Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1913-07-19
a country newspaper. This is what
he read:

he read:
Omaha. Feb. 19-(Special) tine body
of a woman was found by the police this
morning In a nearly empty room in the
Blank tenements- She evidently had
died OF hunger and cold There was no
fire in the room and signs OF FOOD
The woman had been there only few
days and none of the neighbcrs knew
who she where she came from
There was nothing on her person to in
dictate her name or identity with the ex-
ception of a worn gold ring-probably a
wedding ring inscribed on the inside,
'Mary-Guy." She was a woman about
IS and bore evidences OF having once
been beautiful woman. although hard
ship and sorrow had left deep marks
upon her. Her hair once was a sunny
brown, but heavily streaked with
gray. Her eyes were a violet blue The
body was taken to the county morgue-
her identity.
Underneath this commonplace dis
patch Williams had placed a dash and
added this:
Palladium has ascertained that there lies
back of it bitter tragedy. The woman
once was Mary Bell and lived near Ham
ilton, O., with her parents on a comfort
able farm. One day there came into
her life young printer named Guy Will
iams. He was master of his trade and
his line. He wooed the sunny-haired
maiden and won her. The young couple
started out under the most favorable
auspices They were devotedly attached
to another and the young man was
able to earn enough so they lived in
con2fort-even luxury. From his savings
a home was built and paid for and the
future stretched out before them with no
apparent shadow across the golden
promises.
But there was a shadow and it fell
beri mi n bR n
the young man was the curse of the
alcoholic appetite and something more
a sort of natural depravity not to be
counted for on any reasonable hypothe-
sis. This hydra-headed demon awoke
and claimed Williams for his own. With
sure rapidity the young printer slid down
and bestiality. The earnings became less
and were used in his debauches. The
home went presently and they lived first
in flats then in tenements.
With the fatuous loyalty of womankind
Mary chung to the sweetheart of her
youth. Now and then she would lead
him to abandon his ways and then would
ensue some weeks of happiness and hope
but ultimately he would return to his
begin again her efforts to reclaim him.
Her parents died and her small patri-
n1ony soon went the way of the rest
Finally he was unable to hold a job in
the town where they always had lived
and was compelled to go away to find
work. This was easy enough because of
hold a job but short time and soon be-
came a tramp printer, wandering from
town to town. picking up work enough
to keep himself alive and in liquor. AT
first he little money to her from
time to time but finally ceased even to do
this
and followed him from town to town, Hv-
ing, heaven knows how. Once in a while
she would prevail on his better nature
and he would try to be decent for few
days or weeks but these periods never
lasted long and became more and more
lnfreQuent.
At last she has found rest and peace
while somewhere on this earth the guilty
wretch who threw away her priceless
love. broke her heart and murdered her
as surely as though he had plunged
knife into her, wanders in shame and
degradation, despised of men, hating
himself. without hope, without self-re-
istence and yet suffering the torments of
the damned every minute he lives. 1t is
death of his victim will have further
effect than to move him to a moment Of
maudlin tears.
Old Bently stared at the proof with
unseeing eyes for some minutes after
finishing it. He was aroused by an
outburst from the foreman who feared
not even the old man when it came to
his daily race with the clock. where's
that last proof" he shouted.
Its o. K; let it co. replied old
Bently slowly.
1t was more than two years before
we saw Bud Williams again and when
he came in everybody gasped in sur
prise. He was sober clean and we'll
| dressed and bore himself with an air
of quiet dignity totally foreign to the
| Bud of the old days. He went straight
| to old Bently who was bending over
the forms trying to show the foreman
| how to get 80 inches of advertising
next to "a inches of reading matter.
'Ain't got a case today-nothing do
| ing" he growled as he looked up.
Don't want a case" replied Bud.
| pulling a great wad of banknotes from
| his pockets. 'I have saved enough to
| put a monument over Mary's grave
| and-and-I though you might be
| willing to go over to Omaha and help
| me do it. I don't know much about
such things
There was dead silence in the shop.
The audacity of the thing was para
Lying. The old man gazed at Bud in
q startled sort of way for a minute.
I'll do it, he said. Meet me at
| the eight-thirty in the morning-and
I've got plenty OF transportation
When he returned old Bently told
of the beautiful shaft of pure white
/ m rhIo fhev had selacted and the sim