Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-06-05
DAILY STORY.
A DESPERATE REMEDY.

|
obsequiously, and the lady alighted
and went into the house, the landlord
! following
What can l do for your ladyship:"
he asked, bowling and giving his hands /
Il waterless washing.
"Find me a husband"
The landlord laughed.
Il am in earnest. Find me hus-
band"'
! There are no gentlemen here worthy
| of so fine lady"
"A husband, l say, and be quick |
| about it,
The lady stamped her foot, and the |
| landlord went out. In half an hour he |
returned with the Information that |
there was but one man III the town |
John HarriS-WhO could be had for the |
purpose at such short notice, and he |
was a miserable creature who did odd |
jobs for n living. The lady NJ once |
| gave orders that the man should be |
! brought to her with some one auth. y
| lied TO perform the marriage core
mony. Harris and a justice of the
peace We're produced. The groom.
dirty and half drunk, stood up beside
the lady. and they were married. The
bride gave her husband a couple of
hundred sovereigns, then. having set
tied with the magistrate and the land
lord. received her marriage certificate
and, returning to her carriage, was
driven away.
About an hour after her departure Il
gentleman, mounted, came galloping
, into the town. inquired if n lady in Il
coach had been seen passing through
the place, and when he learned tsat
she had married there he SwOre for ten
minutes without cessation. Then he
turned his horses head and rode back
, in the direction from which he came.
To go back thirty years. Squire
Gearing. rich country gentleman of
I forty, fell i'll love with and married
Aida Darby, beautiful girl half his
own age. \ daughter Gwendolin, was
born to the couple, and the mother
died soon after. When Gwendolin was
sixteen the squire died, leaving her
immense possessions and guardian.
, Roger Millbank, a middle aged man III
, whose business judgment the squire
- had every confidence.
Gwendolin, being very attractive and
possessing great wealth. was sought in
marriage by every young man in the
! county. but her guardian had other
r plans for her. He wished to marry
her himself GwendOlin had no desire
: to marry any of her SuitorS till Hugh
!, Beardslcy. n young artist, came along,
- with whom she fell desperately III
o love. But Millbank was watching her
| Before any betrothal had come about
: between Beardslcy and GwcndOlin, at
r 4 time when the artist was CndcavOr-
4 ing to so far conquer his pride as to ask
q the hcireSS to be his wife. AIilIbank
+ handed him forged letter from Gwen
r. dolin stating that she agreed with her
Y guardian that it was best she should
never see him again. Bcardsley went
away without seeing GwendOlip. who
knew nothing of his reasons.
~ Meanwhile Millbank. finding it i'm
. possible 10 marry his ward by persua-
\ sion, resolved to DO so 10y persistent
~ effort. One evening he went 10 her
e home, taking with him a number of
~ hired persons and. turning off Gwen
u dolin's household, shut her up in Il suit
=. Of apartments on an upper floor, put
4, ting her and the house under the con
~ troll of an old woman, to whom he
n promised Il large stipend if she should
PC guard the girl so carefully rs to pre-
10 vent her escape. After that he visited
II. Gwendolin frequently. told her that he
NJ was induced to act as he did because
NJ he was madly in love with her and
10 implored her to yield and marry him.
A year passed. when one day a little
painting came from her former lover
accompanied by letter asking her tc
lg accept the picture as a memcnto of the
,c few happy days they had spent togeth
81 or and mentioning the letter he had
be been given from her hy her guardian
to He added that he was married ant
i'll loved his wife deyotedly.
81 Gwendolin had never loved any one
but Beardsley and after his disappear
ance had little preference as to whom
she should marry. AIillbank was begin
n. ming to convince her that what he die
Of was from n sort of insanity Of love
no and she was beginning to think o
- yielding when she learned that he ha(
On been she cause of her lover Ieavin:
,1o her. From that moment she resolve,
! to make her escape and put it out o
nj the power of her prosecutor to attain
- his ends. But even if she could cffec
y, the first of these resolves how coult
- she effect the latter? A realization o
-. the villainy there was in the man caus
ed her to fear him. She broOded owe
how she might avoid being his wife til
the feeling grew upon her that h
would in the end conquer
When Millbank came again she pre-
ii tended to be convinced that his mar
w ner of wooing had attracted instead 0
w. repealed her and gave him hope, but a
vi once demanded her freedom from in
oh prisonment. This was granted. bu
lay Gwendolin felt that should she leav
her grounds Millbank would be a
once notified. One morning she calle
for her carriage on pretense of MAXIM