The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1913-02-07

When | me- AinswOrth the aunt ana
the bride had gone on westward. The.
couple were to be united In America.
whittier the ladies' would return In Il
few months. though the groom told me
that he would go back on my ship on
the home voyage. The affair seemed
quite unintelligible to me. Here were
two ladies travelling alone to whom the
services and companionship OF a man
should have been acceptable. he had
married one Of them clandestinely and
had separated from her to meet her in
America some months later.
Ten days later Ainsworth sailed with
me for San Francisco. He talked with
me freely about his wife, but on the
one subject connected with it calcu-
lated to excite curiosity-the necessity
for keeping the marriage from his
wife's aunt and consequently from the
world-he said nothing.
In Ainsworth's illness on the way
out l recognized a hereditary trouble
which I believed would eventually
cause his death. On the return voyage
it attacked him again. This time !
was not as fortunate as before in ar
resting 1t, and before we reached Homo
lulu | had made up my mind that he
had best remain there in a hospital.
where he could get better attention
than aboard ship. But l vas unable to.
remain with him, and he would not
leave the ship without me.
Shortly before reaching San Fran
cisco l was obliged to tell my friend
and patient that he would not be likely
to live through the voyage, and II there
was anything that needed attention
before his death he had better attend,
to it. He was not surprised, but said
that there was nothing to be done ex-
cept that he wished me to insert IA
death notice in the San Francisco pa
pers to be copied in those of New York
His wife would thus be appraised Of his,
death, which was all that was neces-
sary. She was young and would doubt
less marry again.
The day before his death he handed
me q note addressed to his wife. ask
ing me to find her and give it to her. J
wished to know If there was any need
for haste In the matter. and he said
there was not, any time within a year
would suffice. The note was sealed.
but there was no address given. Aims
worth In explanation Of this said that
90 long as his wife's aunt lived she
would be travelling, and this would
necessitate her niece being with her,
Therefore I would have to fnd her on
the wing.
On reaching port l attended to what
wei my friend had charged me to do.
and it seemed to me that my connec-
ton with him and his was ended. He
had attached 80 little importance to
the note he had given me to deliver to-
his wife that I put OF taking any
steps to accomplish its delivery from
time to time, till at last It seldom came
into my mind. Seven years passed.
during which l was constantly at sea
I regretted that l had doomed myself
to be q wanderer and wished that !
had the means with which to acquire 4
practice in some American city. The
only advance l made was in securing
q position as a physician on an Atlantic
liner.
On n of my voyages from London
to New York I was called upon to
attend a lady who was Ill in her state
room. She was suffering from '
ness induced by long care Of a relative
who had died abroad and was bringing
the body home On the same ship with
her. l didn't learn my patients name
till / had been treating her for several
days. when the stewardess referred to.
her as Miss Bradley. Without dreaming
that I had fallen in with one in whom
l had been interested l made inquiries
and discovered that my patient was
none other than Mrs. Ainsworth.
Naturally. after this discovery we
had much to interest us mutually.
Mrs. Ainsworth kept me talking con-
stantly about her husband, and before
the voyage ended explained the mys-
terry that attended their marriage. Her
aunt, whe was quite wealthy. had made
her her heir provided she would stand
by the old lady so long as she lived.
This, Of course. precluded marriage.
Ainsworth had Joined them in Hong
kong for the purpose Of persuading her
to marry him. She had consented to do
20 on impulse. AS to their future moth
ing had been decided when thay part-
ed. II the wife left her aunt for her
husband she must give up a fortune. 1t
was possible that had Ainsworth lived
the couple might have lived apart tdli
the aunt died. She had q mania for
travelling and had dragged her niece
all over the globe with her. The old
lady had finally died sin London, and
her niece had at last acquired the for
tune for which she had paid a good
price.
b~ethought myself Of the note Aims
worth had given me for delivery, but !
had long ceased to carry it with me at
sea. so I took the lady's address and
agreed to take It to her after reaching
port.
When my ship sailed again l did not
sail with her. had delivered Aims.