The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-05-10
ALICE CRAIG'S MISTAKES.

- .Alice CralS m0rfleu at le AT that age
she was 4 peculiarly simple and child-like
girl. She had been bred in the retirement
of the country by amaiden aunt, who,
dying when Alice had reached the age of
16, had bequeathed to the child III hand
some fortune. At her aunt's death Alico
returned to the home of her parents,
which she had left at the age Of 3 years,
The family consisted of her father, n
thOughtless. eXtravagant man, endowed
with remarkable social powers, and living
in point of wealth, that he Was always
embarrassed by his efforts to retain his
footing among them: her stepmother, who
twelve years before had been an exceed
ingly pretty bride, was now faded,
hopeless invalid, tyrannizetT over by sever,
al loud-voiced dirty children, that com
pleted the inharnonious household.
Alice was decidedly uncomfortable
though with but a vague knowledge of
the cause. And it was BY mo means Won,
derful that when her father presented to
her a sutton from his own c;rcle-a man
skilled in the arts by which men of the
world know how to commend themselves
to women-a handsome, polished man,
that she should, after little maidenly re,
luctancc and hesitation, accept the offer
so warmly urged.
than herself, had few tastes in common
with her. He was essentially A worldly
man, living OH light applause; his highest
standard of right, public opinion. In the
early days of his acquaintance with Alice
and of his marriage. her simplicity. her
genuine religious faith, possessed fer him
a piq,Elnt charm. This vanished, how,
moment it interfcred with his plans. The
standard of right by which Alice guided
her life was the Bible, very different
one from her husbands. He looked only
to the approval of man. She looked with
awe to Il higher source, and sought her
guidance there.
Mr.. Craig was gentleman; he could
not quarrel with a woman. So when
self and his wife he showed his disap-
prevail by cOntemptuous silence or by Il
few severely sarcastic illusions, and then
left her to herself.
Alice had never loved her husband.
The fountains of her heart had remained
unstirred: and though she bore this treat
mcnt tearfully, there was not that rank
ling sting which it would have left in n
loving soul. She Knew little of life from
observation. and at length she came to
comfort herself by the idea that the
gradual separation of interests, never
very firmly united, for they had not been
welded at the furnace of love, was in
evitahle and an experience common to all.
Thus in all the years of their married
life Mr.. Craig went his own worldly way,
and Alice trod hers alone, with only her
sweet child to soothe and cheer her. JAS
per was II years of age when little
brother was born to him to be his delight
and to add to the mothers comfort, UNI
der the almost entire alienation of her
husband
Mr.. Craig had by this time almost en-
tirely deserted his home, living with 4
set of dissolute men much younger than
who welcomed him, perhaps.
more for his reckless expenditure of
money than from any fraternal feeling.
Alice had no longer any influence over
him. She feared him almost rs much as
he despised her, and gladly turned to the
solace afforded by her children.
Alice was travelling with her children
husband. She returned hurriedly to find
the house closed, while in n darkened
room the old man lay, slowly reathing
out his life. He had been stricken down
IN the midst of his excuses, and now lay
helpless, his b1oated face. surrounded by
its fringe of white hair. bereft of it's
iorid hue. and more pallid than the pill
he spoke were feeble complaint of
Alices absence; no farewell to her, no
dying message to his children. no solemn
words to reunite on the verge of the
grave those long diverging lives He
passed away and Alice was a widow,
but not more in heart than she had been
during many years of estrangement.
Alice was happier during the year that
had followed her husbands death than
she had been since she left her childhood's
home. But on going into society she for.
tunately fell in love with one several
years younger than herself.
Alice was still beautiful. She had pre-,
served the child like innocence of expires,
sion that was the index of her unsulliel
soul, and when she stood at the altar
with Lawrence Clephane the difference in
their years was scarcely apparent. Only
for the tall youth, with deep sadness on
his face, who stood behind her, her son
Jasper. no one would have deemed her
a woman already within the shadows of
middle life.
Alice drank deeply of the cup of joy for
a little time. Lawrence Clephane did not
weary at once of his bride. He had been
fattered by her preference and had felt
it triumph to win one SO universally adj
mired as Alice had been on her re-el1-
trance into society. He had really loved
her very much, but not SO much that he
Was not Jealous of Jasper's devotion to
her and her own great fondness for her
son.
This was the entering wedge of discon~
tent. Lawrence Clephane and Jasper
could never be friends. Jasper could not
trust the man he looked upon as an in
truder, and who was but six years his
senior, as Il father; and Lawrence was
Jealous of every caress that passed be-
tween this loving son and devoted moth
er. Too late Alice regretted the hasty
step she had taken. She strove diigent-
tv tn To 1><Sfxx- l.,
SO deeply loved, but in vain. There were
elements Of discord beyond her power to
tame.
In the strife of feeling and the deep
anxiety she suffered, her beauty faded
and her health declined. Lawrence Gle
plane had, perhaps, seen his mistake be-
fore, and had wanted pretcxt for de-
sertion. This furnished him with one,
and gladly leaving his invalid wife to
the society of her Sons, he plunged into
the vortex of society and dissipation.
Arrived at such state, things could
hardly fail to go from bad to worse.
Lawrence Clephane was drawn daily
more deeply into the vortex upon whose
brink he had set his wandering feet.
Alice dined at home and Jasper nour-
ished his fierce displeasure as he watched
her pallng cheek and saw the white
strands stealing through her golden curls.
And soon, as i'll her former marriage,
Alice found her sole comfort in her sons.
Lawrence. Clephane became a con-
tirlned drunkard, and at length only Wis
tied his home for the purpose of obtain
ing those sums Of money with which
Alice never refused to supply him. 1t
was during one of these visits, some ten
years after their marriage, that the terri
Bile event occurred which forms the catas-
trophe Of this brief sketch. IL ~
. Lawrence, after an aDsenccetOf many
weeks, had suddenly appeared at his
home, shabby in attire and weary and
worn from long wanderings or protracted
orgies. He came, as usual, with: 10
words of affection, but with IL demand,
for fresh supplies Alice was alone. An
habitual invalid, she. remained now al
most constantly in the seclusion of her
own apartment. She heard the uncer-
tain footstep of her husband OH the stair
and his voice speaking to "A servant, and
she arose and closed the door between
her apartment and that where Edwin,
a feeble boy of Is, sat reading, that he
might not witness the dreaded Interview