Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-16
DAILY EVENING STAR.
'-T II z w II =.
81 A3U SILRSol

II vas the dead hour Of night The room
was high wainscotsed apartment, with furni-
suvs Of rich but antique pattern. The pale
moonlight streaming through the eurtxincd
window, and struggling with the subdued
light Of . candle placed Ia corner, disclosed
the fgure Of sick man extended on . bed,
wrapped In IN unquist elumbtr. by bis side
sat q care-worn though still bssuiifnl woman
gazing apxious'y on his face, aud breathlessly
swnitins the crisis Of the fcver--for 1t was now
tho niLth DAY. tiuce that stroug man had been
prostrated by the hand Of disease. and during
all that time he had rnvcd in an incessaut de-
iiYium. He had 1T length dropped into an un-
quiet 6lumbcr, broken at first BY starts and
moans, but during tho last hour be had been
less restless, and he now lay % stiIl as sculp.
tured statue. His vito well knew that ere
morning the crisis would be post, and ahc
waited, with oil q woinnn's affection, breath
lossly for tho event Aye! though few women
havo been wrongcd as Emily Walpolc Ind
been wronged, she still cherished her hus.
bands image, for he was, despite his errors,
the lover Of her youth.
Few girls had boon .aore admired thsn
Emily Severn. D7t It was not only the beauty
Of her features and tho elegance Of her form
which drew around hcr train Of worship
pers; Lcr mind was one Of no ordinary cast.
aud the sweetness Of her temper lent On ineff.
able Charm 70 al she did. No ono was 90
eagerly sought for at o ball or . pic.uic as
Emily Severn, snd Mt her parental frcsidc
she was tho universal favoyite. It was long
before sho loved. She was not to DO mislel
by glitter or chow. She could only bestow
her affections where sho thought they were de-
served, aud II was not until she met Edward
Walpole that che learned to surrender her
heart.
Edward Walpolo, when BIO became the Lus-
band Of Emily Severn, was apparently all that
. woman could wish. Etc was warm hearted.
Of q noble eoul, kind, gentle. and eserrcady t,
waiye his ownsclfah qualification nj the call of
duty. Bit, alas! he had oao weakness, he dill
NOT acttrom pganrvtf. Els generous deeds were
the offspring IT . warm heart rather than of .
regulated intellect. as yet no had never. been
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. which severely tried lila
principles. But, about a year after his mar.
riage. DO fell heir to the large property Of a
maiden aunt and Of once his whole style Of
life WAS altered. His accession of wealth
brought him into contact with society in which
hitherto be had never, mingled. where the
polish OF Fictitious foliteness often hides the
most depraynd morals. Above all BY aban.
doning bic profession, 10 condemned himself
tocomparativs idleness. BE now began to be
. : sps sss ssa 1870 sSs i.ss:s
have lHgIsSs Y d;hd, Sow isssSsG lin fosl
their prey; and his open and generous nature
made him their victim In q comparative short
space Of time. VIC shall n6t trace his down
ward progresA + Is. always o. melancholy
TASK 70 milk mo Iapse from virtue Of noble
and generous character, and how much more
90 whom the hsart Of wife Is to DO broken by
tho dcrcliction from rcs.;tudc.
Emily saw the gradual alteration offer
husband, and though she mourned tho cause,
no wsss6f reproacf escaped her lips, but by
every gentle means shc strove to bring back.
her husband to the paths cs virtue. But a
fatality. seemed to have seized him. He was
In whirlpool from which he could not extri-
cate himself BE still loved his wife, and
moro than once, when her looks cut linn to
the henrt, he mnde an effort to break loose
from his associates; but they always. found
means to bring him back ere long. Thus q
year passed. His fortnpe bugan to give way,
for he had learnt to gamble. As lii losses
became moro frequent his thirst for cnrds DO.
came greater, until Of length he grew sullcn
and desperate. He was now o. changed. man.
lie no longer felt compunetipn at tho wsones
inflicted on hissweet wife, Gut IL her sad looks
touched his hehGt ut MI they only stuns him into
undcserycd reproaches. H6 was become harsh
and violent. Yet his poor vito endured all
in silence. No recrimination passed erlips.
But in tho solitude Of her chamber she she'd
many bitter tear, and often, at the hour of
midnight, when her husband was far away in
some riotous company, her prayers were hcarl
ascending for him.
Two years had now elapsed, and the lost
ono had been year OF bitter sorrow to Emily.
AT length her husband came hemo one night
On almost ruined man. lie had been stripped
ct tho gambling table. Of every cent of his
property over which no had any control, and
he was now in state almost approaching to
madness. Before morning he was in high
fever. For days he raved incessently of his
ruin, cursing the wrctohes by whom he had
been plundercd. Nine days had passed and
now the crisis was at hand.
Tho clock struck twelve. As sound. after
sound rung out on thc,stlucss and died away
IN echoes, rcyerborating through tho house,
tho sick man moved in his sleep, until, when
the last stroke was given. lie opened his eyes
and looked lansuidly and vacantly around
His gaze almost instantly net the face Of his
wife. For moment his recollection, could
be seen struggling in his countenanco, aud at
length m expression Of deep mental suffering
settled in his face. His wife had by this time
risen and was now at his bedside. She saw
that the crisis was past, and as she laid her