The McCook tribune., 1897-08-13

these sort OF facts. Perhaps you hat
better take another opinion"
! shook my head. Now that my at
tention had been called to it, M
opinions could help me. He was per
fectly right, | might go very shortly
or / might live till well on into mid
die life. AS the event has proved,
have lived, but l am not far from tn.
end OF my tether now.
Are you of opinion" / asked, "tha
my form Of disease is likely to prove
hereditary"
l knew what his answer would be
put put the question as a forlorn hope
"Of course. / should consider thai
IT would certainly be hereditary; and
what is more, 1t is extremely probable
tnat your wife would contract it also
But why do you ask? You are not go.
Ing to get married again, are you?"
am engaged to be married"
Well" he replied, ''of course it is
San awkward thing to talk to man
about, but if you take my advice, you
VIII be little more honorable than
most people are under the circum-
stances, and break the match off,"
i am quite of your opinion l said,
and now l will bid you good-day.'
We'll, goodbye. Gosden l dom t
think it will be Of any use my making
report to the board unless you wish
it. Don't worry yourself, old fellow
and keep your chest warm, and you
may see fifty yeti"
In another minute l was in Fleet
street again, and felt vaguely astonish-
ed that 1t should look just the same
| as 1t did quarter of an hour before
Most OF us have experienced this sensa-
ton when some radical change of cir
cumstance has suddenly fallen upon
u.s. 1t seems curious that the great
hurrylng world should be so dead to
our Individuality and needless of cur
most vital hopes. A quarter of an
hour before, | was a man with pros
pect OF long and useful, perhaps a
most eminent career. Also | was just
going to be married to a congenial
wife. Now l was, as l then thought,
doomed to an early grave and as for
the wife, the idea had to be abandoned.
l was in honor bound to abandon it
for her sake, and for the sake of pos
sible children.
Well, | walked to Charing Cross.
and took the omnibus as | had intend
ed. l remember that there was a fat
woman in it, who insisted upon carry
ing still fatter pug dog, and quar-
relied with the conductor seriously in
consequence. All this took place in the
month OF December, and by the time
l got home it was beginning to grow
dark. | went straight into the study:
Fanny was there, and the lamp was
lighted. When l entered she flung
down her pen, and jumping up, came
forward and kissed ne; and. as she
did so, | thought what splendid look
ing woman she had grown into, with her
intellectual face and shapely form. and
somehow the reflection sent a sharp
pang through me. Now that l knew
that must lose her, it seemed to- me
that | loved her almost as l had loved
my dead wife, and indeed l have often
noticed that we never know how much
we value a thing till we are callGsa up-
on to resign it. Certainly l noticed it
now.
We'll, DEAR" she said, have you
got it? Why, what is the matter with
you?"
''Sit down, Fanny" 1 answered.. "and
l will tell you, only you must try tosk
bear it as well as you can"
She seated herself in her calm, de-,
termined way, although 1 could see that
she was anxious, and l began at the /
beginning, and went straight through
my story without skipping word. AS
soon as she understood its drift her
face set like stone, and she heard |
ne to the end without interruption or
movement =
Well, Godfrey" she said, in a low
voice, when at last 1 had done, "and
what is to be the end CT it all?" -
This: that our marriage cannot
come off-and death!' m
why CdEiiVt our marriage come.
,ff?" -ft
Il have told you why, dear. A man
Micted as 1 am has no right to send /
lis afaiction down to future genera
ions. People are fond of calling the
Inevitable result of such conduct the
ecree Of Providence, but it is the ,
ause of most of the misery of the
World, and as medical men know we'll
nough, wicked and selfish thing 30.
o."
THE world does not seem to think
o. One sees such marriages every
ay"
Yes, because the world is blind. and
lad, and bad
Il don't agree with you, Geoffrey.'' ,,
ne answered, with passion. 'Our lives !,
re our own, posterity must look after
self. We have right to make the
est OF our lives, such as they ARE.
ithout consulting the interests of .
lose who NAV never eyiSt IF tbor