The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-06-20
!: A Desperate Remedy.
[Original.1

ford, England, and stopped at the prin-
cipal inn of the place. The landlord
came out and opened the coach door
obsequiously, and the lady alighted
and went into the house, the landlord
following.
what can I do for your ladyship?"
he asked, bowling and giving his hands
a WaterleSS washing.
"Find me a husband"
The landlord laughed.
II am in earnest. Find me hus-
bandv'
'There are no gentlemen here worthy
of SO fine lady,"
"a husband, say, and be quick
about itv'
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 in 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 living. The lady at once
brought to her with some one author
lied to perform the marriage cere-
mony. Harris and a justice of the
peace were 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
gentleman, mounted, came galloping
into the town, inquired if a lady in
coach had been seen passing through
the place, and when he learned that
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, a rich country gentleman of
forty, fell in love. with and married
Aida Darby, beautiful girl half his
own age. A daughter, Gwendolin, was
born to the couple, and the mother
died soon after. When Gwendolin was
sixteen the squire died, leaving her
Roger Millbank, a middle aged man i'll
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
plans for her. He wished to marry
her himself Gwendolin had no desire
to marry any of her suitors till Hugh
BeardSley, young artist, came along,
with whom she fell desperately in
love. But Millbank was watching her.
Before any betrothal had come about
between Beardsley and Gwendolin, at
a time when the artist was endeavor-
ing to SO far conquer his pride as to ask
the heireSs to be his wife, Millbank
handed him q forged letter from Gwen
dolin stating that she agreed with her
guardian that it was best she should
never see him again. Beardsley went
away without seeing Gwendolin, who
knew nothing of his reasons.
Meanwhile aMillbank, finding it i'm
possible to marry his ward by persua-
sion, resolved to do so by persistent
effort. One evening he went to her
home, taking with him a number Of
hired persons and, turning off Gwen
dolin'S household, shut her up in a suit
of apartments on an upper floor, put
ting her and the house under the con-
troll of an old woman, to whom he
promised large stipend if she should
guard the girl SO carefully as to pre-
vent her escape. After that he visited
Gwendolin frequently, told her that he
was induced to act as he did because
he was madly in love with her and
implored her to yield and marry him.
A year passed, when one day a little
painting came from her former lover
by letter asking her to
accept the picture as memento of the
few happy days they had spent togeth-
er and mentioning the letter he had
been given from her by her guardian.
He added that he was married and
loved his wife devotedly.
Gwendolin had never loved any one
but Beardsley and after his disappear
ance had little preference as to whom
she should marry. Millbank was begin
ming to convince her that what he did
was from sort of insanity of love,
and she was beginning to think of
Yielding when she learned that he had
been the cause of her lover leaving
her. From that moment she resolved
to make her escape and put it out of
the power of her prosecutor to attain
his ends. But even if she could effect
the first of these resolves how could
she effect the latter? A realization of
the villainy there was in the man caus-
ed her to fear him. She brooded over
how she might avoid being his wife till
the feeling grew upon her that he
would in the end conquer.
When Millbank came again she pre-
tended to be convinced that his man
ner of wooing had attracted instead of
repealed her and gave him hope, but at
once demanded her freedom from i'm