Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1895-04-26
HAPPIER

eehsitloH. rev knew anything or MI.
Hurst, except that he was one of the gem
tlemen who visited the Hall. The beauti-
full girl who lived in the quite seclusion of
Brynmar Woods was known and admired:
no one expressed any surprise ut hearing
that she had married q gentleman from
London"
Stephen Hurst married the beautiful,
simple country girl, and took her to LON
don. He established her in third-ratc
lodgings in Pimlico. When fortune fa-
vored him lie supplied her literally with
money; when it frowned he contented
himself by abusing her. lie was not nat
urally n cruel man; he would never re-
joice in torture for torture's sake, but he
was selfish md egotistical, mean and
false.
1t was some time before she discovered
That he had no source of income save
what he derived from gambling and bet
ting. 1t was II bitter sorrow to her. She
implored him to try some honest method
OF living; she offered to work for him, but
he only laughed Mt her ideas. and told her
when he could afford it he should open IL
gambling saloon at home.
Before long he did so, and then the real
torture of her life began for Magdalen
Hurst.
Stephen Hurst seemed all at once to
lose his good luck. He never touched a
card without losing money; he grew
moody and irritable. then desperate, and
in nm evil hour he fell into the lowest
depths. He forged the name of n young
nobleman who had frequently played ut
his house. The forgery succeeded, and
the sum of money lie obtained was a large
one; but, rs invariably happens, detection
followed the crime closely. He was
watched, arrested n tried. The gay,
dashing Stephen Hurst, who had purpose
~ thrown off all principle, and hated all
restraint. found himself now n prisoner
for one of those crimes which the law
Furnishes most severely. Then, when the
world justly fell upon him, when good and
bad looked alike with adherence upon
him, he learned the value of Il wife's love.
Magdalcn Hurst chung to him still.
Others might believe him %guilty-he
might be condemned and punishcd-it
made no difference to her. he was her
kin. though n fallen one. Woman-like,
she loved him even more tenderly and
truly in his adversely than she had done
in his prosperity. Others blamed him;
she knew how he had been tempted; she
made n hundred excuses for him, ever
hA WV ASlyiSASu hlo III NlGA III
day of his trial came men gazcd with
wonder on the beautiful white face, so full
of anguish and despair. Her eyes never
left him, and her lips quivered with every
word that told against him. When the
sentence of ten years transportation was
given. one long. low cry, never forgotten
by those who heard it, rang through the
court. and Magdalen Hurst fell as one
dead.
Five weeks before Stephen Hurst left
England, little Hilda was born; he only
saw her once. What there was of q; bet
ter nature in him was touched when his
fair young wife laid the little babe in his
arms. He half wished he had been a bet
ter man: but the good impulse vanished
almost before he kissed the little face.
lie made his wife promise that she would
come to him if she could, and she intend
ed at any cost to keep her word.
Magdalen Hurst never knew how the
day passed that took her husband away.
it was one long dream of unutterable
anguish. Awakening from it, she found
herself alone in the great city of London
alone, save for her little child. She
would not so home, where they would
talk continually of the man she loved,
where every idle word uttered against
him would pierce her loving. faithful
heart: so for three years Magdalen re-
manned in the great city working hard
to maintain herself and her child. Dur
ing that time Donald Burns and his wife
died. Miss Erskinc, who married Lord
Hutton, returned with him from abroad,
and went to Brynmar.
Then Magdalen received a letter from
her husband. begging her to so out to
him; but she had not the means. She
tried to save money, but found it impos-
sible, out of her small earnings. Another
year passed, and then Magdalen put aside
her pride and went back to Brynmar.
She found her foster-sister, Lady Hutton.
in the bitterest depths of sorrow; her hus-
band and little child. to whom she was
1passionately attached, We're both rowned
by the upsetting OF a boat upon the lake.
She stood upon the bank and saw them
die before her eyes. unable to render them
the least assistance; she saw her little
daughters golden head disappear in the
cold water; she saw her husband struggle
~ voSn IN On vQ hlmSnlt and his child .