Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1913-07-31

STREET.-THE IOunO uS elSoci11As cl4N SNNN~-0
cringing, sickly coward, begging US
to hide him, as he had got into trou-
bic, and there was penal seryltude
awaiting him if captured. And Della
always forgaye him, and believed
in his sham repentance; she could
even pity him for the utter wreck he
was-I could not; she thought that
he was dying and might die in peace
at last. But it was only the stern
fact that he was dying that made us
charitable toward him; there was to
be an end of him, and we were glad
in our hearts; why shouldn't we have
been? Life was changing for Della;
she was young; your friend had
learned to love her; that man was
going to die; Della would be free.
Why, everything looked well with us
at last!
ct was a miserable calculation
unworthy and unnatural"
From your point of view, from
the good Christians point of view,"
she added, satirically, Il suppose 1t
was. But ours were ill-regulated
minds; we were not religious-not
two heroines out of a novel; only
two ilI-used, hard struggling, world
ly women, who knew it was for the
best that this man should pass out
of the world. He thought so, too, at
last ASK him.
perhaps l did," he replied for
himself There was nothing worth
living for, and the prison waiting;
and | thought it would be better for
the little woman. Yes. But 1 didn't
want to be murdered right off, to
make way for anybody; I never
thought of that game for an instant"
Neither did Della think of taking
your life That you understand now,
don't you?"
"That is what wish him to under
stand, Mr.. Lissamer-what | have
come back to say to YOU continued
Hyacintha; what I should like your
friend George Fairfax to know pres
entity. For Della loved him very much
indeed at last"
ga pitiable confession. Is it worth
while letting the sick man know
this?"
''He has known it all along 1t has
not shocked him-oh. he is not cas-
lily shocked"
what did it matter, if I were 60
Ing to die?" muttered Aston.
Della and-and this man-had
got to look upon death as a settled
matter, and we three talked of 1t at
all times, and arranged for 1t, and
Cor what would happen afterward."
stranger"
"Ah, we'll, we are of a strange
family >" said Hyacintha. "But even
then Della wished there was no
chance OF life for her husband,
for there were sudden rallyings Of
life in him that made our hearts
sink"
"A pretty pair! Hark at the She
wolf" said Aston, Indignantly. E
still we treated him kindly-did
our best, with our small means, to let
his last days be better than they de-
served to be. And then one day we
got a physician to come and see him
"a physician who had known my
father, and who had always been
kind to us in an emergency-and he
came one day when Della was from
home He saw him, and he told me
afterward downstairs, to my great
hot with r0ndnrQfn
Herbert Aston would recover; that
the serious symptoms were abat1ng,
and in a short while he would be out
Of danger. did not tell Aston that; l
did not tell Della when she came
I deceived them both. | said the doc
tor had pronounced his case hopeless,
for l had made up my mind that the
husband should never come back to
life; that he should go!"
Don't tell me any more" I urged.
you are discriminating yourself. |
cannot remain silent. /"
pray hear me out, Mr.. Lissamer,"
she said; II have nothing to keep
back or conceal 1t Is only fair to all
that should own the truth. 1t
seemed to me a heinous injustice
that this man should recover. 1t
would be the old cruel, awful life
again for my poor Della, I knew, to
whom life was opening out so fairly.
I made up my mind thoroughly. You
may guess I had not quite made it up
when I asked you to tell George
Fairfax not to come again; for his
coming love for my sister-was
temptation. But when I heard
George Fairfax was rich, Herbert AS
tons doom was sealed. And I am GER
tain now, sir, that 1t would have been
SO much for the best. II you had not
discovered the poison in the vial. l
am sorry-truly and deeply sorry
that you have thwarted me-"
"You are a terrible woman; you
cannot be sane," / cried.
God knows" she answered; "per-
haps my brain has turned, like the
mother's-the mother who ran away
from us, and died in an asylum,
and left us to struggle on for our