River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1899-08-17
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Yes" she answered, perslstently,
and with more seriousness than usual.
81 don't believe in marrying for money
or position. ] believe in marrying for
love, and I'd great deal rather live
in a cottage with the one man in the
world that l cared for, than to live in
Partisan hotel with anyone else!"
"Ha, ha! Love in a cottage! That
would be altogether too romantic for
met" laughed one of the girls.
I'D call that romance with the paint
scratched off, said another.
The above bit of conversation took
place one summer afternoon in 1876.
just two years later Margaret found
herself ensconced in tiny home just
such as she had always said would
make her happy. 1t was the veriest bit
of a place--almost a dolls house in
the center of a little village where her
husband, young physician, had just
opened an office Their wedding pres
ents had almost furnished the house,
and the few hundred dollars that DIR.
Duval had left from his college course,
had completed it. He still owned his
horse and phaeton that he had driven
during his senior year-otherwise he
had nothing.
At first their life was as sweet as
the strains of a love song. Practice
came slowly, for the clientele of
young physician always consists of in
curables and patients who cannot pay
but then, they had managed to live,
for each had owned several pieces of
valuable iewelry. These had been
pawned to friends, or sold, one at
Internationally perhaps, yet cheer
fully-for Margaret always said: IF
we can only manage to stay here long
enough, practice will come, and we can
afford to part with these things now.
After all they are of little value, and
then she would Irvine a lock of his
hair gently through her fingers, look
into his eyes with the sweet confidence
that only true love can express, and
press a gentle kiss upon his brow.
Such love is priceless, and they were
very happy, for awhile.
But a time came when money was
needed. and there were no patients with
credit to collect from, and there were
no Jewels The larder was filled with
produce that the farmers brought in
payment for their bills, but there were
other things, such as clothes and house
rent, that required money, and for
weeks the family purse had been
empty. The clouds had been gather
ing for so long that heavy gloom had
crept slowly but successfully into the
little cottage; but one day it suddenly
cleared, for a letter came that seemed
like a special dispensation of kindness
from Fate. 1t contained a commission
for DR.. Girard Duval as physician on
board the steamer --, plying between
Melbourne, Australia, and Hong-kong.
Margaret's eyes were blurred with
tears as she read it, for she said, APP
pealingly: You know, Girard, that
this means our separation"
Eyes, but only for little while, dear,
and it also means 500 per month be-
side my expenses. l can afford to send
you $50 or SIS of it every month, and
it will be a big improvement on starry
ing along as we have done so long"
"But the climate is bad, and suppose
it should ruin your health, or, worse
than that-if-" but she could not fin
ish the sentence.
I'm that case, you know, Margaret,
you would be provided for; my life in
surance would take care of you
Within week the furniture had been
sold; Margaret had gone home to spend
a few weeks with her family before
making permanent arrangements for
herself during the two years that her
husband had planned to stay away. In
that time, he argued, something would
turn up that would enable him to take
her with him, or to bring them together
again in some way.
OF course the parting was hard, but
Margaret suffered keenest, for while
her self-sacrificing, womanly spirit
could love, with the saw-toothed whir
of poverty buzzing in her ear. threat
ening any moment TO cut off her exist
ence, il was not so with her husband.
Girard had spent his money lavishly
in college, depending on his diploma
to pull him through afterwards, but the
intermediate stage of starting he had
never figured on, and now that he had
come to the end of his financial rope
he was unhappy. He loved his wife,
but not TO be able to support her as he
had expected to do hurt his pride, and
he was glad to get away.
After many weeks the letters began
to come. II Margaret had felt the least
bit hurt at her husbands anxiety to
go, her fears vanished after reading
his letters They were full of the same
love and devotion of their honeymoon
DAYS, and though the separation was a
severe sacrifice, Margaret lived only in
the thought that he was prospecting and
that one day they would be brought to-
gether again.
For months Girard's letters were full
of enthusiasm and good news. but one
day the tears gathered in Margarets
eyes as she laid down his last letter.
Eight months of tropical climate had
been too much for him, and Girard'S
health was breaking. After that each
letter was an evident attempt to spare
her feelings and to be cheerful in
time of gloom, and not many more
weeks proved it, for one day cable
gram announced his death. Then came
a letter from the captain of the ship,
with a few words of consolation, one
from the United States consul stationed
at the port where Girard had died, and
later his mail and other possessions
were returned to her.
The $4,000 life insurance was col
leeted, but Margaret's heart was
broken. She cared for no one and for
nothing but Girard's memory, so she
bought the pretty little cottage where
their married life had been spent: fur
nished it as nearly as possible the way
it was before, and even trained the
morning glories over his Office window
so that they would shade his desk Just
as they used 10 do. Margaret's deyo-
ton was beautiful. For 20 years she
lived in the quiet little town, leaving
now and then for short trip abroad,