The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-04-29
CHAPTER xxx.
A Letter From the Dead.

Letter From the Dead.
was living alone at the Willard.
Soon after the death Of Burbank's
wife, his sister and brother-in-law. the
Gracies, had come with their three
children to live with him and to look
after his boy and girl. Trouble be-
tween his family and mine, original.
ing in some impertinences of the old.
est Oracle girl, spread from the chill.
dren to the grown people, until. when
he went into the White House. he and
were the only two on speaking
terms. | see now that this situation
had large influence on me in holding
aloof and waiting always for over.
lures from him. At the time thought
as no doubt he thought also, that the
quarrel was beneath the notice of
men.
At any rate my family decided not
to come to Washington during his first
winter in the White House. 1 lived
alone at the Willard. One afternoon
toward the end of February re-
turned there from the senate and
found Woodruff, bad news in his face
What is it," l asked indifferentIy
for I assumed 1t was some political
tangle.
Your wife-was taken-very ILL
very suddenly, he said. His eyes told
me the rest.
If had ever asked myself how this
news would affect me, l should have
answered that it would give me a sen.
sation of relief. But, instead of re.
lief, felt the stunning blow of wave
of sorrow which has never wholly re.
coded. Not because 1 loved her-that
never did. Not because she was the
mother of my children-my likes and
dislikes are direct and personal. Not
because she was my wife-that bond
had been CALLING. Not because was
fond Of her-she was one Of those
cold, angry natures that forbid az
lection. No; l was overwhelmed be.
cause she and l had been intimates.
with all the closest interests of life
in common, with the whole world.
even my children, whom | loved pas.
sionately. outside that circle which
fate had drawn around us two. l i'm.
agine this is not uncommon among
married people-this unbeatable break
in their routine of association when
one departs. No doubt it often passes
with the unthinking for love belatedly
discovered.
She did not suffer" said Woodruff
gently. 1T was heart disease. She
had just come in from a ride with
your oldest daughter They were rest
ing and talking in high spirits by the
library fire. And then-the end
came-like putting out the light"
Heart disease! Often I had noted
the irregular beat of her heart-a
throb, long pause, a fiutter, a short
pause, throb And l could remem-
Der that more than once the sound
had been followed by the shadowy ap.
pearance, in the door of my mind OF
one OF those black thoughts which try
to tempt hope but only make it hide
in shame and dread Now, the mem.
DRY of those occasions tormented me
into accusing myself of having wished
her gone. But it was not so.
She had told me she had heart trou
Bile; but she had confded to no one
that she knew it might bring on the
end at any moment She left a let
ctr, sealed and addressed to me:
Harvey: I shall never have the cour-
age to tell you, yet I feel you ought to
know. I think every one attributes to
every one else less shrewdness than he
possesses. I know you have not given
nae the credit of seeing that you did not
love me- And you were so kind and
considerate and so patient with my
moods that no doubt I should have been
deceived had I not known what love is.
think, to have loved and to have been
loved develops in a woman a sort or
sixth sense-sensitiveness to love. And
that had been developed in me, and when
1t never responded to your efforts to de-
ceive me, l knew you did not love me-
Well, neither did I love you, though 1
was able TO hide ii from you. And 1t has
often irritated me that you were so I'M
observant You know now the cause OF
many of my difficult moods, which have
seemed causeless.
l admired you from the first time
We met. I liked you. I have been proud
of you. would not have been the wife
OF any other man in the world I would
not have had any other father for my
children. But have kept on loving the
man I loved before I met you.
Why? I don't know. l despised him
for his weaknesses. I should never have
married him, though mother and Ed
both feared I would think loved him
because knew he loved me. That is
the way it is with women-they seldom
love Independently. Men like to love;