Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-07-03

Hugh's letter breaking IN upon her
FOOLS paradise had awakened the poor
woman to her better self. She had gone
80 far with the fraud as to acquiesce in
it: but she recOiled with horror and shame
when this active part was forced upon
her.
.'Oh, Harryr'-she burst into tears. 81
cannot-I cannot. You ask me to be
liar and a thief-ohl heavens!-a vile
thiefr'
at is too late, Irisl We are all vile
thieves. 1t is too late to begin crying
nowr'
"Harry'-she threw herself upon her
knees-"spare mel Let some other woman
go and call herself your widow. Then I
will go away and hide myself"
Don't talk nonsense, Iris" he replied,
roughly. 81 tell you it is far too late. You
should have thought of this before. 1t is
now all arranged"
81 cannot CO." she said.
"You must 90; otherwise all our trouble
NAV prove useless"
"Then / will not gop' she declared,
springing to her feet II will not degrade
myself any further. will not gor'
Harry rose too. He faced her for mo-
meut. His eyes dropped. Even he remem-
bered, at that moment, how great must be
the fall of a woman who would consent to
play such part!
'You shall not go,'' he said, unless
you like. You can leave me to the cOnse-
uuenceS of my own actS-tO my own deg
radiation. Go back to England. In one
thing only spare me. Do not tell what you
know. AS for me, | will forge letter
from you"
Forge a letter."
at is the only way left open, giving the
lawyers authority to act and inclosing
the will What will happen next? BY
whose hands the money is to reach me
know not yet. But you can leave me, Iris.
Better that you should leave mel shall
only drag you lower"
"Why must YOU forge the letter? Why
not come with me meWhere-the world
Is larget-to some place where you are not
known, and there let us begin new life?
We have not much money, but | can sell
my watches and chains and rings, and we
shall have enough Oh, Harry for once
be guided-liSten to me! We shall find
some humble manner of living, and we
may be happy yet. There is no harm
done if you have only pretended to be
dead: nobody has been injured or de-
frauded-"
Iris, you talk wildly! Do you imagine,
for one moment, that the doctor will re-
lease me from my bargain"
What bargain?"
"Whv-of course he was to be paid for
the plrt he has taken in the business
Without him it could never have been
done at all. :"
You are to pay him some of the money"
she said, conscious that such agreements
belonged to works of fiction and to police
courts.
"Certainly have to pay him a good
large slice out OF the mOucT"
Il. is fifteen thousand pounds, is it not?
How much Is to be paid to the-to the doc.
tori"
I'VE agreed that he was to have the
half said lord Harry, laughing lightly.
but as | thought that seven thousand
five hundred pounds was a SUM of money
which would probably turn his head and
bring him to starvation in year or two,
told him that the w ole amount was four
thousand pounds. Therefore he is to have
two Thousand pounds for his share And
quite enough, too"
"Treachery on treacheryi" said his wife.
Fraud on fraudl Would to GOd,' she
added with a sigh, that you had never
met this manp
81 dare say it would have been better for
me- on the whole" he replied. But then,
my dear, man like myself is always
meeting people whom it would have been
better not to have met. Like will to like,
suppose. Given the active villain and
the passive co ;senter, and they are sure
to meet Not that | throw stones at the
worthy doctor. Not at all"
I'VE cannot, Harry" said his wife.
I'VE cannot, my dear. Bien entendul
Wei, Iris, there is no more to be said.
You know the situation completely. You
Can DaCk out Oh III IL you pleSSe, anu ledFS
me. Then | shall have to begin all over
again new conspiracy far more danger
Gus than the last. Well, | shall not drag
you down with me. That is my resolu-
ton. If it comes to public degradation
but it shall not. Iris, | promise you one
thing" For once he looked as if he meant
it. Death before dishonor. Death with
out your name being mixed at all, save
with pity fol being the wife Of such a
man"
Again he conquered her.
Harry she said, 81 will go."