The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-06-25

Continued from Our Last Issue
Mr.. Rochester put wine to my
lipe; tasted 1t and revived; then
ate something he offered me, and
was soon myself. / was in the
library-sitting in his charlie
IVES quite near.
.How are you now, Jane?"
"Much better, sir; | shall be
well soon"
Suddenly he turned away, with
an inarticulate exclamation, full of
passionate emotion. AS suddenly
he returned, and, before / could
prevent him, gathered me in his
arms and covered my face and
hair and throat with passionate
kisses.
At last he again placed me In
his great chair, and said quietly:
There are things you have right
to know. Can you listen to me?"
Yes, sir: for hours IL you will. =
II ask only minutes. Jane, did
you ever hear that | was not the
eldest son of my house?"
MRS. Fairfax told me SO once
"And did you ever hear that my
father was an avaricious, grasping
mani"
II have understood something to
that effect"
"Well, Jane, being so. It was bis
resolution to keep the property
together; he could not endure that
a son of his should be a poor man.
must be provided for by q
wealthy marriage. Mr.. Mason, q
West India planter and merchant,
was his old acquaintance. Mr.. Ma
son had a son and daughter; and
he would give the latter fortune
of thirty thousand pounds; that
sufficed. When left college,
was sent to Jamaica, to espouse a
bride already courted for me. A
marriage was achieved almost be-
fore | knew where was.
my brides mother | had never
seen: | understood she was dead.
The honeymoon over, ! learned my
mistake; she was only mad, and
shut up In lunatic asylum. There
( was a younger brother, too; a COM
plete idiot. The elder one, whom
you have seen, will probably be
in the same state one day. My
father and my brother Rowland
knew all this, but they thought
only of the thirty thousand pounds,
and Joined in the plot against me.
Jane, will not trouble you
with abominable details: some
strong words shall express what |
have to say. I lived with that
woman upstairs four years; her
vices sprang up fast and rank;
they we're so strong, only cruelty
could check them; and would not
use cruelty.
my brother in the interval was
dead; and at the end of the four
years my father died too. /, was
rich enough now-yet poor to hide
Gus Indulgence. The doctors now
discovered that my wife was mad.
"Jane-I approached the verge
of despair: l knew that while she
lived / could never be the husband
of another and better wife; and
tho five years my senior cher
family had lied to me even in the
particular OF her age). she was
likely to live as long as 1, being
] as robust In frame as she was in
firm In mind. Thus, at the age OF
twepty-six, was hopeless.
Zone night had been awakened
by her yells- (since the medical
men had pronounced her mad, she
had of course been shut up)-i
was a fiery West Indian night I;
being unable to sleep got up and
opened the window. My ears were
filled with the curses of the
maniac mingled with my name
Such language!-no professed har-
lot ever had a fouler vocabulary
than she: tho two rooms off,
heard every word.
"'This life,' said I at last, is
helli / have a right to deliver
myself from it II l can
"A wind fresh from Europe blew
owr the ocean and rushed thru
the open easement. / saw Hope
revive-and felt Regeneration pos
sible.
"sGo,' said Hope, and live again
in Europe; there 1t is not known
what filthy burden is bound to
you. You may take the maniac