Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-07-17
fle Evil CelilS.
a STORY.
BY wILKIE COLLINS.
-
Aztec. THE STORY.

AFrEE THE STORY.
1.-The LdtDyeF's ApolODE.
That a woman of my wifc's mature wears
should be jealous of one Of the most exem.
plary husbands that the records of matri-
mony can produce Is. 10 say the least OF il. a
discouraging circumstance. a man forgets
tiat virtue is its own reward, and asks what
is the use OF c~onjugal fidelity.
However, the motto OF married life is (or
ought to b"): Peace at amy price. ! have
been tbs day relieved from the condition of
secrecy that has been imposed on me. You
Insisted on an explanation some time since.
Here 1t il 1t last.
For the ten thousandth time, my dear, in
our JOINT lives you are again right. That
letter, marked private, which / received Mt
the domestic tea-table, was what you posi-
lively declared it tO be, a letter from n lady
"A charming lady-plunged IN the deepest
perpleNiiy. We had been well known 10
each other for many years rs lawyer and
client She wanted advice on this occasion
also, and wanted il in the s~trictest confidence.
Was 1t consistent with my professional duty
to show her letter TO my wife? Mrs Sara
Yin SAYS yes. Mrs. SaTTazin's husband says
no.
Let ne add that the lady was a person Of
~hnbiemishcd reputation, and that she was
placed IA a false position through no fault Of
her owH. In plain English, she was di-
yorced. All, my dear Ito speak the strong
language of the people,, DO You smell q rat?
Yes; my client was Mrs. Orm0ud; and TO
her pretty cottage in the country 1 betook
myself the next day. There | found my ex-
| PplIapf friauI - ,pIaI I fptaRr ,raoapt 10
special invitation.
Stop a minute. Why do | write all this,
instead OF explaining myself By word of
mouth? Ny dear, you are a member Of an
old and ilIustriouS family; you honored me
when you married me; and you have (as
your father tod me on our w~edding-day) the
high and naughty temper OF your race. /
foresec an explosion OF this temper, and 1
would rather have my writing paper blown
up than be blown up myself. l. this q cow
ardly confession III my part? All courage,
Mrs. Sarrazin, is relative; the brayest man
living has a cowardly side to his character,
though IL may not always be found out. Some
years ago, at a public dinner, | sat next to an
officer In the British army. At one time in
his life he had led a forlOrn hope. At am
other time he had picked up a wounded sol
der and had carried him to the care of the
surgeons through a hailstorm OF the enemy's
bullets. Hot courage and cool courage, this
truc hero possessed both. / saw the cow
ardly side Of his character. He lost his
color; perspiration broke ont on his fore
head; he treinbied; he talked nonsense; he
was frightened out OF his wits. And all Tor
what? Because he had to get on his legs
and make n speech!
Well; Mrs. Ormond and Randall Linley
and | sat down TO our consultation at the
cottage.
What did my fair client want?
She contemplated marrying for the second
time, and she wanted my advice as a lawyer,
and my announcement as an old friend. I
was quite ready: | only waited for the par
ticulars. Mrs. OrmOnd became dreadfully
embarrassed, ami said: IL refer you to my
br0tler-in law"
| looked at Randall. 'Once her brother
in-law, no doubt" / said; but after the de
vorcc-' My friend stopped me there.
"After the divorce" he remarked, II may
be her brother-in-law again."
II this meant anything, it meant that she
was actually going 10 marry Herbert Linley
again. / told him plainly that l could not
believe il.
why notg' Randall asked.
Saving | do want you in one breath, and
j don't want you in another, seems to be a
little hard on DIVORCE | ventured to sug-
gest.
Don't expect me to sympathize with di-
vorce,' Randall said.
l answered that smartly. mo, III wait
till you are married"
lie ,sook it seriously. Don't misunder-
stand me" he replied. "Wlere there is alb
solute cruelty, or where there is deliberate
deseltion on the husbands part, I see the
Use ami the reason for divorce. Ii the I'M
happy wife can find an honorable man who
will protect her, or an honorable man who
will offer her Il nome society and law, which
are responsible for the institution Of mar
rage, aia bound 10 allow q woman out
ragged under the shelter OF their institution to
marry again. Bat where the husbands fault
is sexual frailty, | say the English law which
refuses divorce on that ground alone is right,
and the Scotch law which grants ii is wrong.
Religion which rightly condemns the sin,
pardons ii on the condition of true peni.ence.
Why l. a VIII not 10 pardon it for the same
reason? Why are the lives of q father, a
mother, and a child to be wrecked, when
those lives may be saved by the exercise of
the first OF Christian yirtues-forgiyeness of
injuries? In such n case as this | regret that
divorce exists; and / rejoice when husband
and wife and child are one flesh again, re-
united bv the law of nature, which Is the law
OF God.
/ might have disputed with him; bet |
thought he was right, and | wanted to make
sure ot the facts.
"Am / really 10 understand" 1 asked,
"that Mr.. Herbert Linley is To be the lady's
husband for the second timer
"lf there is no lawful objection TO IL"
Randall said, decidedly yes"
Ny good wife, In all your experience you
never saw your husband stare as he stared at
that moment. Here was a lady divorced
from her husband, By her own lawful desire
and at her own personal expense, thinking
better of ii after no very long interval, and
proposing to marry the man again. Some
thing b. wonder at, surely! How did il end?
1t ended in my admitting ny ignorance as
d lawyer, and Offering my encouragement as
a friend. The case being without precedent
In my experience, | dropped my professional
character at the outset. Speaking next as a
friend, | had only to say 10 Mrs. Ormond:
''Ihe law has declared you and Mr. Herbert
Linley to be single people. Do what other
single peopio 10. Buy 4 license, and give
notice at a church, and by all means send
wedding cards to the judge who divorced
you."
Said; and, in another fortnight done. Mr..
and Mrs. Herbert Linley were married again
this morning, and Randall n 1 were the
only witnesses present at the ceremony,
which was strictly private.
2.-The Ld,cyer's Defense.
wonder whether the foregoing pages OF
my writing paper have been torn to pieces
and thrown into the w~aste-paper basket?
You wouldn't litter the carpet. No. / may