I was young and believe that was my only salvation. The world turned
suddenly as dark as death; all the sunshine and mirth had gone out of
it. That night when I went home I saw other girls laughing and talking as
if they had not a care in the world, and I wondered how they could do it.
I was still stunned by the awful blow which had fallen upon me. I might
have found a little consolation in talking to Jack, but even that was
denied me, for the attorney told me that he had been taken into custody,
arrested on the charge of seduction.
“I did not know what to do. I could not tell my parents of my marriage,
for I knew my father’s pride and sternness, and I feared he would turn me
out of doors when he knew the truth. I managed to live through the night
somehow, and dragged myself to the office the next morning. Mr. Walton
asked me if I had told my parents and I told him I had not, and asked him
to break the news to me, which he consented to do.
“After he had gone I sat in the office trembling for the result.
“He came back at last, after what seemed to me an interminable length
of time, and told me to go home. Mamma took me in her arms and tried to
console me, but papa ignored my presence entirely and refused to speak to
me for months.
“When Jack came to trial they brought his wife to appear against him;
that is, it went against him, of course. She was a sweet young woman,
just the age that I am now, twenty-one years, and he had married her as
soon as she came out of the convent. I was not able to go on the witness
stand, the shock of the whole thing had proved too much for me, so they
took my deposition and the trial went on without me.”
“What was the result of the trial?” I asked.
“He was sentenced to a term in Joliet, and is serving his time there now,
and I never want to see his hateful face again.
“His wife came to see me and brought her little year-old girl with her.
The dear little thing was as bright and sweet as she could be, and my
heart went out to both of them. Later, Jack’s mother came to see me, bent
and worn with her grief and the disgrace her only son had brought upon
her.”
“And what became of the other girl?”
“Oh, she died of a broken heart, so they say. What a world of misery one
man can create!
“I was very ill for a long time, and when I recovered my father felt very
differently toward me; he seemed to be reconciled to the affair, and I
was fully forgiven.
“I simply existed for two years, not caring for anything. I met Harold
about this time, and you know the rest.
“He took me knowing all, and we are quite happy; at least, I try to make
him happy, but I can never forget that first awful disappointment. It
rises like a specter at the very moment I think I have forgotten.”
TALE EIGHTEEN.
ONE WOMAN’S WAY.
“What men gain fairly—that they should possess,
And children may inherit idleness,
From him who earns it—this is understood;
Private injustice may be general good.
But he who gains by base and armed wrong,
Or guilty fraud, or base compliances,
May be despoiled even as a stolen dress
Is stript from a convicted thief and he
Left in the nakedness of infamy.”
“Yes, I think women have great control over some branches of politics,
or, at least, I will say that some women lend their influence in such a
way that political aspirants are masters of the situation at times.”
The speaker was a woman too distinguished looking to be classed as an
ordinary person; tall, straight and dignified, the auburn hair looked
almost red, as the glints of sunshine rested on one massive coil, which
had been so neatly arranged high upon the well-shaped head, giving her a
queenly bearing.
The forehead, a trifle low, added much to the determination of the rather
square-set jaws; the thin lips curved into a knowing smile, while the
hazel eyes shone with the unmistakable signs of wit and ingenuity. If she
appeared taller than the average woman it was partly due to the fact that
she had a way of looking at people with seeming downcast expression; the
effect of this look was produced by the erection of the woman’s head,
together with the long eyelashes, which appeared to creep from under the
heavy brows; if at first glance one should judge her to be from the ranks
of the common, a moment’s study of the face, ending in a glance at the
symmetrical figure, would emphatically impress one with the thought that
some unusual event had some time in her life mixed the surroundings so
thoroughly into her plastic nature that it caused some of the rougher
elements to crop out in spite of her complete control, and well planned
efforts of concealment.
She had answered my question, so I took courage and asked her another.
“Can you tell me of an instance wherein a woman has, by her own efforts,
been able to control the political situation?”
“Yes.”
She spoke almost snappishly, then in a softer tone she continued:
“If you will excuse a personal allusion, I will give you a story.”
“The more personal, the better it will be told,” I said with a nod.
“Then,” she said, as she pointed to a chair with an inviting air, and
proceeded to deposit herself into a comfortable rocker, “I will tell you
one that is founded on facts.”
“I, like all girls, was once in love.”
“Once,” said I, as I looked around the room of the neatly furnished
cottage in which we sat, finally resting my eyes on the crayon portrait
of a man, whose face, though not handsome, denoted such honest industry
that it was easy for me to imagine that he would love the woman of his
choice devotedly, that unless she was a woman of barbarous mind she must
at least love him out of gratitude.
“Yes, that is my husband; I can read your thoughts,” she said, with no
show of further attention to the interrupting gaze, “and thereby hangs a
tale.”
“This is my home, and the price I paid for it should have been the means
of my presiding over a palace. I grew from the ranks of blithesome,
prattling childhood to the age of sixteen, on a farm; wild roses and
butterflies were my companions in the summer months, while the winter
days were spent in school. I was thrown much into the society of a young
man, who had come to our neighborhood as an applicant for the position
of school teacher; at the time of his introduction into the district my
father was a candidate for the office of township trustee; that worthy
official has a great deal to do with the selection of the pedagogues, and
it was well understood that if a teacher in search of a place find favor
in the eyes of the superior officers of the township, his success was
assured.
“It had been the custom up to this time to employ lady teachers in the
rural districts, but when Roy Sunderman came on the field he came to
win. It was generally believed that my father would have little or no
opposition in his race for office, but when he was questioned on the
policy of changing from female to male teachers, he was so indiscreet as
to commit himself in favor of male instructors; this turned the tide
against him, and public sentiment threatened to defeat him.
“It was nearing the time for election; no time was to be lost. One
evening a neighbor of ours called to take me for a drive and incidentally
to a lawn social, which was to be held a few miles from my father’s home.
After we had gotten fairly started, my escort, who was a well-to-do
farmer’s son, told me that some of the school and political directors had
met at his father’s house on the night previous, and had besieged his
father to make the race for trustee against my father, ‘But I hope he
won’t,’ said he.
“‘Why,’ I asked.
“‘Because I—I—don’t want our people to oppose each other in any manner,’
said he.
“I was a schoolgirl and cared very little for politics, and knew no
reason why Elmer Lane should be so deeply interested in the peace and
tranquillity which existed between our respective families. Still, I
wanted my father to win. I would have been a strange child if I had not
wanted such a result.
“Suddenly a light dawned upon me; if the elder Lane could be kept out
of the race, or even defeated, my father would be the victor; then, for
the first time in my life, I began to formulate a scheme which would
upset the plans of the opposing side; I was not long in drawing out of
my companion the statement that he loved me; then I was able to see why
he was so keen to have the present standard of friendship maintained.
He begged me to say that I loved him. I put him off by saying that if I
did I would be afraid to confess it, for fear our families might become
antagonized in the coming political battle which was near at hand.
“‘But,’ said he, ‘if that is any barrier, say that you love me and I will
compel my father to decline to run, or, better still, I will advise him
to accept the nomination; then, after it is too late to select another
candidate in his stead, withdraw, leaving the field clear for your
father.’
“I had confidence in Elmer’s ability, but did not bind myself by a
promise. I told him he must first show his ability to keep the track
clear.
“We arrived at the lawn fete with our love affairs in embryo; all was
merry; country girls were there from miles around; white swiss and
flowered lawn dresses fluttered softly among the rose bushes and other
flower laden shrubbery; while the young men, with bronzed faces and a
distinct line of bleached skin around their necks, showing evidence of a
fresh haircut, sallied about behind gaily colored neckties and ever ready
grins of more or less magnitude, as the occasion demanded. All the games
so pleasing to the young folks were indulged in by the frivolous guests.
“I had strayed away from the center of the group, which was indulging
in some pastime, because I did not have the interest of the evening at
heart. I had been told for the first time that I was loved, and while
that did not create any strange feeling in my bosom, I could not banish
from my mind the thought that the man who professed love to me had
endeavored to purchase mine. I was not posted in chivalry, but I did feel
as if I might have been more susceptible to his pleadings if he had
based his ideas altogether on the fact that he loved me without trying to
buy favor by the sacrifice of some other aspiration.
“I was seated on a rough wooden bench near a tall stump around which was
twined a profusion of morning glories. I could see everything that was
going on around me, but was myself out of the direct ray of light which
the many Japanese lanterns shed through their variegated sides. I think I
must have started when I heard a voice say, ‘Is this Miss Dalby?’
“The voice was strange and so unlike the uncultured nasal tones which I
was accustomed to hear.
“‘Y—e—s,’ I drawled, as I looked up into a mature face, ‘my name is
Dalby.’
“‘My name is Sunderman—Roy Sunderman,’ said the voice. ‘I have tried to
be introduced to you, Miss Dalby, but fate seems to have blocked my way.’
“‘I—I did not know you wanted to meet me,’ I stammered.
“Roy Sunderman was a full grown man, and I was not long in becoming
interested in what he was saying. The time sped so rapidly that the crowd
was half gone before I thought of it being the hour for leaving. Then,
so wrapped was I in what Mr. Sunderman was saying, that my escort of the
evening called me twice before he attracted my attention to get me to
join him on the homeward trip.
“I had not granted Mr. Sunderman’s request to be allowed to call, but
told him I would consider the matter and notify him if I concluded to
allow him to come.
“Elmer Lane upbraided me so unmercifully on my way home for my conduct
of the evening that my mind was made up before I went to bed. I wrote
Mr. Sunderman a note asking him to call on the Sunday evening following.
Long before the summer sun had gone to rest on that Sunday evening, Elmer
called for his answer, saying that he had persuaded his father to decline
the honor of being a candidate. ‘And now,’ said he, ‘I want you to say
that you will love me.’
“‘But I don’t love you,’ said I.
“‘No, I suppose that young snob from town has filled your head full of
poetry and such like.’
“‘I don’t know what you mean.’
“‘I mean that smarty that you sneaked off in the dark with, over at
Wilson’s party.’
“‘If you mean Mr. Sunderman, you are mistaken,’ said I.
“‘Well, that’s who I mean, and I’ll tell you now that he’s the cause of
all the trouble about this trustee business, and what’s more, I’ll show
you mighty quick where he will end. I mean to have my dad run, and he’ll
beat your ‘old man’ all holler, so good-bye, Miss Dalby.’
“He left. When Mr. Sunderman came I was in tears; I was alone at home,
my parents having gone out for the day and remaining away late. I was
so hurt. I could now see that I had put myself in a bad plight. Mr.
Sunderman begged me till I told him all. His words of comfort were soft,
tender and reassuring, and by the time my parents came home, I concluded
to tell them the whole affair, and with kind and genial Mr. Sunderman’s
help, I did so. The following Tuesday the papers announced the name of
Thomas Lane as candidate for township trustee.
“Never before was the local talent so pressed into service and the issue
was one of merit. Many of the people came out in open defiance of my
father; he was quoted and misquoted. Meanwhile Roy Sunderman was showing
his ability as a politician. He made speech after speech at the school
houses in the township; his diplomacy steered clear of the real issue,
as he knew that the odds were heavily against him; he not only saw that
the public was in favor of women teachers, but he realized that he stood
before the people an abject subject to the severest forms of criticism.
Still, this man of personal magnetism made many friends and fast friends
everywhere he went; his arguments were forceful and conclusive and at the
closing of each speech he made the announcement that on the day before
the election he would address the people en masse, and if every voter
would promise to come he would obligate himself to tell them something
startling, and that something would be proven to them, that they would
weigh the facts in their own active minds and be guided by their own
decisions; in other words, they would be given facts that would put them
on their honor as patrons of the public schools, as husbands of their
homes and as fathers of their children. Such orations had the desired
effect. It set everybody talking and the result was that when the day
arrived for the ‘firing of the gun,’ as many of the skeptical ones put
it, the entire populace was in the grove that had been chosen for the
occasion. I am sure no one knew what was coming. All of the school
directors were invited to seats on the rough platform by the speaker. His
speech was a marvel of philosophy, his language was one continuous flow
of correct and convincing utterances. The attention which was accorded
him was within itself a mark of the appreciation of his efforts.
“Then he made the statement that on a certain night the school directors
had met in caucus at the home of one of the candidates (namely, Mr.
Lane), and solicited him to enter the race, and that he considered the
matter in a favorable manner, and that Mr. Lane’s son had gone to the
daughter of Mr. Dalby and made the proposition that in consideration of
her giving to him her love he would dissuade his father from entering
the race, and, pending the decision of the young woman, the Board of
Directors had received this letter:
“‘Fellow Citizens,’ shouted the enthusiastic speaker, as he waved a sheet
of fool’s cap aloft, ‘declining to become a candidate, then within two
days after the young woman had decided that a man of the mercenary ideas
of Elmer Lane was unworthy the love of a true woman, the father of the
purchaser of love announces himself as a candidate, and young Mr. Lane
had menacingly declared that ‘Old Man Dalby would be beat all holler if
the young lady refused him.’”
“‘Now, ladies and gentlemen, if you want a man in the position of honor
and responsibility, which it is in the power of this fair minded people
to tender a man, who is making the fight simply to gratify the revengeful
feelings which are harbored by a whimsical and love sick youth, it is
your duty to vote for Thomas Lane. If you want a man to represent you in
public affairs who is more loyal to the cause of education, and who has
the interest of your home at heart as well as his own, and a man who is
as far above the pusillanimous acts of coercion as the angels are above
Satan, then vote for Caspian Dalby.’”
“Mr. Sunderman closed his remarks by challenging any one to refute
his statements. No one made answer to this remark and the truth won.
Of course there was a great deal of talk when my father insisted on
employing Mr. Sunderman. He was tendered the position of principal of the
academy in town, but he declined, saying that he preferred country life
and that all he could accept would be a school in the country. Then he
was intrusted with the school in the district in which we lived.
“It was an easy thing for me to fall in love with him, and I am sure he
loved me. My father did not object to the match, he only insisted on our
waiting, but lovers cannot wait, so we went quietly away, got married and
wrote home for forgiveness. It came in time and we, instead of returning,
settled down in a small Wisconsin town, where Roy began the practice of
law. Sixteen months of happiness is well worth the price of sixteen years
of sadness. Our boy was about four months old when Roy came home one day
with a cloud on his face. I finally persuaded him to tell me what his
trouble was, and he took me in his arms and told me of another marriage
in which he was a principal. It occurred two years before he came to our
house. He had applied for a divorce and supposed himself free, but it
seemed a technical point had been overlooked and he was still legally
bound to the other woman. I am too mature now to explain to you how
my tender nerves were shocked. I asked him if he could not yet get a
divorce. He was afraid not, and besides he had a letter from his father
who was very wealthy stating that unless he came home and took care of
his wife he would be disinherited.
“‘But what about me?’ I asked.
“‘Oh dear,’ he said, ‘I don’t know; it nearly drives me mad. If I go I
will lose you and if I stay I will lose fortune and position, and will
eventually be torn from you.’”
“I could see it all; he was right. It was arranged for me to live in
Chicago. He would support me and move his wife there so that he could see
me as often as possible.
“‘Cold, isn’t it?’ said the woman, as her eyes glowed like coals of fire.
“I would have died to make him happy, but it was not my lot to die.
“He had lived here about one year, when his legal wife died in child
birth. I mourned with him, for she was a good angel. I went so far as
to have her baby girl brought to my cottage and cared for her as I did
my own child. He called often, and it was quite natural for me to now
look forward to taking the position which was rightfully mine. After six
months I ventured to mention it to him. He said: ‘Yes, dear, just as soon
as the proper time has elapsed, you know. I am in politics and I cannot
afford to cause comment such as a public man must suffer by the failure
to observe the proper respect.’”
“Yes, I could see he was right. All of the bright future which remained
before him could be turned to inky darkness by just such a mistake as
this. He received an appointment at Washington, consequently was away
from me a great deal. Finally, on one of his trips home, he suggested the
idea of sending his girl baby to some of his people.
“‘It is too much for you, dear,’ he said.
“I had learned to love the little darling and I was lonesome when he took
her away. He never forgot to send the remittance for my support, and his
visits continued the same.
“One day after he had been in Washington a year I met a lady from there.
In our general talk I mentioned that I knew a gentleman there.
“‘Who?’ she asked.
“‘Mr. Sunderman.’
“‘Oh, do you know him?’ she exclaimed, with a show of delight.
“Pleased to know that I had met one of his friends, I felt the flood of
joy which shone out of my face as I said, ‘Yes, I have known him a long
time.’”
“‘And do you know his wife?’ said my friend, as we started across the
street.
“‘I met her once,’ I said, ‘just before she died.’
“‘Oh, I mean his present wife, formerly Miss Bringhurst.’
“‘Is he mar⸺’
“I heard the shout. I caught a glimpse of the horse’s hoofs as they pawed
the air near my head, but I was falling, and all I know was that I could
not stop. When I awoke I was in the hospital.
“I was not so badly injured from the fall as was at first supposed,
although I received a bad scalp wound, which caused me to bleed so
profusely that I must have been a terrible sight. I quickly recovered
sufficiently to be taken to my home. I suffered days of untold agony. I
could not believe what I had heard; I was sure it must be false. Roy, my
Roy, was true to me; he was too true to our boy to do anything to make us
suffer.
“Each day made my load heavier. Years were added to my age by the
terrible strain which was brought to bear on me. I viewed my position
from every standpoint and at last with a love greatly overshadowed with
fear and doubt, I took steps to ascertain what amount of truth there was
in the report.
“It was true. He had been married three months, during which time he had
called on me twice, and it was now almost time for his regular visit.
I received a letter saying he would arrive in this city on the day
following. What was I to do? When I thought of openly accusing him of his
perfidy my heart sank within me. Oh, to think that he would be untrue
to me; to know that I was not loved. For to know that was to desire to
die, and why not? No sooner had the thought flashed into my mind than the
plan developed in all its maturity. But what would I do with the baby? I
loved him, and surely no one else would care for him since his father had
deserted him and I would be dead.”
At this point my hostess paused, and walking across the room took from a
drawer a photograph of a youth in military costume.
“This is my baby’s picture,” she said, with a tremor in her voice; then,
giving way to her feelings, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
“And to think,” she said, “a fine boy like that with no one to call
father.”
So calmly did this woman of nerve tell me of her intention that I became
engrossed with the idea and listened as though some one was presenting a
business proposition to me.
“Then you changed your mind?” I said.
“No, I tried to put my plans into execution. I put the baby to bed,
closed the room up tightly and turned on the three gas jets, took my all
in my arms and closed my eyes.
“I have a distinct memory of the darkness, the shooting pains in my head
and the choking sensation which seemed to so nearly strangle me that I
had no ambition left with which to struggle for life; then I went to
sleep.
“The next thing I knew the fresh air was blowing on my brow and I heard
some one calling my name. ‘O, Mary, Mary, speak to me. Wake up, dearest,
and say that you know and love me. It is Roy. Don’t you know me, precious
one?’
“Oh, how I longed to die while those words were being uttered; how I
prayed in my semi-conscious stupor that his kisses would assist in
smothering the breath which, in spite of my efforts, had begun to come
and go softly through my purple lips. His loving words were as the music
of angels, and my only wish was to be wafted away to the sweet sound of
his endearing tones. My dreaded fear was made complete when I awoke to a
full sense of realization.
“I opened my eyes to find myself in Roy’s arms. I saw that tender look
of the strong man; I heard him say: ‘Darling, I love you.’ I felt myself
clasped to his breast and I was glad I lived. God seemed to have sent him
at the right time. I asked him how it came that he was there and he told
me that he was so anxious to see me that he left business and all and
came one day sooner. He had let himself into the house as usual and found
me in time to bring me back to life. The baby was not so badly affected
as I was, for the reason, I think, that he had cuddled close to me and
in so doing had gotten his face under the bed clothing, consequently the
fumes of gaseous poison had not penetrated his retreat.