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

CHAPTER. XII. ~. -
Gordon smiled at James. "God bless
you, boy!' he said. ...
"'What possible difference do you
think that could make?' demanded
James, hotly. "Could that poor little
girl help it?'' $500. -.
men might object, and with reason, to
marrying a girl who came Of such stock
on her fathers side"
81 am not one Of those men, -
emo, don't think you are, but it is
Sere yoS That man Who '3 Was bared
this afternoon was simply unspeakable.
He was monstrosity of perverted mo-
rality. 1 cannot even bring myself to
tell you what know Of him. cannot
even bring myself to give you the least
hint Of what my poor young sister,
Clemency's mother, suffered in her
brief life with him. You may fear
heredity-'' i
c,s ~Msfsaity' nothins' Don't I know
*s myself really think that you have
nothing whatever to fear. Clemency is
her mothers living and breathing i'm
age as far as looks go, and as far as
I can judge in the innermost workings of
her mind. I have not seen in her the
slightest faint from her evil father, tho
horror as the years have passed. After
she was born l Struggled her away by
night, and gave out word that the child
had died at the same time with the
mother. There was private funeral,
and the casket was closed. had hard
work to carry it thru successfully, for
was young in those days, and broken
hearted at losing my sister, but carry
it thru I did, and no one knew except
fr11c f0I hnr 0hl
to do so, and I fear that she has be-
trayed me. I established practice
in another town in another state, and
there I met Clara. She has told me
that she informed you of the fact that
she was my wife, but not Of our rea-
sons for concealing it. Just before we
! were married [ became practically GER
tain that Clemenacy father had gained
in some way information that led him
to suspect, if not to be absolutely GER
tain, that his child had not died with
his wife. I had widowed sister, Mrs.
Ewing, who lived in Iowa with her
only daughter just about Clemency 8
age. Just before our marriage she de-
cided to remove to England to live with
some relatives of her deceased husband.
They had considerable property, and
she had very little. [ begged her to 90
secretly. or rather to hint that she was
going east to live with me, which she
did Nobody in the little Iowa village,
so far as knew, was aware of the fact
that my sister and daughter had gone
to England, and not east to live with
me-. Clara and [ were married private
ly in an obscure little western hamlet,
and came east at once. We have lived
in various localities, being driven from
one to another by the. danger of Glenn
ency's father ascertaining the truth;
and my wife has always been known as
Mrs. Ewing, and Glemency as her
slant watchfulness and deception, and
[ have been bound hand and foot. Even
had Clemency's father not been 50 ex-
ceedinglY careful that it would have
been difficult to reach him by legal
methods, there was the poor child to be
considered. and the ignominy which
would come upon her at the exposure
of her father. I have done what T
could. I am naturally man who hates
deception, and wishes above all things
to lead a life with it's windows open
and shades up, but I have been forced
into the very reverse. Ny life has
been as closely shattered and curtained
as my house. have been obliged to
force my own wife to live after the
secrecy is removed, but as far as she
is concerned, the truth must still be
concealed for Clemency's sake. It must
not be known that that dead man was
her father, and the very instant we let
20 one thread Of the mystery the whole