Year: 1871


any longer. You are altogether too
headstrong and suspicious, and
won't even listen. to the advice Of
your friend"


At this point her discourse was
interrupted by a sudden stir in the
crowd-NIrs. Morrison had tainted.
The captain and I carried her to s
sofa and sprinkled water in her
face, but it was some time before
she regained consciousness, and
not until after the clairvoyant had
come out Of her trance.


The next morning the boat got
to St. Louis. put up at the Plan
ter's as usual, and so did DR.. John
son and his lady friends. I had
several business commissions to at
tend to and did not see anything of
them for several days. But one
evening as I was going to my room
little Willie came running along
the hall Che had taken a fancy to
me on the boat, sobbing as if his
heart would brock.


"Why what's the matter, Willie,
my boyy" I said, taking him up in
nay arms.


All could make ont from his
broken speech was that somebody
had "hurted" his mamma, and that
she was crying "dreffel hard and
wouldn't speak to him"


A sudden impulse came over me
to offer my friendship to Mrs. Nor
rison and thwart the plans of John
son if possible, for I felt convinced
that he had occasioned her tears.
While I was thinking how to do
this without wounding her delicacy
she came out in the hall looking for
Willie. He ran up to her eagerly,
dragging me along, and 1 was real
ly shocked at the change in her ap-
pearance. She was thinner and pal
er than when I had seen her last,
and there was q look in her kind
eyes like that Of a hunted animal
at bay. I can't tell how it was that
I gained her confidence so readily,
but we had been talking ten min
utes before she began to tell me of
her troubles. My white hair and
venerable appearance had some
thing to do with it probably, q am
not so old as I look, however, and
then, too, her need of a friend was
urgent and imperative.


She couldn't get the slightest cluu
to her husband, it seemed, in St.
Louis, and was almost ready in her
despair to believe everything the
clairvoyant said. But the idea of
marrying another man was abhor-
rent to her, and DR.. Johnson was
continually urging her to this step,
mingling threats with persuasion
and alleging the impossibility Of his
remaining her friend otherwise
This net has been subtly laid. He
had placed her under pecuniary OBJ
legations that CALLED her womanly
spirit and made it the harder to re-
ject his proposal. She didn't want
him to think her ungrateful, nor
could she forget that he had be-
friended her in her time of sorest
need. True, he was ungenerous
enough to remind her of this fact;
but even that did not cancel the OBJ
legation. Then, too, he promised
to care for and educate Willie; and
love for her child pleaded strong in
the mothers heart.


johnson was going to Chicago
the next day and was coming to her
in the morning for final decision.
If she refused to accompany him
thither as his wife, then all was at
an end between them. But what
was she to do in st. Louis, alone
and penniless? For she was a
weak, fragile little creature, untitled
to battle with the world, as Jonn-
son well knew.


Yet I didn't hesitate as to the
advice I should give her, although
I felt doubtful whether she would
follow it, for, in spite Of her reluct-
ance to marry Johnson, I could see
from the way she told her story
that he had gained an influence
over her truly wonderful I prom
ised, however, to do all I could for
her if she remained in st. Louis,
and besought her not to commit
the sin Of marrying this man from
a mistaken sense of duty.


Stranger as she was, I was SO
much interested in her fate that I
couldn't sleep for thinking oft, and
it was late the following morning
when I went to breakfast. I sat
down opposite a traveller, sunburnt
and coarsely attired, but honest and
genial looking.


We entered into conversation,
and there was something in his
voice and manner that seemed
strangely familiar, although I
couldn't recollect that had ever
seen him before. But it came over
me like a fash of light, when he
spoke of having just returned from


Il