The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1913-05-30

All he did was to utter a grunt that
might have meant anything and was
consequently safe.
That's what his marriage has done
for him, and that's the state that wom-
an has ground him down to. She'd
worked on him till she'd got him to
come up here and ask for it few
minutes before the people began to
arrive! That's what she made him
dol"
"And you wouldn't give it," he in
quired mildly, inwardly surprised. as
he had been often before, at the ram
cor displayed by women in their quar-
rels.
Give it?" she exclaimed, well, I
guess not. 1t would have been my
surrender. I'd have thrown up the
| fight forever if did that" And then
as If she had read his thoughts: Its
not natural meanness either. There's
only one hope for me-for me and for
| Dominick, too. Divorce"
He did not move it's chin from its
resting-place in his up-curled hand,
but made slight asserting motion
with his head, and said:
II suppose that's the only thing"
That's been my hope since the day
when l first saw her. I didn't know
then she'd been anything to Dominick
before the marriage, but knew the
first look l had at her what she was.
That long, mean nose and those sly
eyes, and seven years older than the
boy If she was a day. You didn't
have to tell me any more. saw then
just like flash in the dark what my
son had let himself in for. And then,
not month after, l heard the rest
about her, and l knew that Dominick
had started in to ruin his life about
the best way he knew how"
Cannon gave another grunt, and
this time 1t contained a recognizable
note of sympathy. She went on, alb
sorbed in her recital, anxious to pour
out her griefs, now that she had be
gun.
Right there from the start
thought Of divorce. 1 knew it was the
only way out and was bound to come
In time. The woman had married
Dom1n1ck for money and position.
knew that, saw it in her face along
with other things. There was no love
In that face, just calculation, hard ant
sharp as meat ak. l shut down OF
the money right there and then. Dom
mick had three thousand a year, 81
l knew he couldn't starve, but three
thousand a year wasn't what shed
married him for"
She's got along on it for over two
years."
That's it. She's beaten me so far
I'm the keeper Of Con Ryan's fortune
and / just closed my hand on it anl
said to her in so many words, Not ;
cent of this for you 1 thought she't
tire of struggling along in fiat will
one Chinaman and not a soul to com,
near her. But she's stood it and She,
going to go on standing it. Wher'
she's concerned, l did something tn,
smartest men and women sometimes
do-underrated the brains of my en-
envy"
She's pretty smart, l guess" sait
Cannon, raising a gravely-comment
ing eye to his companions face.
That's what she is-smart ant
Ilong-headed. She's more far-sightet
than women Of her kind usually ar
and she's got her eye on the for
/ tnno She's f0 oix .
chance for divorce. She's not goin,
to make any breaks or mistakes
There's not more respectable WON
an in San Francisco. She doesn't g,
with any one but her husband and he
own sisters, two decent women tina
you can't believe have the same bloc,
in them. She's the quietest, most dc
nestle kind Of wife. 1t don't mat
ter. and nobody knows, that She
making her husband the most miser
able man in the country. That doesn'
cut any Ice. What does is that there
no ground for divorce against her. !
she had the kind Of husband tina
put up with anything from a woman
all he could do would be to leave he
and she'd go around then getting ev
erybody's sympathies as a virtuous
deserted wife,"
The old man gave his head an az
preciative jerk, and murmured:
"a pretty smart woman, all right
She's all that-that and more. IT.
the future that she's banking on. In
nearly seventy years Of age, Bill Can
non, and this has broken me up NOR,
than anything that's gone before. In
not the woman l was before my DO.
married. And what's going to hap
pen when I die? I've only got tw,
living children. Outside them there
nobody but some distant relations tina
Con made settlements on before h,
died. If left all I've got to Cornelia
or divided it up between Cornelia ant
charity, cutting off my son becaus'
he'd made a marriage / didn't like
would such will as that stand? VIII.
had l left nothing to my only son
Because he'd married woman
didn't think good enough? And wha
was there against her? She'd been ;
typewriter and her husbands mis-
tress for six months before he mar
ried her. The mistress part Of It hal
been condoned by marriage and goo,
conduct-and after all, how man.
families in San Francisco and othe
places were founded on just thos'
beginnings? AS for her being type
writer, Della Ryan herself had beer
washerwoman, washed for the min
ers with these hands; she held GU