The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1901-03-15

It has been some time since you saw
DIR. Fleming"
ooh, don't begin that" said Blanche
pretending to pout. IL am getting along
beautifully"
but II want--you must see doc
tor" he stammered 81 shall feel bet.
ter now to know that everything is be.
ing done that should be done for you"
you talk as If | were going TO die"
said the girl. why, I've just begun
to live"
For moment he looked confused
He could not reveal his real fears, and
yet he was now deeply troubled about
her condition.
"Of course, IL isn't anything serious"
he said; but still to please me you
will let me send for DR.. Fralich."
mo, don't know him, and l don't
like to make new acquaintance. Be
sides, DIR, Fleming is coming to New
York in about ten days. | promised
faithfully to see him when he re-
turned"
How do you know he is ooming2"
asked the major, in surprise.
81 had a note from him yesterday.
He explained that he was coming to
New York earlier than he expected,
owing to a sudden change in his plans.
I will go to see him, If you insist on 10,
but l know he will tell me 1 have
taken enough of his tonics."
'Well, that will do" said Goddard,
reluctantly. He thought of the Grim
son pictures in the medical book he
had consulted, and his heart sank.
After ALL his new-found happiness was
only to end in her death, and then
Goddard's meditations about Blanche
always stopped there. He had shut
his real wife out of his thoughts as
men who are striving for better
things shut out the memory of past
evil deeds and associations.
That night when the house was still
and he found himself alone in his study
he forced himself TO the task of COM
municating with Jeanne. And as | can
in no better way reveal the workings
of his heart, l shall reproduce the LETT
ter word for word.
III bNE II WIOlt btdT
Jeanne" but there he stopped abrupt
ly, and sat staring at the words for
several minutes, then he tore the sheet
into small bits and let them filter
through his fingers. His letter began
simply as follows:
well, I have at last done your bidding.
was a mailman. l confess that-the very
flames Of he'll had scorched my brain.
have committed an unspeakabe crime
against the purest, lovelest creature that
God ever gave life 10. You will be sur
pr1sed perhaps to find that have changed
so quickly, and really l have changed COM
pletely. The scales have fallen from my
sight. feel like a man who has been hyp-
Noticed and wakes TO find he has murdered
his best friend / despse myself as no
mortal ever desplsed himself before
now know that my passion for you was
the blindest, most insane infatuation that
ever dragged the soul OF a man from an
atmosphere of hope down into the mire OF
hellish dependency l now know that my
love for my ward was the only pure love
have ever experienced. Yes, loved her
when l met you, and / love her now with
all the tortured soul within me. / have
wronged her as no man ever wronged a
pure, unsuspecting woman. but as her life
VIII be of such short duration, IL | can
prevent 1t she shall never know of the
SluiH nave put upon ner lulf anne. While
she lives ! shall lavish all the tenderness
OF my soul on her, praying to God that
may In that way atone a little--a very little
for my crime against her She married
me to comfort me In my loneliness; / mar
ried her at the bidding of an intrieuer
OF the most objectionable type l would
confess all at this moment but for the fear
that the shock would kill her. How could
tell her that you are alive, and that am
not her legal husband?
Il would not write to you now, but for
the fact that II Is due you to know the
stand have taken, ard that we must row
thoroughly understand each other In re-
gard TO Blanche's fortune. As God is my
Judge do not want her money, and as
God Is my judge you shall never lay your
covetous hands upon 1t. l shall at once
take precautions to see that, at her death,
the money shall go TO her blood relatives.
AS TO you, shall never willingly see you
again, nor write you another line from
this day forth. j see my duty and l sha4l
do 1t. Any letter you write me will be re-
turned to you unopened. DO your worst.
II you wish to publish to the world that
you and l have played on It's creduhty, do
so, l shall then confess TO the part I took
In your scheme, AS much as | now hate
you, would not let you bear all the blame.
l am as guilty as you because / am a man.
l herewith enclose draft payable to Mrs.
Nolan 1t is all the money i can send YOU
now. l am about to enter into a specula-
ton In railway stock and II II turns out
well l shall send you more money You
are my wife and | shall provide for you
as well as my own means Will allow, but
of Blanche's money you nor l shall ever
have one penny. l shall try to get means
out OF my own resources to keep you
quiet at least as long as Blanche lives, but
you need not look to me for large remit
tances. l am not exactly unGer your
thumb; your threats of exposure whl
not frighten me, l am desperate. / want
Blanche to know what ! am. / cannot lace
her pure eyes and know that l am as
vile as the deepest dyed convict. The
sooner you make the whole thing know
the better shall be pleased.
ROWLAND GODDARD"