River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-10-24

Madame DurOqu6 kissed me at the
door, put my certificate of marriage
and the wedding ring In a silk bag
and fastened it around my neck with a
little gold chain. Then she took me
to one side, and babe me remain with
my husband and demand a hundred
thousand francs before would set
foot out of Paris, after which she
went back to her lodge.
THE father prepared then to return
with us to America. I refused to so.
and my husband, who was now
aroused, refused also to go unless l
accompanied him. l got finally the
one hundred thousand francs and we
arrived in New York. My father-in-
law, who owned railroads in a west
ern state, took us there and installed
my husband as the clerk of court in
little town built along the side OF
mountain above the fork OF river
where three railroads joined. He was
trying to make a man out of my hus-
band, he said. At his urging, ! in
vested the money which l had re-
ceived in the bonds of railroad which
he was building through the county.
1--WE lived there five years in the
smoke, the mud. the unutterable drear-
mess of this frontier village. One
day my husband fell and broke his
wrist He went to a hospital in a
neighboring town to have the bone
set, and died under the influence Of
ether on the operating table. found
in his pocket this letter, which he had
written to me before the operation"
She took one of her hands down
from her face, unlocked the bosom
of her dress, took out letter and
read it. 1t was a meager note, sort
Of memorandum to her, in the event
of any serious consequence attending
the operation. 1t told her briefly that
the money which she had invested
the railroad, reorganized it and alb
sorbed It's assets; but that there were
twenty-five thousand dollars in tin
box in the bottom of his trunk in
her room. She should say nothing to
any one and keep that money for her
own. 1t was all the provision he could
make for her.
She laid the paper before Randolph
Mason, then she took newspaper
clipping out of her purse and held 1T
in her hand.
81 found the money packed in big
bills in the tin box. In few days |
knew where my husband had got this
money"
Then she read the clipping. 1t was
an ordinary newspaper notice, recit-
ing the death of the clerk of the court,
and the fact that sum OF twenty-five
thousand dollars which had been paid
into his hands could not be discov-
cred anywhere on deposit in any of
the banks. This money he had re-
ceived under the following conditions:
The main line of the railroad belong
ing to the clerks father had con-
demned and taken the bottom lands
of the town for a freight yard, and,
the land owners refusing to take the
money allowed in the condemnation
proceedings and the circuit court not
being in session, the railroad had paid
it into the hands of the clerk of this
court.
The woman crumpled up the piece
of paper and threw it on the floor,
set her elbow on the table, pressed
her open hand once more against her
face and hurried on with her story.
my husbands office accounts were
gone over and this money could not
be found. He was presumed to have
spent It, l said nothing. 1t was
merely my one hundred thousand
francs with it's interest returned to
me, and from the very one who, in
his own fashion, had taken it. l was
glad, glad of this settlement by the
good God, glad to the very bottom of
my heart. / made ready to return to
Paris, to Madame Duroque, to life.
Then learned another thing"
She moved uneasily in her chair,
her voice sank lower, her fingers
tapped nervously on her face.
There was one honorable man in
this hideous village. From the very
day on which we arrived he did in
credible things to make life possible
for us. He got a house, servants,
everything that long patience could
secure for our comfort. l came to re-
gard him as an elder brother. My
husband would have been common
drlnkard but for him, and l should
have been stark mad from dreariness.
Well. he came to me and said that he
was the surety on my husbands bond
as clerk of the court, that II the
money could not be found the rail-
road would force him to pay it. He
was not rich, it would take all he had.
He did not believe that my husband
had used the money; it ought to be on
deposit in some bank, or locked up in
a box In some trust vault. ] set my
teeth down on my tongue and made
pretense of helping In the search.
Months passed. | remained in the
village. unable to decide between this
mans ruin and Madame Duroque."
For the first time in the torrent of
words. the woman hesitated, her voice
became almost inaudible.
ST learned also in this time thing
that / had not suspected the
man loved me. Oh, don't mean love
as have seen 1t all my life long, the
nassion of the hunter, a hunger to be
fed I mean something like religion
that carries your burdens for you and
is glad of it, that thinks of itself last.
thing like the feeling Of that old
conscierge. Mon Dieu! was mad
then! On the heels of it l learned
that Madame Duroque was Ill in