The daily morning Alaskan., 1903-07-10
A CRUEL
 DISSIPATION
torrnall

keen interest. or warm ttlenubhlPSs Oi love. Nevertheless Frances bore with her mothers inarmities and made the best of the situation
 Then came Langdon Carr. who fell desperately ID love with Frances. she returning his affection. Carr was in every respect capable of rendering he' happy. He was brilliant well started In bis profession for 80 young a man heir to prospective wealth. Every one said. "At last poor Frances Is to ee made happy"
 The lover during his courtship had observed the condition in the Franklin home and spoke of Mrs. Franklin as 'sMrs. Dismal" He was irritated Go nnd that it was impossible to get Fran eos out with him one evening. for her mother objected to being left alone. 1T he spent the evening at the house and be and Frances wandered away Into another room. Mrs. Franklin would take on e sour countenance and after IAngdon's departure accuse her daugh' ter of having no feeling for her. Carr resolved to end the unpleasant situation by marriage.
 .'Frances." he said. eve will have no comfort until we set up for ourselves in our own home. There We shall be free and Independent"
 This speech set Frances to thinking What would her mother do without herr Either Mrs. Franklin must live with her and her husband or sink un' der a load Of loneliness and sorrow. Yet if she lived with them the daugh- teTs condition would not be improved. while the sOn-in-law would be reduced to a similar condition. Frances stud ied Co dnd q solution. but there was no solution. She must choose between her mother and her lover. She decided to remain single.
 When Langdon Carr received her de- cisIon he was very much troubled. However. he realized that Mrs. Dis mar' would make his married life mls- erable SO long as she lived and felt that Frances was doing right to decide between them and her Any other course would be an injustice to him. It was better that she should sacrifice him and herself and cling to her moth er than drag that mother Into her mar ried life
 sweetheart" be said your act only makes it harder for me Co give you up, since it shows your nobility"
 Five years passed and Langdon Carr did not marry. He Is waiting for Mrs. Dismal to de" said his friends Then the doctors recommended trip abroad for Mrs. Franklin, and on the steamer who should appear but Lang dou Carr. He showed great surprise at meeting the Franklins, but thls did not deceive Mrs. Franklin. She teigned seasickness. remaining 10 her berth and keeping Frances in constant at tendance.
 One night in a fog there was a sud den jar. e stopping of machinery. hur' rying footsteps on deck, shouting of or ders. Langdon Carr slipped on his clothes and rushed up the companion way to fnd that there had been a col llslon with a sailing ship. and the steamer was supposed to be sinking Hurrying back to the cabin. he sought Frances In her stateroom with her mother and begged them to come with him. Mrs. Franklin declared that she did not wish to live and begged her daughter to remain and die with her, whereupon Langdon took the old wom- an in his arms and carried her on deck. A boat was receiving the women. It was the last boat at hand. and there was none left for the men. Langdon put Mrs Franklin in it, then turned to hand in Frances. Frances hesitated.
 "Get in." he said.
 "No. I once decided between you and mother in her favor. Now it Is your turn. I shall stay with you"
 In another moment the boat was low cred Into the water
 Langdon was SO happy that even the death which threatened both Frances and himself had not the expected ter TOT for him. He tried hard to keep from a muttered prayer that the boat containing "Mrs. Dismaf would be lost. But there was little time for any thing except preparation. Langdon sc cured life preseryers, which he put on Frances and himself. then lashed Fran. ees to a skylight. securing himself Co it afterward. They then waited for the ship to go down. the happiest period ei. ther had known in i've years. But the ship did not go down. The breach was patched up. and she proceeded on her journey.
 As soon as the lovers reached Eng land they learned that the boat In which Mrs. Franklin had left the steam CT had landed on Newfoundland. Fran Ces cabled to know it she was we'll A reply came:
 "For your cruel desertIon can never forgive you"
 That was the feather that broke the camers back" Frances concluded to sacrifice neither herself nor her lover any longer. and they were married an hour after receipt of the message.
 Langdon Carr Is very proud of the mettle there Is in his wife. He says that when her mother was undeserta' ble Frances would not desert her; when be was undesertable. she would mol desert him. Frances on her return treated her mother as an Irresponsible child and when fl wns aDDarent that