The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1899-11-09

| = cSt men 40 cOnSTeSdJe,
= 1SA5 | have, through the
-~@-=s -T4sssssssN- agency Of one OF
---~s'af~- the establishments
that have recently
! Strung up, and which for a moderate
! fee distribute to individuals such cut
tings from newspapers as may con-
| Germ them, been made acquainted with
| a considerable amount of gossip more
or less truthfully connected with my
private affairs. This nuisance began
to come upon me shortly after the
publication some years since CT my
work. THE Secret of Lie" The
reader will remember, if this short
history of facts is ever made pIblic in
years to come, that the appearance OF
this book created a great sensation,
even in what is called English society.
Everybody appeared to have read
THE Secret OF Life" or pretended to
have read it, and il was no uncommon
thing to meet ladies who evidently
knew far more about the whole mat
.
But it-society / mean seems soon
to have tired of the scientific aspect
of the question, not even the interest
attaching to the origin and cause of
existence could keep its attention fixed
on that for long.
Unfortunately. however, curiosity
passed from my book to myself 1t
seemed to strike people as wonderful
that they should never have heard any
thing of the Dr. Gosden (for this was
before Her Majesty was graciously
pleased, somewhat against my own in
Clinations, to make me baroneD, who
happened to be able to discover the
Secret of Life, and accordingly they,
or rather some of the society papers,
set themselves to supply the want.
Thus it was that good deal of rather
ill-natured talk got about as to what
had been the exact relationship be-
tween myself and my fellow-laborer,
Miss Denelly. ! say ill-natured ad-
visedly, for there was nothing more
than that; but still, at the best, it was.
and indeed is calculated to give pain
to myself and to the lady concerned.
whose conduct throughout has been
morally blameless and such as I can
conscientiously say on the whole COM
mends itself to my reason however
much it may jar upon my prejudices.
And now with this short apology to
myself for setting down on paper a
passage in my private history, l will
tell the story, such as it is. ] say ito
myself" for probably it will never be
mae public, and If it is, it will be in
accordance with the judgment of my
executors after my death, so / shall
have nothing to do with it.
| am now middle-aged man, and
have been doctor for many years.
While l was still walking the hospit-
ais, my mother died and left me all
her property, which amounted to four
hundred year, and on this slight en-
enlargement, having quiet and do
nestle tastes, | went the way that
young men generally do go when cir
cumstances permit Of it, and instantly
got married. My wife, who possessed
some small means, was lady Of my
own age; and, owing to circumstances
which / need not enter into here, had a
cousin dependent upon her, a girl of
about thirteen. That girl was Fanny
Denelly. and my wife mado it condi-
ton Of our marriage, to which / read
lily consented, that she should live with
us.
l shall never forget the impression
that the young lady made upon me
when she came to join us in our little
house at Fulham, after we went there
to settle at the end of our honey moon.
AS it happened, | had only seen her
once or twice before, and then in the
most casual way, or in the dusk, so
this was the first opportunity l had of
studying her. She was only young
girl between fourteen and fifteen. /
think, but still there was something
striking about her. Her hair, which
was black and lustrous, was braided
back from most ample forehead. The
eyes were large and dark, not sleepy
like most dark eyes, but intelligent and
almost stern in their expression. The
rest of the face was well cut but mas
siye, and rather masculine in appear
ance, and even at that age the girl
gave promise OF great beauty of form
to which she afterward attained.
ire ~ coxzIxusn.l