Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-04-05
SYNOPSIS.

Copyr:.h.. 1899. by ]. B. Lippi
SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTER I-Story opens in Richmond.
Va. on day Fort Sumter surrendered.
DR.. Francis Brodnar makes remarkabls
request OF his friend. Dick Somers, to
which Somers finally agrees. He Is to
marry bltndfolded. woman whose
name he is not to know, ask no a,es-
tons, and finally. when she Is out OF
the power OF certain enemies. is to grant
her an honorable divorce.
CHAPTER II-According to the agrees
ment, Somers is mysteriously married to
young woman. who Is called Frances.
and being left with her. they fall in love
with each other. Upon her insistence he
lights "a match i'll the dark room, that
they may see each other. A pistol shot
rings out. somers falls with s cali,
wound just as Brodnar comes to take
him away. He is conveyed to the doc.
tors ONCE.
CHAPTER I1I-somers, on his recov.
cry. receives telegram to report to war
ONCE Immediately. He learns Frances
Is wei. and asks the doctor to tell her
Richard Somers passes out of her life
TO serve his country. His duty done,
please God. and she needs his arm. he
Will follow her to the end of the earth"
CHATTER 1V-Woman named Louise
Is visited by Raymond Holbin, the fa-
Their Of her child. who has not kept his
promise to marry her. and who bears a
striking resemblance to Dick somers.
She tells Of having, in her desperation,
shot a man who she thought was he.
CHAPTER V-Frances' father John
6rookin, makes his will beQueathing her
certain property upon condition that she
marry Holbin. his stepson. Just before
no dies she disillusions his mind Of mo-
ton that she had been disloyal to him.
and tells him friend has wished her
to say to him: ASK Raymond uolbin
what he has done with Louise (the DIV
ing mans nises); for he 10 the man who
betrayed her by . nook marriage, and
took her abroad
CHAPTER vI-HoIbln's absence from,
the Brookin funeral IL noticed. He in
busy in tho deserted residence of de-
ceased unraveling the mystery of the con-
hection between the shooting, told him
by Louise. and the implied charge against
him made BY Frances. He finds evidences
OF rivals presence in Frances room.
and his evil mind fills with suspicion OF
TIA s.-e sisl
CHAPTER VII-Holbin decides to ask
DR.. Brodnar II he knows the man who
was shot in Frances ROOM The doctor
asserts he had been shot there, and that
ne suspected Mrs. Brookin (Holbin's
tho shot. which. no declares, missed ,ts
mark.
CHAPTER VIII-Bafiled in atternnt to
!earn anything from DR.. Brodnar, Hol-
bin turns to Frances. but is again I'M
successful. However. by a skillful move.
.ne man mas made a most powerful Inn
preston upon the woman he hopes to
marry. ~
CHAPTER Ix-Holbin having exhaust.
cd all his resources for information con-
corning the victim of the shooting, at
last turns to Frances old NANNY, but
again fails.
CHAPTER x-Upon this he goes to his
OF tho facts. She summons DR.. Brodnar.
ana demands to know the information he
possesses who then denouncss her liber-
tine son. who comes out of his conceal
ment IN the room and attacks the doc
-, ws., WIN III .no sn!fs ST. The aao.eF
and drives away. Misconstruing his mean
Ing. thinking Louise had been Jealous on
account OF Somers attentions to. her.
she visits Louise full OF sympathy for
latter's troubles. but nothing comes up
to throw the distrust out Of her mind.
CHAPTER XII.
Sorrow unmixed with re1norse is the
souls education. The soul of the
woman who grieves in silence broadens
and deepens, sending down into her
own life far-reaching roots and I'M
folding upward rare auxiliary bios
SONS that fill the life about her with
divine breathings. Such was the ex-
perience of Frances Brookin. Thrown
back upon herself, conscious of inno-
csnce, and feeling always the presence
Of sorrow, the sorrow of great dis
appointment, she saw her girlhood
slipping away faster than time itself;
for it is true that age is the sum of
experience rather than years. and all
Of life may be lived between the set
ting and the rising of the sun. But
with Frances this change was not the
shrinking of the soul into forgetful-
ness; it was an enlargement of view
and perspective in which old headlands
assumed smaller proportions. New
! imperative duties they seemed. arose
and met her; new responsibilities pre-.
sented themselves; she faced them all
bravely. hopefully. lovingly. The fine
quality of her soul proved itself in the
casting out of all the bitterness which
| had in the first hours of her misfor,
\ tune stormed its citadel and raised
somber banners there. The victory
over self won by this frail girl was SC
marvelously complete that no cynicisn
supplanted her innocent faith in tn.
eternal existence of truth and good
ness and their ultimate triumph ovel
evil, Her touching acceptance of lif,
in its new aspect was not born in
day. There were weeks of anguish
there were months Of dull heartach,
and loneliness; there were tear-we
pillows and nights of crying out agains
fate; for the death of an ideal is TIL
saddest death in all the universe, sine
for this there is no resurrection. TIL
girlish ideal Of Frances Broolsin wa
dead at last, and slept under the petal
of faded white rose. Richard Somer
was out Of her life. out Of her hear
The man she loved had never existed
she told herself. He was dream,
romance, an immaculate conception G
virgin mind. The real man was tn
unworthy offspring of base, world
passions; he was nothing to her bu
a name.
Political events fastened the gi,
into womanhood and towards tina
large tolerance with which the stron
soul at last invariably encysts the il
applicable and unwelcome facts it cal
not avoid. With one leap the fierc
J south entered the arena of war, an
; Virginia hills echoed the mingle
: cheers of contending armies and til
thunder of mighty guns. Richmon
seemed to have become, as in a da.
the center of intrigue and Of actio
On every side flashed the gold and 81