Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-12-08

could see only the ono way out OF it,
Late as was the li3Ur when we got
through, l went of to the house OF tile
iceman to see il could not melt his
cold heart | found it OF different ma
terial from his ice. 1T g"tw colder all
the time instead OF melting. He Ut
terry refused to recede from his posi-
ton. When | said that the blow
would kill Marie and me liz offered to
make the price of our ice 30 cents
hundred for the next season but that
was the best he would 60.
".Base vilainr Kissed Mary.
.>ordid wretch. Missed Tillie.
1T was terrific struggle between
love and duty, but duty finally pre-
vailed. After being in bed for Il
mouth with brain fever | sent for tia
iceman and agreed to his terms. He
brought his daughter right over in his
ice wagon and we were married. and
the forged check was given to father
to tear up.
"'What a noble SOM whispered
Mary.
"'What "a heroic sacrifcer whisper
ed Tillie.
~ week later. when | was Il little
stronger, / wrote to Marie. There
were 100 pages OF foo!scap. but | can
recall every line and word | hid moth
ing from her, but told her the solemn
truth l told her how it wrenched my
heart, but that there was hope ahead.
In the course OF Il year | would put
rusty nails around where my wife
must step on them and meet her death
by lockiaw and then | would fly to
France and make my love my own. l
received no reply to my letter-nOt
from Marie. Her mother wrote that
upon receiving my epistle the dear girl
had started for America on a tramp
steamer with the object Of killing her
self OH my doorstep and that l should
look out for her coming.
"'Tillie. did we ever rcad anything
like it in a novel? asked Mary
mo, dear. we never did replied
Tillie.
For three long years l looked for
the coming Of sweet Marie. but she
came not. | had an alarm bell at
tached to the front steps, so that if she
came in the night | would be awaken
ed But the bell never rang. | hated
the woman | had married. and she
mated me. | kept house in the hall and
he in the parlOr, and we never met
when we could help 1t. Il realized that
my life was wrecked, and father was
a broken and pennilesS man. Driven
to desperation al last II
Don't say that you murdered your
wife" pleaded Mary.
IF he did and did it gently l for
one will forgive him. answered Tillie.
mo, | did not murder her. She
was lying i'll With the humps when
lightning struck the house and brought
her end. What was left of it was
seized next day 10y the sheriff for debt,
my father was sent 70 Blackwells is
land for six months for breaking
show window, and in my loneliness
and desperation took to the road
"'And have you never found your
Marie? Didn't she come to American
THAT is why / grieve and grieve
and refuse to be comfOrted. | learned
that she did reach these shores and
started for my home and then sud
denly turned up missing. No one can
tell me tonight where she is. She may
be a waitress in a summer hotel, or
she may be wandering the highways
and byways in the moonlight and call
ing my name. Some day | may meet
her. Some night when the moon rides
high and the whippoorwills sing may
clasp her to my breast again 1t is as
Providence wills. can only wait
"The two old maids sighed and
wiped the tears frOla their eyes and
insisted that l occupy the parlor bed
room that night and sit with them at
breakfast. | thought | was in for a
good thing for about a week, but when
l went out to the barn the hired man,
whose jealousy had been aroused,
gave me humping and kicked me
off the farm. and / have never seen
those good ladies since
NJ. QUAD.