Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-01-09

single hosiery. who brewed old fash
Toned blackberry wine and cordials for
his patients. and Tom Fielder. a young
lawyer whom he had known Oh the
coast before i'll health had sent him to
hang out his shingle in a more genial
altitude.
The latter sometimes came for a chat
with the physician, and on one of these
calls Jessica and he had met. She had
liked his Keen good humored face and
waving, slightly craving hair. She
had net him once since on the noun
tain road, and he had walked with her
and told her quaint stories Of the
townspcople. He had taken her &c
Mrs Halloran, whose heart she had
won by praise of her cherry cordial.
at brings back my boyhood," David
Stires said to her one afternoon. tap.
ping the bottle by his wheel chair.
Somehow this has the old taste"
1T is nearly gone" she said. TN
get another bottle am going for a
ride now l think it does you good
"Peforc you CO. he said. fetch my
writing case, and will dictate let
ter
She brought and opened it with a
| trouble at her heart. for the request
| showed his increasing weakness. I'm
| til today the few letters he had writ
ten had been done with his own hand.
| Thinking of this as she waited. her
fingers nervously plucked at the inside
| of the leather cover. The morocco flap
fell and disclosed slip of paper. 1t
| was Cancelled bank draft. 1t bore
| Hugh's name, and across its face in Da-
! vid StireS' grabbed hand, written large
| was the veEomouS word Forgery"
| The rco:a swan before her eyes
| Only by fierce effort could she com
| pei her pen to trace the dictated words
| Hugh's misdeed, evil as it was. had
| been to her but an abstract crime
| Now it suddenly lay bare before her, q
| concrete expression of coarse thievery
a living symbol of crafty stimulation
Scarce knowing why she did it. she
drew the draft cOvertly from it's re
ceptacle and slipped it into her bosom.
The evidence of HuGh's sin! Tha
paper must remain, as the sin thai
made it remained, the sign manual o.
her dishonor and loss. The man whose
hand had penned its lying signature
was the man she had thought slit
loved BY that act he had thrust him
self from her forever. Yet he lived
Somewhere in the world he walked il
shame and degradation beyond tn
pale of honorable living. and she wa
his wife, She was his wife. Thougl
she called herself Jessica Holme, yet il
the law his name and fame We're hers
"Look at that steady hand now. an
her hair as red as glory" said Mrs
Halloran, gazing admiringly from tn
doorstep where she had been chatting
with Tom Fielder. "Ye needn't star
yer gray eyes out. though, or she'l
stop at the joolry shop to buy We
ring-to shame We fer jest hankeriT
and sayin' nothin'."
: Fielder laughed as he crossed til
! | street, raising his felt hat CALAMITY
| the approaching rider Mrs. Hallora
was a privileged character. 1t was nc
Michael Hailoran who kept the Mour
tain Valley House popular! The oil
/ | woman hurried to the curb and tie
, the horse as JeSsica dismounted.
, How did We guess l made som
{ more this day." she exclaimed. Sur,
: If We drink it yerself, my dearie, theI
o cheeks Is all tn trademark l need
] She led the way into the little carpete
r side room, by courtesy denominate
e 1.-The parlor.'' "Tll go an put it up
g two shakes she said. "Sit We dow
an I'll not be ten minutes" So sa.
? ing, she hustled away.
e Left alone. Jessica gazed abstrac
i eddy about her. Her mind was sti
f full of the painful reflections Of ht