The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-26
III join Mr.. sweetwater!'

point which must first be settled And,
advancing to the cot guarded so jealousy
by the man before him. he laid his hand
upon the coverlet. sf' You will allow me, -
he. said firmly as with gentle enough
touch he drew 1t. SOFTLY aside.
Glow came this woman pardon me-
how came Mrs. Gillespie to die thus sud-
denly?" IL
The unhappy husband, after his first re-
coil of outraged feeling, forced himself
into recognition of the detectives
rights, and, with apparent resignation,
rejoined:
II should have come to that in time.
She died, as you can readily perceive,
from exposure. Driven from Mother
Merry miserable quarters by some ter
ror for which, perhaps, she had no name,
she wandered In and out among the DECKS lock
for two wretched days and nights, often
dragging her feet through the ooze OF the
river, so that her garments were never
|. dry and are not so yet. At last she
came here where once before she had
found shelter in a biting storm. Here!
But it is a better place than the wharves,
and am glad God guided her to even SO
poor refuge. She was raving with a
fever when she came struggling into the
room below, But after the warmth
struck her and she had tasted something,
she came to herself again, and then
and then she sent for me.
He paused. did not yet understand
him or the circumstances which made this
situation possible but.za strange rever-
ence began to mtngie with my WONDER.
not for the mani could not feel that yet;
but for a love which could infuse such
feeling into the lightest allusion ne maze
to this beloved, if wretched Waif
"There was doctor here when came,
he speedily continued. You can nnu
shim;-ne will tell no different tale from
mine-but no doctor could help her after
and I paid him to leave me alone Win
her; and she died in my arms. May tell
YOU why this was everything to me? why,
the hapriness OF having received her last
sigh is so great, that I have no room for
resentment against you for this intrusion,
and hardly feel the shame OF being Iouno
in this place, with my dead darling lylns
~ her miserable rags on this hideous pal
let!''
:.You may tell u.s. assented Mr.. Gryce,
acins the coyerlet over the face upon
Witch was fast settling that look OF peace
which is Deaths last gift to the living. -
Mr.. Gillespie's tone grew deeper, ~
could hardly have grown more Cenuei -
more solemn. @ zs ,,o,,no
when first saw her. $50 was |. There
were no haggard lines about her danclns
eves md laughingslips then. She was
vision of-well, L will not say beauty; she
was never beautiful-but of cannot , TEL
YOU what; can onlyMsay that my ne
began on that day, not to end TIL she oleu
half-hours ago.
| to take into my fathers house; perhaps
not into any family circle. The stage was
her home, the stage from which LOOK
her: but did not know this; ] simply
knew that she was wild in spirit ana IN u
used to household ways and social restrlc-
| tons. But had I understood her theI =, sas :
do now, doubt if Ewould nave aceeo
any differently. I was heaostrohg ~
| those days and quite reckless enough 70
! CRASH at what Il felt to be my own, even
| If aware it would fall to- nothing IN my
'frenzied clutch: 2Se'3 ~
! II took her into my fathers family.
| took this wild bird 5out Of It's native ar,
and shut it up behind1the strict bars OF 9
conventional household. :; One promise 9
only I exacted from her as the price OF
| this gracious act on, my part. she was
never under any pretext, not even In the
event of my death, to return to the stage.
Poor child! she has kept that promise.
Perhaps it is all she has kept; kept II,
/ though hungry; kept it when the WHO
craving for morphine tore at her breast
and brain and she could have got the drug
for one strain from her marvellous voice;
kept it,. though her veins burned Win
life, and the weights on her tongue lay
heavy on her heart, which beat truly only
! while she was dancing or singing. 1t was
her dancing and singing which had won
my heart; or, rather, the woman When
/ dancing and singing; yet cut her on
| from these natural expressions OF the tur-
/ bulent joy springings from her exuberant
nature, and expected her to be sat1sneo
| with my love and the routine of wells
regulated household. This was my folly;
folly born of the delight | took in her
simple presence. thought that she loved
me as did her, and found in loves mad
ness the recompense for what she had laid
aside But had not read her nature. NO
man could fill her heart as she filled mine.
She was genius-an untamable one-and
the restiveness of her temperament made
demands which could only find relief In
spontaneous song or rhythmic movement
"My father, who loved quiet women
women like my mother, whose force lay
hidden in such sweetness that she shines
with almost saints glory in our mem
ory-could not understand my wife's tenn
permanent; and, consequently, could not
show even common patience toward her
He was not harsh in his trea tment Of her
but he failed to give her credit for sc
much as wishing to conform to his ways
and che habits Of the people she must
meet in our house. When he came upon
her. stealthily posing before our long mir
ror, in the drawing-room, or caught float
ing down the stairs a faint echo OF bel
magical voice in one of the tragic strains
she best loved to sing, he showed sucf
open shrinking and distaste that she feW
for comfort to the one resource capable O
u undermining for me all hope Of better
future. allude to her use of morphine
'She bad taken it before our marriage
but the fact was kect from me. When
awoke to realization of the horror men
acing my happiness, devoted time
strength. and every means 1 then knew
to win Eer from this practice. But
only partially succeeded. She did not
realize the harmfulness Of this habit ant
|.could not be made to. Eluding my vigi.
lance. she resorted more and more tt
& the drug could never succeed in keeping
i out of her grasp, and it fell to me te
stand in the breach thus made and keel
I. the knowledge of this GROWING humilla-
:, ton from my father and brothers.
meanwhile my father, who was strict.
; ness itself in all matters OF propriety, in
i sisted upon her sitting opposite him al
the table and COMFORTING herself in every
way as the lady Of the house Just be.
. cause he so dreaded comment and had Sc
much pride in his own social standing ant
, that of his sons, he kept her continually
{ on view and carried her to parties ant
) balls, thinking that Ids prestige woult
: cause recognition to be given her by his
), friends And 1t debut grudgfnglys
:, I$Admired for what she was not. she wa:
scorned for what she was. nave seel
: her petted by some Would-be society I'M
lady till my blood boiled, then marke!