“‘You have been so good to me that I have learned to love you, Anita, and I want you to love me, too; but I have much to tell you, and maybe you will hate me when you have heard all,’ she said, her lips quivering.
“I was surprised at her rational manner, yet delighted. I put my arms around her and said: ‘Tell me all, Lita. I shall not hate you, no matter how bad it is.’
“‘You think I am crazy, but I am not,’ she said, ‘although I have had enough to make me so in the past two years. My senses have been so benumbed since I have been here that I don’t know all I have done. I have had a terrible experience, and my mother is the cause of it all. Several years ago my father began to speculate; he was a wealthy man at that time, but with the speculation the trouble began. He became deeply involved, and when one of his creditors fell on him and demanded a settlement he collapsed. My mother met the man and he demanded me as the price of liquidation. Rather than suffer the financial loss and the disgrace of the penitentiary, which stared my father in the face, my mother sold my honor, my virtue, my all to this scoundrel who poses as my father. He took me abroad with him and traveled with me as my husband. He was ideally kind to me for more than a year, or until he had worn me out and my health began to fail. Little by little he began to neglect me, and at last I was furious. One night when he did condescend to come home I met him at my door with a revolver and told him to take another step at his peril. This was the beginning of the end. As soon as we returned to this country he brought me directly to Chicago, where he had me examined and pronounced of unsound mind. After that he kept me under the influence of some opiate and the next thing I knew I was here, in this cottage. It is no wonder I have acted insane, no wonder they padded this room to keep me from doing myself violence. Every time he came here he gave me more medicine and then treated me with every indignity possible. I grew to loathe him and feared the very sight of him. Since this doctor came I feel so much better, and I am going to get well and punish that vile man.’
“I was so filled with dismay I could only gasp: ‘And this man isn’t your father after all?’
“‘No, indeed,’ she said.
“Well, as you may imagine, my suspicions were aroused; yet I felt, too, the whole story might be the vagary of her imagination.
“After thinking it over I resolved to tell Mr. Leighton all. While he talked to me and I was under his mesmeric influence my suspicions were lulled to rest and I felt that he was the best and kindest man I had ever met.
“One day soon after this I received a telegram stating that Dannie was dead. I got Mr. Leighton to investigate the matter and he found it was too true. He had been killed and robbed. For a time I was inconsolable, and it was then that Mr. Leighton was most tender. When I began to recover from the blow I wondered why he had not asked me to be his wife, for he had often told me he loved me better than his life. I waited several weeks and he said no word, so I finally decided to speak of the matter myself, thinking he might feel reticent considering my recent bereavement.
“When I did muster up courage to speak to him he said: ‘Why, my dear, when I marry and give a woman my name she must be pure.’
“‘And if I am not pure, who is to blame?’ said I, quivering with rage.