss Grahame-no one, moi
even the grief stricken husband, might
touch her terrible anguish, and when
| the ad story was discussed, as it wal
whenever two or more of their mutua
acquaintance chanced to meet thes,
two were spoken of with the sam,
deep pity. "Poor Calton Leigh peo
pie said, "poor Katherine Grahame!"
But when the first shock of sympa
= thy began to pass off, when peopl
had brought themselves to accept tn
bare facts, the inevitable question
arose, "Why did she do it,"
Perhaps there Is nothing in soois
| life more incongruous, more terribl
significant, than the gossip whicl
grows up and around great tragedy
, until the original horror is lost in
l mist of sensationalism and excitemen
3 The contrast between the aspect pr,
, sented by the same thing to few wh
3 are agonized by it, and the many WI
, talk about iI, is one which shoul
make us think twice, before we indi.
nantly repudiate as we are apt to do tt
s suggestion of the possible existence {
3 a fellow being between ourselves an
, the cruel old Romans who filled II
= coliseum in bygone days. We d
l not enjoy our fellow-creatures' phys
+ cal pain now dsys--we are more r
g fined-but we find the mental suffe
o irgs which go to make up TRACED
o $50 exciting"
d Mildred Leigh's acqualntances four
: the discussion of the motives whic
b most have inspired her ghasty actic
10 quite inexhaustable, and gradually -
of much talk 1t came to be general
understood, TO be indeed an accept,
fact, that Mlldreds married life hi
been far from happy. Not >dy h,
any reason for saying so; nobody hI
:. thought of such thing before her te
u rible death; but it was obvious that
= she had been happy she would n
70 have committed suicide. And throuy
IL this uncontrovertible statement it W
I. easy to reach the conclusion that VIII
y such a woman as Mildred Leigh
W unhappy in her married life her hi
u band is certainly to blame. That I
y steps to this conclusion were not
IN clear as might have been wished by
W strictly judicial mind made no diff,
ence to anyone. There was nothi
IN against Cation Leigh, only-no O
at wanted to meet him, no one cared
J. ask him to his or her house ard
Of was gradually being quietly and 60
as pletely ostracized when Katherine G
ut hame electrified everyone by comi
ne suddenly and firmly to his side, a
" Iquietly making it very clearly und
er stood that she at least was his friel
1t was an utterly unexpected me
ig and people found themselves pausil
ed Even those who had somehow rrod
he ed the most detailed and authentic
he tories of Calton Leigh's misconul
on felt themselves slightly shaken. M
IN Grahame had been there so much
n Miss Grahame had been Mild
,ly LIE CHS dear friend-1urely Miss G
ar- hame must have known if there |
ce heen-anythlng. Perhaps after
'ly they had been misinformed. If
lie wife's most intimate friend was frie
10. ly with him still, certainly no one {
he had any right to cut him-he must
en- asked to dinner, just quiet little 4
on ner, without delay.
to And gradually it came to be us
IN thing that when CaltoD Leigh was {
3D. ed to dinner; Miss Grahame should
We asked to meet him. A sensation i,
a very short lived article and leaves
I'll perceptible marks on those who h
enjoyed it except perhaps an incr'
,ut ed appetite 70. the next, aad peop
.yh interest in Cation Leigh and Miss {
st. hame was beginning to flag, whel
m n, | pas au1danlu rapivad hu oartain Al