Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-03-07
DAILY SHORT STORY
LIFE LINES CROSSED.
[Original.1

|
and at times becoming entangled with
| each other.
My father had been a wealthy New
Yorker, but in some way-I never knew
how-his fortune had been diverted
from my mother and me. her only
child. She would not permit me to look
into the closet where lurked the family
| skeleton. Others knew what / was 1g-
norant of, and often 1 would notice
persons regarding me with an express
sion in which pity seemed to be min
gled with indignation.
AS grew up developed a talent for
music, and at my mothers death had
| sufficient funds to enable me to study
abroad. On my return 1 gave music
lessons, by which means L made q
scant support. / was alone in the
| world, having no brothers or sisters,
and my lot was hard one. had been
| told by my mother that at my birth it
was expected / would some day be one
| of the wealthiest women in New York.
/ remembered this, and it made my eff
| forts to exc out living only the more
intolerable.
Among those to whom / gave lessons
was the daughter Of a wealthy man
| named Shanklin. He was one of the
new rich and, not having either the
| time or the taste to make q handsome
home for himself, had bought n house
with everything in it just as it stood
| at the death of the owner, a widow
The first time 1 entered the premises
was with n singular feeling. 1t seemed
that had been in some house very like
JQrrt xx-lhn, NtI,D
what part of my life had been in it
l could in no way determine
Now, / shall account for this feeling
presently, but there IS another circum-
stance that I cannot account for.
can show coincidence, but the under
lying reason is one of those mysteries
which, if ever solved must be solved
by what 1 may call the science of soul.
Over the mantel in the drawing room
was the portrait of beautiful woman
in the prime of life. The moment l
looked at this portrait l was seized
with the most bitter repugnance. 1t
seemed as if the original were doing
me some great injury from which /
could not escape. Never before nor
since have l felt desire to kill any
one as 1 desired to kill the original OF
this picture. Yet l was fascinated with
the beautiful face, the wealth Of flaXen
hair, the soft blue eyes Why 1 should
feel hostility to a face that was look
ing down on me benignly 1 could not
divine.
The music room opened into the
drawing room, and often went into
the drawing room alone. One day
VIII -
to me that the eyes were looking to-
ward an antique desk directly oppo-
site. 1 went over and sat in the chair
before the desk. Why 1 did SO 1 do
not know. Presently l turned and be
gan to rummage the drawers. While
doing SO struck my knuckle against
bit Of carved work, and a drawer flew
open. 1t contained two papers, one OF
which opened and read.
l need not give the text of this docu-
ment. 1t was the narrative of the
daughter of an English army officer
who had come to America and taken a
position as governess. A married man
who visited the house where she was
employed had fallen in love with her
and had insisted on divorcing his wife
and marrying the governess. The man
was of strong will and induced her to
comply. The deserted wife gave birth
to n daughter only few weeks before
the marriage of her husband with her |
rival.
The second wife seemed from the |
narrative to have been a very unhappy |
woman. She was ignored by her fam |
lily in England, which was aristocratic. |
She was received by the society of New |
York, but the fBiendS of the woman |
she had supplanted never lost an OPP |
portunity to slight her. 1t appeared |
that she was good at heart, but had |
been led by the man who loved her. |
At his death he made her all the atone
ment he could by leaving her his entire |
property.
His widow, now possessing an enor-
nous fortune, found herself alone in
the world and, uninfuenced by the
husband, not only gave vent to remOrse
at having broken up and despoiled a
family, but made an effort to find the
child that had been born while she was
doing so. The narrative ended with
mention of this effort.
/ had no sooner taken up the other
paper than / saw that it was will.
and my establishment was great to see
my own name written in it. Then I
read that this person of my name was
left all the testator's property. The
matter being unintelligible to me, I
took both papers to Mr.. Shanklin. On
reading them ne looked at me wonder
ingly, then asked me number of Ques-
tons. Finally he said to me: This,
happen to know, is the latest will dis
posing of your fathers property by his
second wife, who left it to you instead
of her relatives, who claimed it. /:
bought this house from her. 1t is the
house in which you were born. The {:
testator's portrait hangs in the drawing
room. The estate has not yet been
turned over to the claimants, and 1
shall, If you wish. instruct my lawyer
20 or,to,. fhic will IN 1.nr1r hahnlfn