Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1891-07-11
cut into sard which was among his wife's

his. She stood on the threshold for an
instant before she glided over into the
room and closed the door behind her.
When she spoke the passionless quality
of her voice was as though that were also
decolored.
Your wife mistook me for Harry
Dunlap's mother" she said, land l did
not correct her. am his aunt-he is the
son of my husbands brother. came in
regard to his case. / wish to learn if ex-
tenuating circumstances may not tend to
lessen the term of his imprisonment.
The missing money is a large amount;
he was trusted bookkeeper, and the be-
trayal of that trust makes the offense all
the more heinous."
She put her hand to her throat as
though there was an obstruction there.
Then she went on in her dull voice:
"The reputation which you bear for
integrity, the confidence the community
places in you, the applause of the papers
over a future honor likely to be yours
actuated Inc to come to you with the re-
cital of that part of my nephew's case
which tho trial failed to bring out"
Her eyes had drifted around the room
as she last spoke, as though she com
pared the comfort there with something
that she knew, and now they rested on
the portrait of the judges wife in all its
beauty and idealization. Her profile was
toward the judge, and whatever doubt
he might have had before was dissipated,
and he uttered her manner
YES" she said, turning to him; .'yes,
for all the change you recognize me. /
knew that you would Now listen to
me- know that you regard the crime
of which my nephew is accused very
sternly; there has been too much wrong
doing by trusted men, and leniency
would almost amount to completely"
Again her hand went up to her throat
and pressed there.
"As l say, this man is my nephew. l
have never had any children. His par
ents were dead when l married his I'M
Gle He came to me mere infant, and
loved me as his mother. My married
life was not happy, as l knew it could
not be, for never loved my husband,
who loved me and knew how / regarded
him. wronged him in marrying him;
my carelessness of his regard for me
only tended to develop in him traits
which wife's affection might have
eradicated. His nephew was everything
to me; his innocent love kept me from
despair when my husband went wrong
time and time again-for which wrong
blamed myself, seeing that he cared
deeply for me while he was of small ac-
count to me. All women cannot love
because they are loved. Ny husband be-
came gambler, drunkard. He i'll
treated me, and my nephew protected
me as a son might protect his mother
You will not need to hear details;
you know many a similar story in
your professional experience. This
money, which my nephew is accused of
stealing, was in his care. He had taken
half holiday that he might consult an
oculist regarding his eyes, which close
application to his duties had impaired.
He volunteered to deposit in bank a
large sum of money paid that day to
his firm. First, though, he went to his
oculist. He was detained longer than
he had expected to be; it was after 3
o'clock, and the bank was closed. He
did not return the money to the firm,
but brought it home with him, deter
mining to take it back with him in the
morning. He never took it back with
him He acknowledged that he stole it,
and despite all promises, despite legal
acumen, he has not divulged where it is
or what he did with it. Why? Because
he does not know where it is-because
he never stole it. He put the roll of
bank notes under his pillow that night:
in the morning it was gone. He believes
that his uncle, the gambler, the drunk
ard took it. He accepted the shame in
order to shield me; his great, unbounded
sons love would do that for me, for he
thought the last blow l could stand
would be to know that | had
made my husband a common thief,
as had always said that through my
not loving him l was morally response
BILE for his faults. But my husband did
not take the money! He knew that it
was in the house and he coveted it.
Thus in the night l went to my neph-
ew's room and took the roll of bank
notes from under his pillow to put them
in place of safety. AS l left the room
hand grasped my arm; my husband
had come for the money and discovered
what l had done. He led me down
stairs and there he demanded the money.
All the hatred that was in me asserted
itself, and l said hot words to him. He
struck me, and he had never struck me
before The fire was burning in the
stove; threw the roll of notes upon the
blazing Goals. Now said, proclaim
me thief Give me prison cell; il
will be heaven to any further life with
you But he faced me smiling. i will
do more than that he said. My wife
shall never be called thief; Henry shall
be accused of the theft, and dare you
to enlighten him as to the truth it
was SO; his revenge on me was COM
plete. l would not, indeed, dare to
tell my dear boy, for he loves me.
and he has idealized me into mar
tvr a saint I am all that he has