Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1900-02-23

Nae! IS ;,r'lc, al that l valued lost Let
dc"t'. rH:2}t'-,s happy release, be it by
the ;t*S;.>~il ) knife or otherwise, but
let il .n,:e. Speedily, now as l sit and
write, cuiilc death and bring me peace!
Dt:ti!i rnl.; comics to those who fear
him. Death shrns those who would
welcome him with open arms, grins his
ght:,;lE grin and cries: "Live on!
Yo'''d |>t' too happy if took you Live
on till you fear me more Then I'll
stIiEc'' Eut cannot seek DEATH Life
is nothing to me, and yet there's my
son Astray. feel am mad I almost
hate him because he reminds me so
much Of her
Twelve years since I last opened my
diary. Twelve years ago my hand
touched these pages, and babe goodby
to gloonl-bade goodby to gloom when
1t WAS yet to become blacker than ever.
remember it as though it were but
yesterday-remember that she was
looking over me as I wrote, her arm
upon my shoulder. had nothing more
to write then. Every day would have
been the same, all happiness, and that
reads SO feeble when set down in black
and white. Misery becomes intensified
The writing makes it colder and harder
Then Astray was born. I loved him
then. perhaps because she did. Now I
have &c love for any one. only for the
past. My heart is filled with hatred-a
hatred deep and bitter, that will keep
he alive until it is satisfied Here at
The Grunge we were happy and wanted
no5iaiI;; moe.
g., - IS called ME again to Paris. If
dil rot go, l would lose a fortune. I
re,ncn;>er now how she chung to me
AMI begged me to let it pass, but man
is l1:ii';.t. after ALL and human nature
says Get money" and I went-went
a1,tt v, - discovered. l knew it, l saw
the IRAN start. He spoke to me. Irecog-
nizel his voice and he mine. Twas back
i'll the past, and the past was alive
again.
{ I:tyt7 not go back to America, but
went 10 London, Swallowed every step
Of I'll" way. The past ever with me,
alive ;;il. Then I wrote to her. Her
f1;t ti:o,;"llts We're for her boy not for
Il H2':5;'sli, not for me- l write it because
know it, Perhaps I am jealous of my
ovn SOC. Well, I'm getting hard and
cold l.oc-7. What if am? She sent him
to 4 r1;cc Of safety, parted with him,
liz. !, mite who could scarcely speak,
in cJ~c tho evil minded gang should do
HIN Injury. She staid at The Grange
sSi:iG there because I commanded it, be-
c. ESQ | said that no one knew we were
married AID the time would come when
the :c%u,: would tire Of watching me-
and finally l very stealthily prepared to
JOIN Len III Norcombe.
No stranger she wrote me had ap-
pcarvis in \ orcombe. l grew confident
again. y hat had thought was shad-
OWL. =; told myself was imagination
l gr,v careless, and them write it
Gr7n::T-then l murdered her, l muir
deTed hcr
Throwing aside all thought, paid a
ayir::5 visit to America and saw her in
Norcollo e-saw her for the last time.
I went again, arrived to find the
house deserted. only lying telegram
Of yesterday upon the table:
Come to Chicago by the 10 o'clock train
JOSIAH
She had gene, and that is ten years
ago Ten years have spent in search
ing-searching in vain-and I have
come home now to await the end
The boy, my boy, have brought to
The Grange-brought him here five
years ago-and now live for him only
(Again there was blank page in the
daryl
TIE GRANGE, June, 1904 am
calmer than have been for years. l
am revenged-a life for a life. Iset out
for Paris, not this time to hunt for her,
but to demand the Scriptural forfeit, q
life for life gloat over it, only I'm
mad now. They call me Mad Marsden
In the village and shrink as I pass.
How they'd shrink if they knew all
have killed him, murdered him, stabbed
himl It wasn't wrong. "a life for a
ife"-there's my excuse, the excuse I'll
shrek to my judges; 9 command