The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-20

woman, who swept up the registrar office,
signed theirs, and we we're man and wife.
gave the witnesses five shillings each,
and offering Marion my arm led her out
into the street again.
Il han begun to rain and so l opened my
umbrella, but the rain increased 10 such an
extent that we had to stand up in a door
way and wait till the shower had passed.
Standing IN that doorway, with the wind
beating in our faces, felt a little Qaaking
at the heart. 1t seemed a bad beginning.
1t wasn't the sort Of wedding morning that
1 had pictured in the days used to dream
Of being the proud possessor Of a pretty
wife.
had wife, and she had 100000, but
couldn't for the life of me get up a bride
groon's smile or whisper loving words into
my Brides ear.
Az soon as the shower had passed we
hurried backto the boarding house packed Ut
our belongings, and that afternoon we went
away In separate cabs and met as Victoria
and went to Brighton for our honeymoon,
leaving everybody in sublime ignorance OF
what had happened Marion had desired e
secret marriage and was not In position
to alter her determination.
1t was not happy marriage. Little de-
fects of character ii my wife attracted my
attention which had not noticed before
| found that she was not truthful, and GER
tainly not scrupulous. And she had "a hard
cold way with her that disagreesbly sur
prised me.
had not looked for romance in my wife
but l had expected a certain amount Of
sympathy, and what. for la tx OF abettsr ex-
preston, will call good-fellowship.
Marion, however, took no pains TO deceive
me as to her real character. | made vic.
lent effort to conceal my own disappoiut
ment, and to assume the character of de-
voted husband, but she repealed my ad-
vances, not actively but passiveiy.
When tried to talk about our plans fol-
the future she would turn from the subject
and we had not been married two days be-
fore she let me see very plainly who was
going to he master.
began TO feel supremacy uncomfortable
and made up my mind that nothing but
disaster could follow such a marriage.
went out by myself and walked about by
the sea cursing myself for my folly and long
ing for some sympathetic ear into which
could pour my woes. 1 never felt moro
lonely in the whole course of my life than
did in the first few days OF our honeymoon,
knew that crisis must come sooner OF
later. had strong forebodlng OF evil
and my worst fears were soon realized.
One day she left letter on the table Of
our sitting-room 1t was lying open, anc
read it and l learned something winch
astonished me. The compromise had beer
agreed to by the relatives in consequence Of
a letter having been submitted TO them, c
letter the testator had written to Miss Ellis
and which she had only recently found. Il
1Uus the letter Which had signed,
l taxed my wife with the deception sht
had practiced on me. | was furious, but
she only laughed, Iswore that l would max
a clean breast Of it.
Still she laughed.
Nonsense" she said, 'yot committee
| the forgery, not !. And you are my hus
band, A husband cannot give evidenc
against bis wife"
| was thunderstruck. She had married
me to close my mouth.
''Still," cried. II can 60 to the lawyer
on the other side. They will be able then Il
| take some action. "
Still she laughed. you'll find yOursel
in very awkward position IL you do, " sh
said.
began to think the matter over. / saw
she was right certainly should have some
difficulty IN making people believe that
forged the signature and married hel
directly she got the money without beinl
in amp way party to the plot.
But l felt tina: l had been duped-mede
catspaw. Then my long pent-up ange
broke forth and iii a torrent of words l tol(
the lady what thought Of her conducF.
| SDe llsteAoU 10 Iue WIN u COilboIlipJuOu'
smile on her cruel THU lips.
| When l had exhausted myself she had
her say.
Speaking calmly and deliberately. she in
| formed me that she was by no means sorry
| | had discovered the truth. 1t would saw
any further deception on her part, and per
haps it was as well that We thorough.
understood each other.
She had no desire to claim my society an.
longer. In fact, she very much preferred
| to be her own mistress. No good would
ever come of SCENES and as we were no
likely to become more friendly as tim
passed on, the best thing could do was &
| go home again and leave her to manage he
own affairs.
[ quite agreed with herthat he lceforward
there could be no common life for US, anC
that evening l packed my portmanJeau anC
took my departure, and so ended my honey
moon.
| | had asked for a weeks holiday, and so
went back to my berth in the city, and lef
nv wife and her G30, 600 for good and all.
/ was determined to be 80 far clear Of thi
that If anything eyer did come to light il
should be proved that bad no share of TIN
spoil-that directly l found ont the truth
left the woman undisputed mistress Of he
fortune and continued to earn my own liv
ing.
/ saw my wife once after that. She wrot
me to meet her in London. / kept the APP
pointment and she proposed q compact. N
one knew of our marriage. She would no
bear nv name and she would leave me fire.
from oil responsibility on her behalf.
1t was quite agreeable and 30 1t was set
tied. But she insisted on a proper deed o.
separation in which | agreed not to moles
her. | accepted the condition, we went TO {
solicitors. the deed was drawn up anC
signed. and we parted outside the office
From that moment l believe she went bacl
into the world under her maiden name, anC
well, grew mad with myself. l grew
careless, reckless, Respondent and took t.
drink.
didn't take to it all at once. l began, a
many men do when sorrow and troubl
come upoa them, to hate being alone a
night: and so when the days work wa
done, instead Of going home l loafed about
the streets, and went into bar parlOrs ant
drank, not for drinkings sake, out to still
the gnawing pain at my heart.
From taking a little now and then,
grew TO take good deal often. | acquired
the taste for drink. The drink haiti grew
on me and fastened its fatal coils about me
| tried at first to resist it, but the resistance
was feeble one, and after the first struggl
| gave myself up body and soul to the grea
curse.
did not wait till evening now to dull m,
brain with alcohol. / drank spirits morn
ing, noon and night. Whenever l couh
slip out of the Office for few minutes
went Off and had drink"
II had become o necessity with me now
I had to drink to enable me to do my work
and then did the work badly.
A year after my marriage was dismisse'
| f-or, NV sttuauion and Thought q chang