The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1891-05-14

love for this man which had already been
driven out was replaced by a feeling Of
absolute hate and contempt.
Cnce more and only once she saw him.
A few days later he wrote, babe her come
to him, and threatened in case of refusal
to come to her. She went. She scorned
him too much to fear him.
He renewed his request that she would
sign the false declaration.
81 will not, she said.
''Will you telegraph to your father, and
say you must have thousand pounds
tell him Ii means life or deaf"
II will not: nor would he send it il |
did" Hervey, who by now was ge ting to
know something of his wife's character,
felt that moth ng would make her bend to
his Will. With an oath he raised his hand
struck her. His true brutal nature leaped
forth. He covered her with reproaches;
he revled her, he told her he had never
cared for her, told he had but married her
to stave off ruin. thinking the small sum
he needed would be easily raised upon her
prospects. lie vowed to be revenged for
her obstnacy. He weuld make her life a
hell He would drag her name through
the dirt. She should rue until her death
the day on which she refused to do his
bidding
When Beatrice got away from this storm
OF words, she walked ba k home with
bu,zing In her head.
Three days aftrrward she read that
Maurice Hervey had been brought before
Inc magistrates on charge of forgery. and
committed for trial. She found means o
send him message, asking if he had
money to pay for his defense. He sent
back word that he should plead guilty.
lie really did so, and as the forgery was n
crafty, premedtated, cruel affair, the
Judge very properly sent him to penal
seryl ude for five years. His wife as she
read the sentence ga groan of relief.
NOW the weakes part Of her nature
part no doub inherited from Sir Maingay
showed itself. She let hings drift To
a girl ust past eigh cen five years seems
as inc haus ibe as live hundred soverelgns
would seem o school boy. The remem-
Drance OF her secre marriage haunted her
ike he remnan $ of a CHASTITY dream. Five
years. Five long years Surely some
thing must happen before they were
spent Something did happen
what were her feelings when the truth
irst came home to her. When she knew
she cou d cheat herself no longer When
no Imaginary ailment would account for
her condition? When in plain words the
TACT that she was to bear the burden COM
mon to womanhood was forced upon her?
Ihen Beatrice prayed thaT she might die!
The child was born, and none save the
mother and malc lnew the tru h. The
elder woman arranged all. She left her
m stress as servant leaves; she prepared
a place, and when the time came Beatrice
found her grief llghtened by all low
ing woman can do for another in such
plight. or course there was deceit-de- |
celt seemed to have forced itself into the
girl Ire There was long visit to pay
some where, visit from which Beatrice
returned shadow of her former self
but none knew, none even guessed the
cause.
The child was born, the tiny head nest
led on the mothers breast and strange
new feeling awoke within her-the over
owerlng Instinct Of maternal love. Her |
thoughts which had once been, in case,
the child lived, to hate it for her fathers |
sake, turned to pure, sweet affection for |
the innocent, helpless little being. So
lar from wishing 1t dead, she would not
now have wished it unborn. When she
returned to her home she lett it with
many tears In sarah S charge.
FOR years she saw at by stealth saw It
grow more and more the picture of per feet
chlidhood; loved 1t AMI worshipped 1t
more each time sEe saw it, and at last,
when she returned to her fathers house,
ana telt that her visits to her treasure
would now perforce be less and less fire.
quent, wild craving to have it with her
always. to see 1t every day, every hour.
awoke In her passionate heart.
Then came the second quarrel. and the
new home. And even rs she settled 70
go down to her uncle's, The nucleus of
the daring scheme of rcgalning her boy
framed itself in her brain, and was event. |
ually shaped into form and acted upon
with perfect success.
But the five years were passing. pass-
ing. AT the end of them stood what
Beatrice shrunk from picturing, a convict
VINO would come and claim his wife.
beatrice had, Indeed, expected that when
hrst ARE tied he wo Id find some way of
proclalmlng his marriage if only in full
1llment of his threat of dragging her
name into the dirt,
CT lie made no sign. He was crafty
ma calculating. The term of his SEN
ence wa not TO him an eternity. When
I ended he knew that by keeping the
secret he should be in more advantage
Jus position to turn matters to his own
'ene I. Beatrice would be we'll past
wenty -one, and in command of a lar
nco ne. He meant TO be thoroughly re-
'enged for the obstinacy he hal display
d IN refusing 10 prejure he self, and so
ina MN means to b y up tho forged bills.
'ut he neant to la e money also.
This Is the story of o life of the last
I've years on which Beatrice looked
'acK That afternoon These are tho pic
ures OF the man and the woman-the
husband and wife, who were to meet on
ne morrow like foes in deadly duel.