South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-11-23
WHAT MRS. COSGROVE TOLD
MADGE ABOUT HER FAMOUS
BROTHERS LIFE.

The very air OF the Cosgrove farm
house parlor seemed vibrant with
tragedy as Mrs. CosgrOve's voice
rose in her denuneiation of the
woman who had ruined her brother
life. All around US on the walls OF
the room were the wonderful paint
ings, the work Of her brothers
genius before madness clouded his
brain u seemed a fantastic thing
to me. one hardly believable. that
the man whose hands had created
the marvellous beauty before ne was
cha6ng his life away in the little
hidden enclosure but a few rods
/ from where we sat.
Mrs. Cosgrove's voice went on
with the pitiful story. steadily, with
out a tremor. But I guessed that
under her .unmoved exterior the
woman's whole being was aAame.
Il had not seen Robert for a long
| time before the break came she
! said Before that girl came into
I his life he had come TO us Otter,
and he left these pictures with me
! from time 20 time. Some day, after
am dead. they'll make your for
/ tune he used 10 say with a gloomy
| gayety that frightened me. He was
so disappointed over his work.
poor Robert!
But after he married he was
! either ashamed TO come TO me or
she wouldn't let him. I have never
| decided which was the reason. At
| any rate I had heard nothing from,
! him for months when one of his
/ friends, poorer even than himself,
| came to us and told us that for
some time Robert had.been in a sani-
] tarium, supported by the contribu-
/ tions Of some of his friends. each of
whom needed every dollar Of his
/ own slender means. The treatment,
moreover. had done Robert no
good, and he. having found out by
! search through Roberts things. that
/ / was his sister. came TO me TO see
what was 20 be done.
! II had no means to keep him in
/ the sanitarium. and I could not bear
10 have him sent TO a state institu-
ton. This place was great deal
I lOnlier then even than now. so Mr.
| Cosgrove fixed up that little green
| house and the kennels. and built
the little house. He gave il out thai
he was raising rare flowers and
blooded dogs, and got quite repu-
] L..
ness because ne wouldn't let people
| inepeot his greenhouses.
1T was awfully hard to keep Rob
\ ert's presence "A secret at first but
since the twins got old enough "a
/ help me. and Robert has grown
| quieter. It has been comparatively
easy. And the best thing about IL
all is that everybody believes him
dead. No one. not even his wife.
| guessed the real state Of things. His
| friends who took him to the sani-
tarium. brought him here; never
| appeared in the matter at all, and
they all hated her cordially, and
could he depended on never TO graft
| fy any inquiries she might make.
! But / don't suppose she ever made
any. She disappeared shortly before
his mind broke"
\ Little Explanation.
She rose from her chair. Her
| hands went out TO the pictures on
the wall in an eloquent gesture.
And now the light seems break
| ing at last" she said joyously
Roberts fame mas come to him, his
| pictures are valuable enough To
procure the best treatment for him.
and his brain seems less clouded
/ these last few weeks than II has
been in years. Only once in a while
once since you have been here
| he gets one OF his terrible weeping
fits Of melancholia, then one of us
keeps constantly with him until he
| is over It. That is the reason for
my deception concerning the twins
| One of them was with his uncle that
day, but to avoid remark I created
the impression that both were n
breakfast
But I smell those ducks. tt would
be a sorry return for your kindness
and interest to let your dinner
burn"
She hurried out TO the kitchen.
and I sat revolving in my mind the
tragic story to which I had JUS
listened The most Of il I had
guessed. and I felt foolish little
thrill of pride at my own insight.
Dicky. Mr. COsgrove. the warden |
and the attorney came back from !
the justice court in short order. |
bringing with them tremendous an
petites for Mrs. Cosgrove's ducks, |
and the news that our case had been
set for Monday.
Mrs. COsgrovc's Suggestion.
When the warden and the attor- I
ney had left. after a dinner which /
was a revelation in the culinary art. /
the Cosgroves. Dicky and I went \
into executive session" as Dicky \
expressed Il, 70 complete our plans /
FOR the evening
7 was amused 20 see the venom /
which Mr.. Cosgrove displayed to-
ward the absent Mrs. Allis when he /
learned that instead OF being at /
tracted by him she had been DELHI |
erately planning 10 rob his house I