Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-01-16

concerned 10 uelenu my lle, OuIls'
tine. II is enough for me to have
found Myself, and to have followed,
logically and fearlessly, the full de-
velopment of my nature
DO You never regret the past2' -
do you mean that chapter which ]
closed 20 years sgo2 Never
DO you never think of your hus-
band?
The owner OF the Dolls Housei
Never
Nor of your childrenT
Il never so much as inquire il they
are living or dead
They are living. Your husband,
Torvald Helmer, has sunk very low.
so much l have heard. But, in
deed, l care not
It is not we'll said, Norah, that you
care not. For it is your doing--all
your doing. When you left him sud
denly with the helpless children you
destroyed his life. Did you never
ask yourself what it meant for such a
man to be deserted by his wife, and
without cause?
Cause there was-and enough
Without q cause Christine re-
peated. you told me why you left
him. There was no cause. Did you
never think what construction would
be put upon your act2 People look
coldly on a man whose wife suddenly
leaves him and returns to him no
more.'
Il cannot help that
you have not only destroyed his
life, Norah, but you have destroyed
the lives of your own children. You
remember their names at least. There
was Elnar, the eldest; you must re-
member that lovely boy. He is now
a p-ohigate. He has been made reck-
less by the example of his father and
the things said of his mother. There
was little Emma-you remember. She
is good girl, l am told, who lives
apart and alone, condemned to lonli-
ness because a girl with such parents
can have no friends. There is the
youngest, Robert, whose way of life is
we'll known, and whose end is certain.
1t will be-the prison. Does this
move your
Not in the least she replied cold
| ly. you speak of unknown people
strangers. The sins of strange peo-
pie are only interesting as forming
data in the general problem of human.
ity. have told YOU that a certain
chapter of my life is closed forever.
Madame Kogsrad put on her cloak
and lowered her veil.
Il leave you, she said. You say
in your books that you have found
perfect happiness in the dev velopment
Of yourself in your own way. Some
times, in your happiness and your
pleasures, you should think of the
ruined home and the lost children
Norah, no woman ever did a more
| cruel or a more selfish thing than you,
when you deserted your husband and
your children RI. Fa 5ss p.
Norah laughed scornfully, @ e..
When the door closed upon hel
visitor her laughter ceased, her face
changed; she sank upon chalr-a
long forgotten yearning seized hel
and held her. She had been remind
ed of her children. For 20 years she
had forgotten them, now she remem-
bered them all again-the sturdy
Einar, the laughing Emma, the little
year-old boy. Her heart went out to
them. What was it that woman saidi
They we're grown up, and one was 8
| drunken profigate, and one was
friendless for no sins of her own, and
one was fast nearing the gates of the
jail.
i am sorry she said, that I came
back to the place. Five years ago
said L would never come back-I will
4 go away to-morrow-out of their way
4 They are no children of mine; they
4 are the children of the man-the man
the strange man,
Il Emma Helmer was singing as she
worked, not a song, but piece Of
this song and Of that, without thinking
what she sang. Singing out of the
happiness Of her heart because hel
lover was gong to take her away, fal
away where the shamefulness tina
now wrapped her as with carmen
would drop from her and be no more
seen. A girl situated like Emms
Helmer may be allowed, ! suppose, te
think that the best thing possible fol
her would be to 60 right away from
home and never to see again her faith
Ter or her brothers, and never again t.
hear of her mother AS for her faith
er he had gone, as usual, to the Office
where he sometimes received the few
who still came to him, simple folk
who had known him and consulted
him so long and could not understand
that his brain was muddled witt
strong drink. Her elder brother was
also gone, in search Of a new place,
dare say, and the younger brother wa
at his desk in the bank. She knew
not how soon it would be before Nils
her lover, would take her away, bu
very soon now--oh! very soon. There
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