Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-03-29
A Queer Story.

that notorious womans. Will you take
them plcase?'
Yes" replied the Curate.
But, upon my word, / really think
that you should not read the burial serv-
ice over that black sheep. 1t would be
nothing short If mockery,'' said the Rec
tor, with an expression Of virtuous dis
gust upon his clean-shayen face. One
must not be hard, of course. But if
ever anyone was laid to rest not in the
sure and certain hope of a joyful gesur-
recti0n, she IS the one
Il visited her upon her deathbed. She
made full confession. / hope she is for
given. reDied the Citrate.
Il hope So" remarked the Rector, in
the tone of one whose expectations are
not equal to his hopes
Il committed her to Gods gracious
mercy" said the Curate.
She will need it," reioined the Rector.
Besides" inquired the Curate, with
as much e%postulati0n Of manner as it
was prudent 10 display, can | refuse To
read the burial service over herr"
That Is the wOrst-ahem-I mean the
difficulty Of it," answered the Rector.
She did not lay violent hands upon her
SELF nor. l suppose, technically did she
ule eNcommunlcate. But that, of course,
was HieTeiy PROVISIONING 20 the de-
plOr2 bic laXity of modern rnurcn govern
accommodation has become d
ueAd letter. In those more wholesome
ana vigorous days, however, when the
Jubflc was drawn up she would have.
neen accommodated beyond a doubt.
80 although by the strict letter of the
law She secms entitled 70 her burial sery
zee. by the spirit of it. she ought to be
buried IN unconsecrated ground with no
religious JlteS whatever pronounced fha
Rector. emphatically
DO you know her whole storv?'' asked
the CITRATE. timidly.
should think So" was the scornful
PeJonder. Everyone in the neighbour
hood knows il. 1t is notorious"
But here. for the benefit of those read
ers OF Truth who do not happen to live in
the nelghborhO0d, | will relate the whole
story or the woman whose right to Chris
nan burial was being disputed By the
Rector.
Mrs. Maberleigh had not been LONG
married before she awoke to the fact
That her union with George Maberleign
had been bitter mistake: and none tne1
less bitter because she herself had insist
ed upon marrying him in spite of the
many friends who had warned her
against him. They assured her. with
perfect truthfun"ss, that he was a man
OF fast life, eXtravagant, unprincipled.
ana hckle-luSt the sort, in fact, who.
even II his habits underwent a reforma-
ton during the first novelty of wadlock.
would certainly suffer a speedy relapsc
and who. soon firing of her, would ba
seeking again within Il few months his
old vicious consultations. But she had
turned a deaf ear to these warnings
She did not believe them. Fast? Well
certainly George had gone the pace n bit
as so many young bachelors did. There
was nothing in that. He would settle
down into a steady fellow enough when
they were married. And his love for her
and hers for him. would keep him thence
torth IN the straight path. A venerable
error into which many trusting wom-
an has fallen ere nOw-into which many
trusting woman will fall as long as the
world lasts.
do not say that she had no happiness
in her married life. She had quite
deliriouS spell of it, II lasted for nearly
six weeks, surviving the honeymoon BIZ
margin Of fortnight. Then her hus
band. who had been a model of affections
ate devotion during all those forty-twol
days, began to decline into his old
courses; his courses of drinking. of gam
bllng, aud. OF other things even less OK.
cusable which | prefer not to specify.
AS time went on. he grew worse and
worse. Alice's attempts to reclaim him
were all in vain. The fellow was essen
tally what modern slang style wrong
un"--wroDg beyond redemption. Al
length she desisted, and resigned herself
to endure as best she might the cruel bit
ternesS of her lot. For the sake of her
child-she had one little. girl-she con
tinued to live with him. Ii it had moi
been for that, she would have left her
unworthy husband long ago. But when
they had been married some five years.
an outrageous thing happened-a thing
which even consideration for the chila
Il
this:
Some two years previously Alice. feel
ing the loneliness of her husbands per
petual absences, had taken into her house
young woman in the joint capacity Of
companion and mothers help. The lat
ter. who was friendless and penniless--
both her parents being dead and her re-
lations not caring TO undertake the bur
den of her maintenance-had been nurs-
ely governess in the service of an ac-
quaintance of Mr.. Maberleigh's, who
treated the girl with great unkindness
She had gentle, pleasant ways. and was
fond of children. SO partly on this ac-
count. partly out of pity for her hard let,
Alice took Ruth Morecambe into her own
employ.
For some time the venture proved most
satisfactory. Both Alice and her little
girl grew very fond of Ruth while Ruth.
on her part, grateful! for the kindness
shown her. warmly reciprocated their
affection and did everything in her power
to please. But alas. she had a pretty
face and large liquid eyes-dangerous
qualities indeed for any girl dependent
in a house of which George Maberleigh
was master He saw; he noted; he adj
mired-in his vicious way. Then he set
himself by all those insidious and stealthy
arts. in which he was well yersed, to
entangle and compromise his wife's at
tractiNe companion.
At first he made no Roadway. Ruth
studiously ignoring his stealthy and sub
tie advances. But as time went on, her
resistance weakened somewhat. She
was very young, it must Oe remembered,
very Inexperienced, very impressionable,
while George Maberleigh was man of
dangerously attractiN appearance, with
manners that when he pleased were
unquestionably prepossessing. Moreover,
as n leve-maker of wide experience, he
had the art 10 adapt himself and his
behavior to the particular variety of
woman who, for the time being, claimed
his attentions To a simple-minded girl
as Ruth was when this scoundrcl first
set himself TO entangle her-he com
ported himself tin the initial STAGE with
n Skillfully assumed 1pmp1nOr of modes