St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-30
A She SHYLOCK.
How Deborah Day Exaeted Her Pound Of Flesh-A False
Lovers Story By James Greenwood.

worst of it is, the latter alternative is in
certain, if not in immediate, prospect
There never was a more unfortunate
wretch than am, lying here. at an age
when other men are commencing their
enjoyment of life in its prime, i'll and
helpless, crushed and conscence-strick
Ell. and daily and hourly at the mercy
of woman who hates me.
She is not my wife. She would have
been had | not acted the part of an in
fatuated fool, and | verify believe that
l should have been happy with her.
1t is hard to reconcile such belief with
the existing condition of affairs, for
detest the woman neither more nor less
than | have ample reason for doing.
Yet there seemed at one time no earthly
reason why, as man and wife, we should
not have lived contented and comforta-
bic together. with love anu sympathy,
one for the other, i'll sickness or in
health. AS it is. she is my nurse. | am
dependent on her for food and shelter
am in her power absolutely. for she
has but to say the word, and, invalid as
| am, should be taken from my bed
and carried to prison. Yet her heart all
the time is full of unrelenting bitter
ness for me, and / shall get no kind
lOOh VI WUIu IIDul lcl III ILC III
when | die. She is ineXOrabIe as Shy
lock.
Yet. it is barely three years since
Deborah Day and myself were sweet
hearts. She never was beauty. Older
than me by year, she could never have
claimed to be more than paSSaDly good
looking, even had it not been that when
a child she was afflicted with smallpox,
which Scared her face considerably;
but she was kind-nearted and amIable,
with always pleasant Smile and Win
ming way. She was by no means anX-
! iOuS to be married. Her mother was
dead, and she kept house for her
father, who had retired from business
and was man of considerable means.
| The house they lived i'll was his own,
with the fine old garden and few acres
adjoining, and they Kept two servants.
| besides groom lad, VINO looked after
| the pony carriage, and a gardener. l
mention this that the reader may under
stand why it was that CWhO WAS spoken
| of as handsome young fellow, pelng
but Internationally, should make ad-
vanceS TO such plain young woman as
| Deborah.
Being matrimoniaily disposed there
were half dozen girls, far better look
| ing, from among whom L could have
| chosen.
My position, however, was not a brill
liant one. | assisted my father, who was
| all architect and surveyor, and my sal
| airy was but ninety pounds d year. Mr..
| Day, who was an elderly man. had but
two children, Deborah ana her sister
Alice, whom | had not yet seen and
who since the mothers death had been
| living with an aunt Ill DeyonShlre. 1t
was fair to assume that at his death the
Il Il a.
vided between the two daughters, and
l frankly admit that at all events it was
consideration that weighed not little
| with me when commenced to cultivate
| an intimacy with Deborah. | wish TO
| do Justice to one vino now hates me.
She gave ME but little encouragement.
| l don't believe that she for NOM mt
| suspected me of mercenary motive, nut
she was girl of ShreWd SENSE and PLAIN
speech. and one day when | tried her
with some fragrant tiattery she just
turned and laughed III me.
You must have formed a very low
opinion Of my common SENSE" size said
"Or have particularly hign one OF yOul
own wisdom. Any way, must ask you
not to address ne 50 Enthusiastically
again."
1T will be the same thing" made
answer, ''if / do or CiO not tell you thdt
you have the sweetest face L ever saw
or wish to see. | must always think So
Then all can say is there must bt
something amisS with your eyesight,
she retorted. II know exactly what my
face is like. sir. do it more than jus
tice, perhaps, when l say it is quite ;
plain face. But it serves my purpose
which is not" she added, with sudden
seriousness, ito bestuW it with Myself
OH the first goOn-loOklng young fellow
who wishes to marry me-"
ii am thankful at all events" sai(
!, "that the Objectionable proyis'
does not apply to me-"
Bah! You know better" returned
Deborah, Struggling her shoulders
"but you must be insincere. seeming
ly;'s ~ e .,.,, ,,ou
don the rudeneSS of my saying so. n
young lady wishes for an ugly hns
band
Rather such one, than man VIII
loves himself better than his PLAIN wire
after they are married, ami neglect
her as we'll, perhaps for another.
? shall hate him." and her gray eve
flashed, and she ciinched her small fist:
God forbid that | should ever be S
tried, for | believe that l should XII
him."
; That, of course, was after | had pre-
posed to her. | should not have though
her capable of such fiery outburSt. Sh
who was always SO equaDle i'll tempe
and undemonstrative. But l had yet t
learn the sort of woman she really wa:
, Well, our courtship progressed. an
l honestly and truly, l learned 10 iOv
her. At all events l thought SO. He
S frank and generous disposition, her III
0 selfishness, and more than all, prrhap:
her sincere affection for me, made III
r perfectly happy in the prospect of mai
r ing her my wife, and her fathers cor
: tent having been obtained we shout
have been married. had not the OF
gentleman died almost suddenly. Tha
y of course. caused the ceremony to
:. postponed; and Alice Day, the sister
: came from DevonShIre to be present q
\ the funeral.
AS l have already said, had neve
seen her previously, and as soon as W
a met | knew she was my fate. She we
. three years younger than Deborah, an
y as beautiful as the other Was plan.
= smaller woman, but the perfection {
shape, whereas her sister was of SOm'
what masculine build. Deborah's eye
5 were tolerably good, but as regards ht
L mouth, it was thin-lipped and her teet
y too large. Alice had eyes of the re.
l violet hue, with long silky black laShe
5 and her mouth, to describe it in on
Il word, was bewitching.
And what was most disastrous for D.
a borah, the electrical feeling of love ;
e first sight was mutual between us. an
we were equally conscious of it beTol
a we had known each other week.
e But when | have enumerated I'll
l fascination of her face and figure,
have said all in her favor that may
! said. A most disastrous day was it fC
f me that ever met with her. Bette
d would it have been for me, body al
s soul, if instead of traitorously dIscar'
e ing The one sister for the other. L la
y put pistol TO my head, and SO ende
my life.
: suppose / should take all the blan
i. to myself. st all events, being ma
& and considerably the elder of the two,
xuould nf c0I,rcn ho cradjtod with q