Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-01-17
Mrs. F0rrester's First Husband
BY E. RALPH.


usual, in a charmingly old fashioned inn
near Milford, Penn.
l congratulated myself upon having
left pleas" 'plaints," and all such
things legal far behind, for time at any
rate, absolutely unsuspicious that l was
OH the eve Of becoming leading actor
| in stranger criminal drama than ever
| had played in at the court of general
sessions.
by jove!" I said to myself as / sat
at the open window after dinner on the
evening of my arrival. and watched a
young lady accompanied by an older
one, passing up the road, that's the
| sweetest looking girl l have seen for
many a day! Wonder who she is? I'll
ask Jackson, perhaps he knows; or,
rather, he's sure to know"
Jackson, the proprietor knew me well,
and would have no hesitation in enlight-
ening me as to the identity of the fair
stranger.
Them two" said Jackson, SIS Mrs
Russell and her daughter. Mrs. Russell
is the widow of a captain in the navy,
and | should say, is pretty well off
They live in that old red shingled house
hall mile up the hill road.
The old lady's bit soft-headed, so
they say, hasn't soul above tea table
gossip, and is about the worst kind of
mother a young girl could possibly nave,
according to my opinion"
All this whetted my curiosity to know
more of the young lady, desire which
the next day was gratified through the
good offices of friend, who introduced
me to Miss Russell.
She was young; in fact, barely 81.
She was good looking, too, but wore,
thought. depressed and anxious express
sion. Naturally, | concluded that she
was in i'll health. q victim, perhaps, to
the gayeties of the New York season.
Later on / limited as much to Mrs. Rus
sell, who, as it seemed to me, with some
what heartless indifference, deprecated
the idea in no measured terms.
Meta Russell and | became very good
| friends, but l came no nearer to getting
at the reason of her trouble. Her
strangeness of manner haunted me, and
yet, after all, / thought, why shouldA
worry about it. 1t did not concern me.
But | was not able to satisfy myself
so easily. | was obliged to confess that
my interest in Meta Russell was
stronger than | had imagined. l was not
in love with her; the idea was absurd,
| having regard to the shortness of the ac-
quaintance, though she peculiarly inter
ested me, and | earnestly wished to be of
| service to her.
An exploring pedestrian of the ardent
order, was making my way, toward the
end of the week, through what was local
! ly known as the big clearing"
| This was at least a square mile if not
more, of dense new growth, now about
ten feet high, through which ran mar
row strip of path.
l was about half way through this
leafy tangle, when | heard voices within
a stones throw of me.
One of them was evidently a woman's,
! ard, for the life of me, | could not shake
off the impression that knew its owner.
| The other was that of an uneducated
if not vulgar. man.
Very well. Mrs. Forrester!" the latter
was saying; I've given YOU Jacks mes
sage, and you'll only have yourself to
blame if you don't do as he says. Which,
shall | tell him, is it to be; you to 90
back to him, or-what think II suit him
just as well, or, perhaups, better--that
YOU send him, by me, $1,000 before the
end of next week."
Neither" replied the woman. in
raised, decisive tones, "and you may tell
him SOL"
You'd best listen to reason" per-
suasively replied the other. Jack For
roster is n dangerous customer to cross.
and l know as he'll never let you alone.
OF leave you, if you don't do one or the
other of them two things"
We'll, you have my last word | will
do neither, and any attempt TO modest me
in any way will only bring trouble to you
and to him"
Have you any money about you
now?'
NO; AMI if l had I would not give it
you!"
"Supposing l were to take it. This is
a pretty lonely spot; nobody could hear
you, | fancy"
1t was Meta Russell without a doubt,
and, unless | was mistaken, in sore strait
from some Matchmaking ruffian. That he
addressed her as Mrs. Forester did not
for the moment appeal to me.
| Forcing my way in break neck fashion
through the intervening brushes in the
direction Of the voices, l came face to
/ A~NN VITA ~'AASS I(uSStll ana uef threat
CHer.
Don't be too sure of that" l cried,
addressing the latter. truculent looking,
underlined loafer, Il have overheard
quite enough to know that you are in.
timidating this lady, and | warn YOU
that if you don't sheer OF on the instant
1t will be the worse for you"
The fellow looked me up and down. as
It TO calculate probabilities, but. Judging
discretion to be the wiser course, with q
leerlngy defiant laugh, disappeared in
the theket to the right
The immediate strain lifted, Meta
Russell al but completely collapsed on
the. reaction, and l saw that there was
nothing for it but for me to accompany
/, her home.
Her helplessneSs rendered her still
more an object of sohcihlde to me. and
3 | begged her to. il possible. contide in me
J 50 lar. at least. as 10 enable me to dc
IWhat | could for her.