Evening star., 1903-07-09

I was in q feverish whirl, and just fol-
lowed the impulse of the moment. which
was to be with him whenever could with
out attracting the teachers attention
And this. alas! was only too often, for he
was the brother Of one Of our store
keepers. q visitor in Owosso. and often IN
the store where we girls went. Why the
teachers did not notice how often we need
ed things there, L do not know. But they
did not. and matters went on and
II can rot write of those days. and you
do not want to hear about them. They
seem impossible to me now, and almost
as II 1T had all happened to some one else.
so completely have l forgotten the man
except as the source and cause of an i'm
measurable horror. Yet he was not bad
himself; only ordinary and humdrum. In
deed. l believe he was very good in ways,
or so his brother once assured me. We
would not have been married in the way
we were If he had not wanted to go to
the Klondike for the purpose Of making
money and making 1t quickly, so that his
means might match mine.
IL do not know which of us two was
most to blame for that marriage. He
urged 1T because he was going so far away
and wanted to be sure Of me. accepted
it because 1t seemed to be romantic and
because 1t pleased me to have my own
way in spite Of my hard old guardian and
the teachers. who were always prying
about. and the girls. who went silly over
him--for he was really handsome
in his way-and who thought (at least
many Of them did that he cared for them
when he cared only for me.
Il have hated black eyes for year.
He had black eyes.
Il forgot Cora. or rather. did not let
any remembrance of her hinder me. She
was a very shadOwy person to me in those
both children. and as for her letters-they
were almost bore to me; she lived such
a different life from mine and wrote of 80
many things had no interest in. On my
a oil hnr M r<9<Hv,
derstood her. I never understood myself
was light az thistledown and blown by
every breeze. There came gust one day
which blew me into the mouth of hell.
am lowering there yet and am sinking
Francis siniSins-save me! I love you
TT was al! planned by him-1 have no
Sadie was my friend-but Sadie had not
much to say about It. for he seemed to
know Just how to arrange 1t all so that
no one at the seminary should know or
got ready to tell them. He did not even
take hts brother into his confidence, for
Wallace kept store and gossiped very
very busy just then selling out, for he
was going to the klondike with William
and he had too much on his mind to be
bothered. or 50 William said. All this
stand the temptation which assailed me
when. having returned to Washington,
awOke to my own position and the kind of
men whom I could now hope to meet
was the wife-oh. the folly of it-but this
was known to 80 few. and those were so
far removed. and one even-my friend
Sadie-being dead-Why not ignore the
miserable secret ceremony and cheat my
self into believing myself free, and enjoy
this world OF pleasure and fashion as Cora
was enjoying It and-trust Trust what?
Why the Klondike! That swallower-up Of
men. Why shouldn't It swallow one more
Oh, know that 1t sounds hateful. But
was desperate; had seen you.
II had one letter from him after he
reached Alaska. but that was before left
Owosso. / never got another. And
never wrote to him. He told me not to do
30 until he could send me word how and
where to write: but when those directions