The Mankato free press., 1891-05-08

differentiations of them"
''Then the marriage with John is null
and voidr'
"ltS non-existent."
"And with you?"
Mrs. Hart looked searchingly up al
him: she put out her hand TO prevent
him from resuming his restless pacing
backward and forward.
''The marriage with me was genuine.
Listen and I'll try to make it clear to
YOU"
With allowance made for inaccuracies
of understanding and statement due to
lack of legal knowledge and a, perforce,
prima facie reading of the case. the gist
of that which Royal had gathered was
this. Marriage was the special charge
of the law, and by it regarded as the
prime pillar of civilization, therefore
every possible facility had been afforded
people for entering the matrimonial
state; the notion being, apparently, that
the more marriages the more props
ergo, the more civilization.
In the present case the names of the
two men being identical and age and ap-
pearance sufficiently similar to cause the
license to fit either indiferently, and the
woman having consented to marry the
man she was with, the marriage cere-
mony, it was declared, had constituted
them man and wife, and nothing short
of a divorce could change the relation
The woman had designed and intended
to marry her cousin John Hart Royal,
and she had married her cousin John
Hart Royal, and the fact that the man
she had espoused was not the man to
whom she had engaged herself could not
initiate against the stronger fact that
she had considered the man with whom
she had gone through the ceremony as
the contracting party. This no subse-
quent declarations would change.
That Hart Royal by suppression of the
fact that he was acting as proxy should
have invested himself with entire re-
sponsibility as principal appeared to fol-
low as a logical sequence. And any ez
post facto effort to free himself from the
consequences of his laundering might
Justly be considered as treacherous eva
sion, and would certainly be accredited
to a discovery on his part that his i'm
personation of the dead man would be
barren of financial results-would place
him, in short, IN the position of baff1ed
and malignant impostor.
'.You see how it is,' the poor fellow
fumed. I'm caught in the trap by both
legs. IF [ hold to my marriage, III be
foisting ON woman husband she don't
love and don't want, and that, too, when
she thinks she's married to somebody
else. And if I get divorce in order to
free her, she may think, and the world
will say, that do it because I can't get
hold of the money. Nobody had a hint
of the proxy business at the time, and
nobody is going to believe in it now.
wouldn't myself if / were outside of ii
all. People will swear the whole thing
was plant from beginning to end, and
that I'm shaking the bag because I've got
found out. There never was such con.
founded mess since the world beganl"
He actually stamped ON the floor in
his impotence and bewilderment. Mrs.
Hart's face was turned from him, but a
suspicious gurgle and movement of her
shoulders attracted his attention and
changed the current of his thought.
'sOh, it's tremendously funny, dare
say!' he growled. Il don't see the joke
myself, but to an outsider suppose it's
exquisite 'Tisnt often one has the
chance of rejoicing over a man wrig-
Cling In dilemma like a worm in a
woodpeckers beak. I'd laugh outright,
though, if were you. It's more decent
than staggering in corners"
A handsome face, in which amuse-
ment struggled with contrition, was
turned toward him, and two hands were
cordially extended:
Forgive me, John, and don't be cross!
I'm going to help You, | am indeed,
with wits and will both. Only couldn't t
forbear quiet chuckle. You looked SO
preternaturally concerned and solemn
and-and caught"
Royal was Modified. Few people could
re=ist the charm of Mrs. Harris manner;
it was invigorating and comforting, Ike
sunshine. Catching her eye he expert
enced sudden and delicious revulsion
VI 4OC1444S5, 1hC tA16O DlO0tASC0 Dy % I'LL
of commonplace In an abstruse volume.
He bit his lip to keep from smiling.
"Nina," he rehuked, ''the way you are
taking this affair is positively subversive
of morals. Instead of howiing at me
with Indignation, and bounding on the
populace with tar and feathers, you are
acting as though the situation wasn't
past mending. And believe in your
soul you are enjoying ng-yes, actually en-
joying it with the fippaney of a gamin.
What do you suppose Is going to become
of you in the other country if you don't
fetch his folly home to the fool in this?''
His words were light, but they over
lay considerable emotion. He was,grate-
full to her with gratitude beyond ex-
preston for her sympathetic compre-
hension.
Something more satisfactory than
endless psalmody or aerial progression,
hope" she smiled. ''Mocking at those
N sore straits and grievously tormented
I hold to be my mission. Seriously,
though, am sorry for you-trufy sorry.
But after all, John, it isn't you that mat
ters so much. The situation is and will
be much harder ON Phyllis. You did it,
you know. When there is smash up
the man who holds the reins and does