Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-12-16

called to Professor Lyall's quarters. He
found Mrs Peckham lying on bed in
a high state of nervous excitement.
Mrs. Lyall told the doctor, before he
saw the patient. the story her niece
had told her, and he did not permit the
invalid TO go over it again. He said
that the expectation for a long while
that her husband would at any time
participate in a naval engagement and
the excitement attending the recent
fight had been a strain upon her nerves
that had produced hallucination. He
prescribed Il sedative and left direc
tons that she was to be kept quiet.
But Mrs. Peckham did not recover
from the strain as soon as was expect
ed. And one morning something oc-
Cured to give her a terrible back set.
A telegram from Key West appeared
in morning paper stating that little
naval tender. commanded 10y Leslie
Holt, had been wrecked on one Of the
keys and all on board had been lost.
Mrs. Lyall kept this news from her
niece as long as she dared, hoping the
invalid would gain strength and there
would be less danger in communicat-
ing it to her. Finally, fearing that
Kate might hear it from others, she
told her of young Hollis death.
If anything was needed to complete
the conviction that the wrath of the
man who had told her she had wrecked
his life had visited her. the announce
ment of his death supplied it. A sub
seQuent letter however, from Peckham
cd RI 1ferhfnV hn h1nxu a "a Fa1f
that the matter had no reference to
her husband; it was between her and
Leslie Holt. She considered it a pun
ishmeHt for having trifed with him
and brooded and brooded, and all eff
forts on the part of her friends 10 con
vince her that there was nothing in it
except a creation of her own brain I'M
der nervous strain were fruitless.
In time Peckham came north, and II
was hoped that his presence would life
the cloud that hung over his wife. It
helped her, but did not cure her. She
went about as before, but how chang
ed, What a sad sight is Mrs. Peck
ham," said one of the men with whom
she had trif1ed-one Of the older ones,
an officer The matter proves the in
of us were attentive to her. Wicked
people are not remorseful. The tender
consciences are usually to be found in
innocence. Had she been a heartless,
a wicked fiirt, the fact that she had
wrecked a mans life would have pleas
ed her. Instead Of this, his telling her
that she had wrecked his life wrecked
hers. He should not have said such
a thing to her. and he would not have
said it had he been older and realized
the effect it would have on her.
II is a decade since this shock came
to Mrs. Peckham, and, although II has
somewhat worn away, It has left its
effects. She is still beloved. for at
heart she is the same innocent wo-
man, though very different from the
days Of her girlhood. Every one ex
ceDt herself refers the visit of the
wrath to n shock coming from over
strained nerves. She would as soon
doubt her existence as doubt the real
ity Of the visit After sufficiently re
that she not only smelled the salt air OF
the sea. but saw Leslie Holt standing
before her-not lifelike. II is true, be-
cause he was very pale. and he had
the appearance of having been in the
water. The only thing TO prove her
position was the letter she received
and the seaweed, but that disappeared
during her first shock and never was
recovered.