The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-03
XVIII.
Continued.

1T was then that I regretted that my
sarly opportunities had been sighted, and
that, instead of being independent of his
bounty l was not considered capable OF
earning my own living Had my home
been one of my own making, might have
stood up and faced him at that hour with
a resolution to hold by my wife, which in
itself might have insured his respect.
But I was tied hand and tongue by the
Eealization of all owed him, was owing
him, and was likely to owe him to the end
Sf my days. l was not master Of my own
life; how, then, could I propose to be
the master of another's?
my father, whose favorite had never
been, could not be expected to know what
was passing in my heart; but he was not
without a realization Of what he might
find in the adjoining room. and, casting
Ia glance that way, he asked coldlly:
lis she-Mrs. Gillespie-(he never
called her by her given name) awake?'
mo question could have pierced my
heart more poignantly. 1t was not the
hour for sleep, and the use OF the word
had intention in It,. But I subdued all
signs Of distress, and. calling her by
name babe her come out and greet fat her;
after which l stood breathless, waiting for
her appearance, conscious that it might be
a smiling one, and equally that it might
bel dared not think what. She was not
always to be depended upon.
She did not appear at once. Sit down,
father. begged. She may be dressing.
And she was. In a minute or two, as
we stood watching, she threw open the
door. and in an instant I saw that what
ever hope l may have cherished of her
creatng good Impression in her partial
by recovered state, was an ill-founded one.
She was not in one of her depressed moods
but, what was worse. perhaps, in one OF
her ecstatic ones. All her genius, and she
had much, had taken fire under some i'm
pulse of her erratic brain, and she came
into the room prepared to conquer in the
only way she knew how. Still young,
still beautiful in her own way, which was
that of no other woman, she glided into
Jour presence in one rapturous whirl, a
scarf floating from her neck, and wreath
iof wild vine about her head. 1 rushed to
prevent her, but it was too late. She
would dance, and she did, while my father,
who had never seen her in this glowing
state, drew me aside and watched with
hard eyes. while she swayed and dipped
and palpita ted in what would have been
g. glorious ebullition of pure delight, had
she not been my wife, and the man at my
side as cold to her charm as the dew
which stood out on my wretched forehead.
When 1 could bear no more, I flung my
arms about her and she stopped. painting
and fribhtened, like bird caught in full
flight. Sing, whispered to her; Sing
that air from Enone' Thought the tragic
iNSHASo
Ing forgotten. And they did in way. MY
father never listened to any such drama tic
rendering of a simple song before and I
saw that he was subdued by the feelings
1t awakened. But 1 gathered no hope
from this. He had too little liking for
public exhibitions of this kind On the part
OF women, for him to be affected long by
any singing which was not that of the
lboudo1r; and when, her first ebullition
passed, she began to droop under the
.neaVy reaction which inevitably followed
nnese impulsive performances, drew her
INTO the other room, and shut the door.
Then came back and faced him.
He was standing in the window of the
large but unlovely room, drumming rest
lessly on the panes before him. As the
ilsht struck his head it brought to view
the silver rapidly making it's way through
tne DARK locks he had been accustomed
10 PRIDE himself upon, and pang struck
me at this sight, which made me quite
oumo Tor the instant. I felt as if I. and
not she, had been dancing over his heart
:Ihen my eVer-present thought of the
woman had sworn to cherish return ed
and held me steady while he said. y
1T is we'll that have seen vour wife
once when the full spell was upon her
wow Know what has come into the Gil
!esple family Leighton, do you love this
Enough to bear your condempatio,
him. Vs. assurec
! Then take her away Out Of NV s,ah4
ana from the possible sight Of nv erow.
ing grandchild, A dancing mcnad oen "
no mother to Claire. o0a os
= IT,. vii take her away promised
MN When this place has done all fol
nsl ~ can Will carry her where she
can onend no one but strangers.
would suggest an asylum he mr+
tcTSu. II was the OnlV unius+ tb;,, ,
ever knew him to propose.
she is not insane 1 objected.
sne IS not sane he reioined. NC
0plun- eater Is. But Z will not force
your conscience; only let me- never SEE
her In our home in Fifth avenue W,
Will always be welcome
could not retort that would ente,
mo house from which she was peremntor.
Fly excluded. The house in Fifth ayenus
was my home. the home of my child an5
about 1t clustered every dear associa tior
oL III! Heart save those connected witt
my unhappy love.
"A man who marries for whim must
expect UNPLEASANT results my father re-
;sumed You shall have what money vol
need for her establishment elsewhere
nut this hemisphere is too narrow to har
DOT both her and myself. Go to Europe
leighton; there is more room there for
your wife to dance I'M
'And meant TO follow this suggestion
but Ier health was not GOOD enough for
me to risk voyage at this juncture, and
we dr1fted west and put IN at a place
called Mountain Springs, It was durine
our stay there, that, so far as the world
ts concerned, the story of my married life
ended. But for me it bad only begun
The facts regarding my wife and her CON
nection with that great catastrophe which
robbed more than one household OF wife
and mother differed much in reality from
tfose reported to the world and accepted
by my own family. She did not perish
in that wreck, thought thought she had
and mourned her loss for many months
She had merely taken advantage of the
circumstances to effect another escape
How, Will endeavor to relate, hard as If
1s to disclose the failings of one so dear
to me.
my wife, whose natural 1ongings had
been modified rather than extinguished by
her experiences at the sanatorium, aWak-
ened to the old sense Of restraint and q
desire to enjoy again the RESPONSIBILITIES
Of her early Bohemian life. But hayine
gained wisdom by her past experiences
she allowed no expression of her feelings
to escape her; and, relying on the effect
produced u1on me by her apparent con.
tent, merely asked the privilege of en-
Toying the sports INDUCED in by the other
boarders. Fearing to cross her too much
! gave her all possible liberty, but wher
she begged to go on a certain excursion
the excursion which ended so disastrously
for all concerned--I felt forced to refuse