Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-12-16
WHAT MARGARET KNEW.

/
never believed in ghosts. l never
believed in anything much except Mar
qaret Vane. | didn't even have faith in
nv OVID courage If 1 had | might have
made winning fight for her against
that wild fellow, Tom Brent, whom she
ran away with and married. | was such
man as she should have had Tor her
| husband. while he was such man as
no woman should have married Yet he
possessed that peculiar fascination over
good women which seems to be present
in every bad mah.
Margaret Nanc was rich and Tom
needed money So did /, for that mat
ter. and | worked with my pen to get it,
while Tom got his by any means which
promised profit. | loved Margaret and
told her so--many. many times. She
loved Tom Brent and | suppose he told
her thas he loved her, rs l had done, al
though that was not necessary, for when
the woman loves the man ne need say
little more than what must be said be-
fore the minister of the gospel to es
tablish the woman's claim upon him.
Brent was handsome, unscrupulous and
a drunkard but Margaret overlooked the
handicaps to happiness and became his
wife. God knows | tried my utmost to
dissuade her, but | was neither hand
some, unscrupulGus or n drunkaTd, and
my prayers awaited not.
For a year Margaret was blindly hap
ply, and Tom was unnaturally good.
Then, as if fearful that she might not
continue her affection for this reformed
creature, he swung back into the old
paths and began his old course by going
on a prolonged spree. Margaret suffered
much during this detection, but bright
ened again when he sobered.
After this he divided his DRINKS and
had them in less pronounced form, but
with much greater frequency lie also
began to gamble and to spend money in
the hundreds of ways open to. any one
who has it to spend. Margaret, of course,
was his chief source of revenue, and she
furnished him with what he asked, fool
ishly hoping that her kindness would win
him to her and hold him fast to better
things.
For five years this continued, and at
last Brent became involved in a dis
graceful scandal, in which a man was
shot, a family broken up, and several
thousands were missing, Brent's connec-
ton was not well defined, but it was
enough to compel his absence, and he
disappeared.
Margaret went down with brain fever
and for weeks hen life was despaired of.
but she rallied in time, and once more
was we'll. But how changed she was
We had always been good friends, and
now she turned to me as the one who
was nearest.
She was an orphan, and no other had a
better right to her guardianship than |
had. now that her husband had proved
unworthy of the trust she had reposcd
in him.
Six months after ne went away re.
port came through the newspapers that
he had been lost in Il hotel fire in a
northern town.
Margaret insisted on my going to in
vestigatc | found that several unrecog-
mzable bodies had been taken from the
ruins and buried, and among the luggage
saved was trunk containing effects
which eonclusiNely proved that Brent had
room in the hotel on the night of the
fire, though he had registered under a
! different name. | claimed the trunk and
took it back to MCrgaret with my story
Her mind appeared to be at rest now
and she began to improve in health and
spirits But the cruel blows had beer
struck and it was not possible that she
could be the same again
As time passed and She began to lear
more upon me, took hope once more
ana very gently led her back to the paths
we had trod in o,-.er days | must be
very careful. as | could see, and was.
| Margaret did not seem TO realize al
| first that | was her lover still, but after
many days she did, and when | asked hel
TO marry me she consented Not iov.
ously, as one whose heart knew no other
| but as one chastened ny sorrow, who fel,
/ the need of 4 comforting presence.
| We went abroad on our wedding Jour.
ney and were gone six months Wher
we came back l went to live in Mar.
garet's handsome home and there
established den" in which | worked
often far into the night. Just off thi.
den ha0 my sleeping room, and Mar.
garet had Il suite of chambers across the
/ hall There We're many times when she
wished to be alone, and | respected heI
wishes and did not disturb her.
/ Our lives moved serenely, with little
/ JOY or sorrow III them. of our own max,
/ ing. and l was content to be near Mar.
garet always. and to be her friend if
could not be quite all she wanted as Il
/ lover.
! Nane Hall, as the old house was called
had its own ghost story, as nearly all
ola houses have, but it was so vague as
to be scarcely worth considering. II
never disturbed me in the slightest. and
though | was naturally timid. neve,
thought Of ghosts haunting the place. nc
matter how late | worked
One night, however, | was made tc
think about the stories l had heard. II
was very late. and | was absorbed in q
10 | VA ~ rifinc I bol