The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-09-25
CHAPTER XXY.-"WELL2 n

upon her, and Stephen Howard had sunk
back against the head OF the sofa like one
utterly exhausted. In the mind of each
there ragged Il wild fury of ideas: on his
side of anger that he had not been able to
look at her and tell the one lie which
would have ensured her future belief in
him, of awful Tread of future which he
would have to live out without her, of
contempt at his unspeakable folly Ia not
having secured safety before his marriage
by burning his boats behind him. And
on Julia's side there was quite as conflict
ing crowd Of thoughts! She thought of
the blow such knowledge would be to her
people; that Miss Theodosia would GER
tainly never leave Anthony Staunton her
twelve thousand year now; she thought
of how all her friends would sheer if the
truth came out, those who had flattered
and fawned upon her most of all; she
thought of how they would sheer and in
vent wonderful tales con the best author
ity" if she and Stephen parted-and the
very thought of parting with Stephen
brought the hot tears to her eyes and
made her realize how utterly and entire
ly she loved him still in spite of every
thing. Involuntarily when she reached
this point she put out her hand and laid it
on his.
He started violently as he felt the soft
touch. "Well, what are you going to dol"
he asked, almost roughly, yet with sus-
picious break in his voice
ooh, Stevie Steview she cried, piteous-
ly. 81 do love you so. do love you sop
The reply was so different from the tor
rent of reproaches that he had been ex-
pecting, that he, strong 1ean though he
was, broke down altogether. He flung
himself at her feet and hid his face upon
her knee and burst into violent sobbing.
And Julia bent down over him and put
her arms about him and soothed him ten
derby "Don't cry, Stevie," she kept say
ing. don't cry like that, darling"
At last he grew calm and presently was
nble to speak. ~ thought you were never
going to have anything more to do with
me" he said, with a shudder. 81 thought
you didn't mean to own me again. ]
thought you were going away from me-"
But Julia held him close in her arms
against her faithful woman's heart and
laid her cheek against his throbbing head.
mo, no, not that, DEAR" she said. Il
won't-indeed I can't pretend that all
this is not an awful blow to me. ! feel as
if have lived lifetime of misery in the
last few hours. But / am not going to
leave you'll am no doll, no fair-weather
wife. told you so once before"
For long time he did not say anything,
but at last he spoke.
.I've been such an outcast all my life
never knew what sunshine was until
you came into my life and gladdened
every hour I lived. I can never make
you understand quite what my past has
been-what was born to, q heritage of
what the world calls sin and we called
only business. You know, juicy, there is
no very hard and fast line between the
man who helps himself out of the wealth
of rich men who can afford to lose and do
not take the trouble to look after the safe
ty of what they set SO much value on after
they lose it, and the man who deliber.
ately swindles the widow and the orphan
by getting them TO put their bit of money
into bogus companies. l won't excuse
myself Juey-but l tell you this that
should never have gone into this of my
own free will. l should never have gone
into it at all if I had not been born to it,
brought up to it just as l might have been
to any other profession"
''You are mixed up with otherS-can
you tell me nothing about it?'
absolutely nothing" he answered, Sin
fact l know very little myself, and what
know I am bound never to divulge under
any circumstances, not even to save my
own life"
Cant you free yourself from this So
ciety?"
Eyes"
"Under what conditionsw
"By taking additional oaths of secrecy"
"And you will set yourself free at once?'
she asked, anxiously.
81 will do anything that you like, dear. I"
he said ''You shall do what you will
with me- Tomorrow, if you will let me
leave you here, / will go to headquarters
and take the oaths which will free me for
ever After that I shall have no will but
yours"
''And you will never, never go into this
life again?" she urged.
'Never-I swear it on my honor" he an
swered, solemnly.
Neither he nor she noticed that the
phrase came somewhat oddly from him.
To Julia's ears it sounded all right, for
she had more than once tempted him sore
" to break his word and she had not sue.
ceeded in doing so. And Stephen himself
had always, apart from his profession,
lived the life strictly of a man of the most
rigid honor and would no more have help
ed himself to shilling out of his neigh
boris purse than he would have struck his
wife across the face.
To some people this may read as an i'm
possible character, but believe me it is not
So it is no more impossible than it is i'm
possible for thousands of well-bOrn, we'll
educated men of honor who go into God s
House of their own free will and take the
most solemn oaths of fidelity before God
and man. and afterwards hold them SO
lightly that our divorce courts are filled
to overlooking and husband who really
loves his wife after matter of ten years
or so is looked upon as curiosity, as if he
were some strange animal with habits
which need studying because they are sc
unusual.
Nor are the men only to blame in this
respect-there are plenty of wives in Eng
land, especially in London, whose behav-
ior is a disgrace to their Womanhood and
a shame to themselves. For instance
know one little woman who was married