Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-05-14

IioItlS uHueT age, aHu the marriage
was not binding unless you should
choose TO make ii so after your ma
jority. Alas. before that time arrived
you had repented of your low mar
riage, and grown tired of the humble
woman whose peace you had destroy
ed. When your secret was discovered
you humbled yourself to your offended
father; you promised never to see the
girl again; you suffered her to be
sent back with ignominy to break the
heart Of her father, for the poor old
curate never held UP mis- head again;
he died before his daughter became a
mother"
"Harrfette, I was a boy then"
"a boy with the hardened heart Of
a veteran sinner! Your father died;
you came into your estates; and /, with
my daughter In my arms, threw my
self at your feet, and entreated you to
acknowledge us as your wife and
child
And then I would have done it,
Harriette."
AYE, for a moment nature made
herself heard above the clamor OF
pride, ambition, selffishness! You
would have yielded, you would then
and there have restored us to u
places in your heart and home, but
you were prevented"
AYE, / was prevented"
"And who was it that hindered you
in that act of justice? Your bosom
friend and confidant, Henry Lord Lea
ton! He IL was who, in that moment
of your better feelings, laid his hand
rron your shoulder, and babe you
PAUSE and reflect; told you that mar
1 -.-.- z - E-sA -
snare and a curse to both parties; that
/ was untitled for the sphere of life
to which you would have raised me;
that by such a marriage you would be
Inundated and wretched, and l mis-
placed and miserable; babe you re-
member the cate of the Ladye of Bur
leigh and take warning, and advised
you TO %repudiate and provide for us!
Provide for u.s. / think eve lie saw
that l would have seen my child slow
ly starve to death in my arms rather
than have taken n crumb from the
father who refused to acknowledge
her as his legitimate daughteri" ex-
claimed the woman, with her eyes sud-
denly kindling.
"He was u heightened, honorable
man; he meant well by you and me-"
Especially by me and my child,
whom he consigned to a life of misery
dishonor and ~reproach!" said h wo-
man, in whitening scorn. Enough!
by his advice and his assistance, you
succeeded in annulling your juvenile
marriage and repudiating your wife
and child! Once more we are turned
from your door. / had a long illness,
during which, l think, my soul must
nave left my body, and the spirit of
N GnpI AntAynl ~ INnr n torfn0 emf
fering, forgiving woman, / fell into
that fever, but I arose from 1t the
g of my own sex, the destroyer
of yours."'
He knew that her words were the
rawlings Of insanity, and yet they
seemed to curdle his blood.
She continued:
Were there not fallen angels enough
in this pandemoniun of a world that
YOU might have spared the poo old
~curate's little daughter? What excus
had you for her destruction? Love?
Bah! Love does not destroy it's OBJ
jecti Passion? Passion Is of the soul,
and your soul was smothered in self
fishness even in your infancy! You
feel a single glow Of human love or
passion, who from boyhood have been
a monster Of egotisml But l did not
come here to deal in invective-I came
TO wind up accounts with you for ever.
Enough that / arose from that bed OF
illness a spirit prepared for any work
of evil, Every door was closed against
me-every road barred except that
which leads down to death and perdi-
ton. l do not intend to amuse you,
baron, with the life Of a lost spirit L
was not far from you on that grand
day when you led the Lady Elfrida
Gaunt to the altar; and my curse that
arose to Heaven interrupted the mar
riage benediction. / was near you also
on that proud day, bonires
blazed and bells were rung, and xen
roasted in honor of the christening Of
your heir, and my curse neutralized
the blessing of the babe. Then l
pressed my own discarded child to my
heart. and recorded a vow Of venge-
ance upon two men and all their race,
even though it should take me a long
lifetime to work 1t out. How long l
pursued you secretly, how often / fail
ed, need not here be told. One day l
found myself in Paris, among con-
genial spirits, where o career opened
before me; where evil Is recognized in
to a perfect working system, having
Its constitution and b~y-laws-its forms
Of government and schools OF training
Its lovely girls and handsome boys.
educated into accomplished women
and men to become the sirens and
satyrs Of society. or this secret band
| became a member Men called me
beautiful and gifted. ! went upon the
stage. not from necessity but to ia
cilitate my intercourse with a certain
set Of wealthy dupes, for still con-
tinued u bond member Of the secret
society. Years passed and I became a
eel, brity. At last met the aged and
Gecrepit Gen. de la Comte. He offered
me marriage ed accepted him. III.
had a daughter but a few months
younger than my own. He died In
the second year of cur marriage. leav-
ing me TO bring up the two girls.
When these yourg women had reached
a marriagcable age, your son, grown
&c manhood. appeared IN Paris"
" IRE the N paused, and ooked
wlstfu.ly into the blanched face OF the
old man; then, with a dreadful smile,
she said:
.sRut Won know the story"