The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-31

he say she was his housekeeperY,
There was shout Of coarse laughter.
The farmer gave hateful look at
Goodman and pulled at a rank pipe,
James was furious, but he saw the
necessity of statement of some kind;
he said, "suppose there was a question
Of money"
The crowd pressed closer and gaped.
t'Money!' said Goodman.
ayes, money! pursued James reck-
lessly. "Did you never hear OF people
being opposed to marriages, rich people
I mean, and threatening to disinherit "a
not pick out for her7'
'sWas that it?' asked Goodman.
81 am not saying that it was or was
not. am not going to discuss DR..
Gordon's secrets with you: It's none
of your. business, and none my busl-
there had been {. girl years ago with
a very rich bachelor brother. Suppose
the brother had been tilted by girl.
and hated the whole lot of women like
poison, and had no idea of getting mar
ried himself, and his sister would be
his only heiress, and he had set his
foot down that she should not marry
Doc-the man she had set her heart
W upon. Suppose he went lowell, the
South Sea Islands, for the rest of his
life, to get out of sight and sound of
women like the one who had Tilted him,
told his sister before he went that if
she married the man she wanted ne
would make a will and leave MS money
away from her, build hospital or a
library or some thing, suppose she hit
upon the plan Of marrying the man she
wanted, and keeping It quiet
>"Was that it?'
"Didn't I tell you that I would not
say whether it was or notg K only
say suppose that was the case. Doctor
name of Ewing living in foreign parts.
You can see for yourself how easy it
might have BEEN ,-~
man mWhat about a6o to the gir'' asked Good
bc5 2es ba sfhsd 91g saz he That sb is no q
Doctor Gordon s NIECE
Goodman was unabashed. elbow does.
it happen her name is Ewing9' he
asked.
"Couldn It it possibly have happened
that two sisters of Doctor Gordon g
married two brotherse' James cried.
He elbowed his way out. When he was
in the buggy driving. home, he began
to realize how the fairy tale which he
had related in the store would not in
the least impose upon Clemency, how
she would almost inevitably hear Of
the statement in the papers. He won
dered more and more that Gordon
should have divulged secret which he
When he reached home he went at
once into the office, and gave Gordon
his mail and the New York paper. Cor
don glanced at it, then at James.
"Have you seen this?' he asked.
James nodded.
81 suppose you think me most incon-
sistent,"' said Gordon gloomily, "but
the truth is [ kept the secret while
Clara was alive, tho, I found I could
not, oh, God, l could not after she
was dead and gone! had not realized
knowledge her as my wife, dead or
alive: | found that when it came to
the death certificate, and the notice in
the paper, and the erection of a stone
to her memory, that could not keep
up the deception, no matter what the
consequence. My God, Elliot, l cannot
commit sacrilege against the dead!
Dead, she must have her due. anti
cipated this. There was something last
night in the Stanbridge Record, and
yesterday while you were out three re-
porters from New York came I told
them that I had done what I had for
good and sufficient reasons, which were
not dishonorable to myself or to Others,
and beyond that I would say nothing.
l suppose the poor fellows had to tax
their lamentations to fill their columns
I don't Know what the result win be
with regard to Clemency, but I could
not help it.' There was something
painfully appealing in Gordon IS look
and manner He seemed so broken
that James was alarmed. He said
everything that he was able to say to
soothe him, commended the course
which he had taken, and told him what
he had said at the store, without repeat
ing the insinuations which had led him
to fabricate such tale. Gordon smiled
bitterly. HAll your fellowmen want
of You is food for their animal appe-z
titles or their mental, - he said. They
must have meat and drink for their
stomachs, as we'll as for their curiosity
and malice. have lived here all
these years, and labored for them for
mighty poor reeompense, and sometimes
for none at all, and I'll warrant that
today [ am more in their minds than