The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-10-27

ely deprived Of even its sacred birth
right. and now both were lying,
stricken by the se1f-sam hand, in the
sleep that knew no earthly waking.
And that hand was the hand Of her
own dear husband! The mockery,
the cruelty Of 1t came very near over
towering her altogether. But she
was a strong woman, we have said;
strong in that moral courage which
most men lack so dePlOrably. and
which the ma5ority of women possess
in on ly a moderate degree
She had proven her husbands guilt
and treachery. Now it remained to
prove his crime. The one was no
worse than the other IN her eyes. In
fact. to kill her might have been "a
mercy, and so the first great sin
seemed overshadowing the other
She started at last to leave the
house and was confronted by the vic
TINS mother She was an aged wo-
man, very gray, and now so sad that
her very soul seemed bowed with hor-
ror.
The mother did not know, it seemed.
She thought her daughter was the
lawful wife and this a wicked inter
loper- IN the very height of agony
and scorn she shook her finger IN
Grace's livid face.
BE gone!" she said hoarsely Glow
dare you profane t he presence Of the
dead?" and Grace Denison, her face
flushing holly, only stood still and
thought a second and then went
meekly from her presence.
But in that momentary hesitation
her plan of mercy was conceived
With the dead girls face still wildly
before her eyes, she hurried to where
they were keeping her husband. At
first when she saw him he was still
the man she loved. the man whose
name she bore and whose slightest
wish it was her only joy to pamper.
There were tears IN her eyes, tears in
her voice and tears in her heart when
she asked of him the fatal question.
Charlie" she whispered fondly,
.sswear to me it is not true. this hide
GUS story that they tell about you
Tell me that am still your wife. that
you love me nd that this other fiend-
ish thing is but the wild conception of
our tattling neighbors Tell me"
she began again, but stopped as she
saw his guilty features
Their was fear in his eyes and
guilt in his soul as he rose at last and
tried to face her.
1T is all quite true he said eau
tiouslv- ''Sh was my mistress and L
killed her in 1T of passion I have
wronged you and 1 have got to die,
ment's breath, unless you forgive
me and viii try to save me-"
With mighty scorn singing in her
heart Ora ce Denison turned upon her
heel and left him there.
.'Die." she NUT tered hoarsely as
she walked away death IS too
good for su ch as you, and it is what
you have given your innocent victim ;"
Then when she was alone once
more she began to think about the
future. w hat was there left when
love was gone, What happiness could
soothe her sorrow? To die was peace
aud blessed rest, to live meant fierce,
perpetual anguish.
Why should she be the one to live
she the most innocent Of the three. so
far as the opinion Of the world was
concerned. It was almost more than
she could bear, this looking forward
To the future.
She hurried back to her home shun-
ming her n eighbors on the way and
half afraid of harmless strangers
Once inside the door she pulled the
ring from her finger and threw it in
a distant corner then jerking the
bible from it, place she tore to shreds
that precious page that proved her
sacred, legal marriage.
1t had occurred to her that in that
distant city no one would know the
truth and she might save the dead
girls name ven at the price of her
own sweet honor.
Was it not her place to undo her
husbands evil deeds, and make good
his theft of a woman's reputation?
1t was the victims mother that had
put it into her head, the fact Of her
having been taken for the guilty mis-
tress-
TO decide was to act and still
silent, still sorrowful but brave in
heart, she left her ha ppy home for
ever.
Two days later her husband was set
free. Grace Denison had sworn that
through jeal ousy she did the wicked
deed and then sat meelxly in her cell,
waiting with some Impotence for the
fatal day which should bring oblivion
to her and condemn the man TO per-
petuai memory
The Continents and Ocean Levels.
It is estimated that Asia stands on
an average height of 1.150 feet above
the level of the ocean; South America.
I.l3O; North America. 75O; Europe.
67O. The average height Of all the
land hove the sea eve1-On1ifffne %