Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1904-11-11
cssysIehs rsoi By
7. Fitzgerald tsAusy

OF her friends, endowing him who was
dependent on his pay and STEPPED II
debt with the handsome fortune LET
her by her father. Then came thres
years OF welded life OF varying happi.
ness, at the end OF which time tn.
ardor on her part remained undated
while on his X had vanished quite.
His growing indifference made hei
woman-iike. more anxious TO retain his
affection, while her eagerness defeated
It's own en1s by rendering him mort
careless still. Satisfied now IL she
might retain HIS friendship IL not his
love, she exerted her Wit. tact and fas-
cination. straining her heart anc
~wounding IL In the strainlng and al
In vain. And now she began to realize
how she had in the fulness Of her girl
ish love, localized him: seeing him af
no other had; endowsing him with at
tributes OF heart and character he had
never possessed; for no longer did he
take pains to conceal the hardness
sollshness and lack OF honor. which a
brilliant surface manner had once
helped TO hide.
Her disllIusion once begun. was
quickly completed. Soon came the
knowledge OF his unfaithfulness, his
losses on the race course and at the
gaming table, as we'll as the perception
that his nature was gradually coarsen-
ing by drink and dissipation. The day
was not long postponed when she
learned her whole fortune had been
squandered by him In ways that were
wrongs to her. And when. no longer
able 10 preserve patience, she upbraid-
ed him. he brutaliy struck her. BY
this time he had quilted the army, and
disappearing. he left her and her child
depending on friends, her mother being
now dead,
Tt.nr harar hav efr,,yola for ltfa ME-
ter and long maintained. She had al
ways possessed a certain talent for
writing, a facility of expression, pic
t-uresqucness of description, power OF
Imagination, and having before her ex-
ainpleS OF those who had won indepen-
dence by the art of fiction seemingly
with ease and without effort, and being
all unconscious OF the numbers who
yearly perish IN the hard struggle to
gain the shores of success. and are
therefore unheard OF and unknown,
she resolved to embrace literature as
a calling. To pen short stories for
children, biographical sketches and
articles on subjects OF the day, was to
one endowed with her gifts but the
least part of the difficulty before her.
To dispose OF them became an arduous
task. for no one desired to read. much
less to accept them.
Many a mile she walked from office
to Office, which, with a fiuttering heart
and oyerstrung nerves h entered to
offer manuscripts over which she had
spent much time. always hoping she
might find acceptance. Money was ter
ribly needed by her. The result was
ever the same. Each magazine or
journal had its own staff OF contrib
utors: hundreds of stories were waiting
for consideration. The supply was
greater than could be exhausted for
years. And such manuscripts as she
was permitted to leave. or which she
sent by post. were, when not lost or
mislaid. invariably returned to her. I'M
I'll her spirit was well-nigh broken.
"A turn came Ia the tide OF her at
fairs when they seemed desperate. A
tale retained by a magazine for owe
twelve months at last saw the light
or publication. Reviews spoke of its
truth TO nature. pathos, and originality
Of plot. A second story was accepted
by the same magazine, and an editor
who had returned her stories n es-
ass unread, requested her to send him
some articles. Those he had previous
iy rejected were posted to him and
paid for within a week.
Slowly and gradually her name be-
gan to grow familiar to the public; with
appreciation came courage to persevere.
and putting forth all her strength, she
- " 80 ~ y - A8 IA
FITS pages, her own life. This had been
published by George Bostock. It's
success was Immediate, her name be-
came famous. independence was won.
And now while lifted out OF the
storm and stress OF life. and beginning
to bask In the sunshine OF ~hard-earned
success, her husband, after years OF alb
sence, returned to claim the benefit of
her changed fortunes; returned q worn
out wreck, a hardened ~adventurer, q
confirmed rogue. For her own sake,
and for the sake OF her child. she pro-
sSSs-a a5fsTsf ssafIirt 7fIiIry unuvsuc-
coed In buying for q considerable sum,
his consent to a legal separation. which
she could otherwise have obtained had
h brought the incidents Of her life
into court. And for five years she
heard Of him no more until at the
period the story opens. she received n
demand for money 10 which she paid
no heed, nor had she seen him mean
while until that terrible night--his
last on earth.
The CHASTITY horror of that scene
came back to her afresh with all it's
terrihle possibilities for her future and
her heart sank, Weighted by despair
within her. For a ome 1t seemed
she had 10 courage to meet the appal-
ling accusation which would be brought
against her; nj strength 70 assert her
innocence until the memory OF her
depths OF her stricken soul, she prayed
for aid that she might meet thfs dark
misfortune. that her Innocence should
be made plain to the world.
When breakfast was brought, she
drank some coffee. but could not eat:
nor did she talk. her mind was now
busy with plans. ~surinises. possibtli-
AZ 1aaf vornntr~ safa.