Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1906-03-24
CHAPTER vII.-tContinuedJ

Ills a. AAAAAf anu nbA bt hhAA Nh AAN 800
ings Of others who have not had your
privileges. My wife-poor girl!-had no
mother when l first met her, and was
totally dependent on her father for So
ciety. 1t was bad training for young
woman. for her father was a good-natur-
ed, careless fellow, always avoiding re-
sponsibility as long as was possible, and
when at last compelled 10 show authority
making up by exaggerated harshness for
bis previous neglect.
My wife was a high-spirited girl and
could not submit to the alternate fits Of
indulgence and tyranny. She was about
seventeen when / first met her, and her
fathers treatment was becoming unbear-
able. became desperately sorry for
her and suggested the only means in my
power to help her, which was to make
her my wife. 1t was foolish proceed
ing, | know, but l was young then, and
had not begun 10 look at life seriously,
or | should have asked myself how her
position would be bettered by being tied
Tor life to a helpless, penniless fellow, as
! was then. Well, we were married
privately, Of course-and for few
weeks thought we loved each other very
dearly; then she had another fearful
quarrel with her father and begged me
to take her away to home Of her own.
was earning a beggarly pittance at that
time. explained my position to her,
and advised her to wait until | had OBJ
tanned a certain appointment, of which
| was almost sure. She lost her temper,
poor child. and vowed she's never
come near me again. The very next day
was telegraphed for to England. /
wrote to her, asking her to be patient for
awhile, telling her that i would work
hard and get a permanent post now that
there was a necessity to work, and prom
ising to come back shortly to take her
from the cruelty to which she had to sub
nit.
ION my arrival in England l found
that an almost unknown uncle had left
me property amounting to nearly three
thousand pounds a year. You can i'm
agine how glad l was for my poor girls
sake. | made up my mind to surprise
her and personally communicate the good
news, so did not write. | got through
the usual legal formaites as quickly as
possible, and rushed back to Rome-only
to find them gonel Some told me they
had gone to one place, some to another
until l was utterly at loss what to do
However, traced them, after a months
search, to Naples, and then II was only
to find that her father had died few
days previously and that she had disap-
peared no one knew whittier
Il did not know any of her people
so | was compelled to search singl,
handed. For six months l went up ant
down like restless spirit In search Of
RePc GraAtllest | found hermogg gathsl
died in convent, where she had beer
teaching English. BY the help Of ser
want | obtained permission to see hei
grave. There was a plain stone with hei
name only, and the date Of her death
which took place some few weeks prior
TO my visit. Poor child l cannot con
yey to you how great a blow 1t was tC
me, and my grief was not lessened by
tho fact that she had died at enmity
with me-"
1--WE must hope she forgave you, al
though you did not see her." Ethel sale
quietly.
Polling did not answer, and there wal
silence for time. 1t was a relief wheI
Mr.. Malett spoke.
"She must have been Of most unfor
giving disposition to resent your pov
erty so bitterly, and to nurse her hatre,
in her dying moments"
Il don't think she did that-indeed
the chances are that. in her poor littl
way, she was looking for me as anxious
ly as | was for her. Ii was one of thos
strange fatalities that human foresigh
seems utterly unable to prevent"
He rose aned shook himself, as IL wish
full to put away the memories that ha,
crowded upon him while speaking of til,
long-silent past
you will think me no end of a Dor,
for annoying you with all this history
but, If you can imagine the relief il ho,
been to me to speak of it, and you hav,
any human kindness in your hearts. yo,
will forgive me for the infliction. Bu
my poor sketches? | have II! You mus
come down and spend a long day will
me on Sunday. What do you say. Mis-,
MallettT
Ethel looked perplexed. She had hone,
against hope that Jack would return ev
cry Sunday since his departure. and wen
through a torment Of expectation as tn,
day wore on. This had taken place fo
the last three Sundays; but she went n,
hoping. Her father, recognizing the aim
Guilty in which Ethel found herself. cam,
to the rescue.
IF Ethel can arrange matters, It shall
be as you wish. l can't say more: fo
it is not my affair, but hers"
Thank you very much"
Ten minutes later the captain stoo,
alone at the gate, watching the dog car
disappear down the road.
80 it's Ethe's affair."" he said
"Wel, l hope they'll come and brin,
Ethel's affair with them. l shall h
better able to judge of my own chanc
after l have seen my rival"
CHAPTER VIII