Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-11-25
A WOMAN WITH NO HEART.
Strange Romance Of Life in wash
ingtOa.

One Of the most beautiful women in Washing
ton and an acknowledged leader of society there,
IS MIS-. -. Her husband, says the New
York Star, is a man of 10 regular profession,
very wealthy, and although holding Office
under the present administration, has no small
influence in high political circles. Mrs. --
is a woman best described. so far as personal
appearance Is concerned, by the appellation of
a"magnificent brunette" Her beauty is of the
queenlv. The fash of the dark, lustrOus eyes
the poise of the head, covered with luxuriant
masses of hair of a blue-black hue and glossy rs
the ravens wing, as well rs the naughty express
sion II the full crimson lips, would seem to indi-
cate spirit that has held itself proudly aloOt
from all that is dishOnorable or degrading. No
one looking at her would ever dream of the
MoURNFUL SECRET
connected with her past life, which has made
feeling, and living only for the qualification of
ambition. She Is noted in society for her cold
ness and imrassivenesS with regard to every
thing save display in dress and the advance
ment of her own ami her husbands ambitious
views. But the title OF the woman W ithout a
heart is applied To her only by few OF Il r most
intimate acquaintance. They know that al
though wife and mother she seems almost
entirely devoid Of any affection for either hus-
band or children, ana indeed OF any tender emo
ton whatever.
three years ago she resided for about two months
IN San Francisco. Nevertheless il is the case.
Her father. who had once been engaged in the
shipping business in Baltimore. becoming an
invalid, came To this coast i'm search of health
and brought her, his only child, with him.
Taking rooms with a private family on Suffer
street, the two led during their stay a secluded
lie, making few acquaintance and mingling
little with society.
One OF the few to whom they were KNOWN
gentleman well known in San Francisco, while
on recent visit to the East, saw and reco gDi Zed
during his stay in the national capital in the
person OF the brilliant society queen, the beauti
full unmarried girl whom he had met in this city
three years before. From him We obtained
these particulars They were, in part revealed
TO him since his return by a woman, now one of
the ''fair and fTail," whom he was forced TO
meet In connection with the business of one of
his clients, and who was cognZant of all the
facts connected with the stay OF the beautiful
but
UNHAPPY WOMAN
in this city. Naturally enough, the then rO-
mantle, warm hearted and impusive girl found
time hang heavily on her hands. She had more
than one sutton, it is true, DESTROYS of nothing
so much as to promote her happiness, but She
was of a romantic turn and none of them
realized her ideal of what a lover should be-
Among the number was her present husband.
he, too. was then on a brief visit to this coast
Happening to make her acquaintance he was
struck with her queenly bearing, and at once
concluded that she was the very woman to grace
the position in society which he intended his
future wife to occupy. She, however, rather
disllked him than otherwise, and had not the
slightest idea Of marrying him.
Picking up a daily paper one day, her eye fell
on fortune tellcrIs advertisement. Any person
for small consideration could obtain full in
formation with regard to the past or future with
portrait of the future husband or wife-sO the
advertisement said 4 within seized her to have
her fortune tOld-not that she believed in any
thing OF the kind, but like many another very
sensible person she thought that to indulge the
caprice could do no harm, and it might be pro-
ductive of amusement. Fearful of being laughed
at, she gave 10 intimation of her intention 10
any one-it was easy enough to keep it a secret
and shortly after reading the advertisement she
found herself alone with the
PROFESSOR OF OCCULT MYSTERIES.
The Professor in this case happened to be a
woman-a greasy, dirty, corpulent Old hag. oc-
cupyiDg dingy room in the lower part OF Stock
ton street. She was fitting type of the class of
persons who may be aptiy styled the vampires of
society, adding to her occupation of fortune
telling a much more lucrative though more
secret one. OF this latter fact the innocent girl
of course knew nothing. The beldame seemed
struck with her visitors appearance, and gaZed
long ana earnestly at her beautiful face and eN-
quisitely proportiOned form. There was the
usual professional jargon and shutting OF greasy
CARDS. Contrary to her expectation the visitor
was told she must come the next day to receive
the picture of her future husband.
The next day, accordingly, She procured the
photograph and hurried home, conscious of hav-
ing done foolish thing, but thinking no harm
care ful to keep the whole matter perfectly secret
She did not know OF the eyes that had watched
her during her last interview with the sorceress
from behind the dingy red curtain which she
saw at one end of the den, nor OF the man who
had followed her, unseen by her, to the place
where she was residing, with her invalid father
Two days afterward, while walking along kear-
ney street, hand touched her lightly OH the
and turning round she saw
THE ORIGINAL OF THE PHOTOGRAPH
which had been given to her as that OF her
future husband. He held in his hand a hand
kerchief, which he said she had Just dropped.
She had dropped none, but il gave him a pre-
text for exchanging few words with her. She
was much startled at what seemed to her to be
almost an apparitiOn, but she did not fail to
notice that he was handsome in person, elegant
in demeanOr, and had every appearance of being
a perfect gentleman. Thenceforth she met him
dally i'll stores and street cars. on the streets
at theaters and cDncerts-in short. everywhere
that she went. Accident favored him in forming
her acquaintance, and his own tact ripened it
into intimacy.
She knew it was all wrong, but she was roman
tic. wiliul, had the perfect control Of her own
actions, and, like many another well-mcaning
but hayward girl, found a strange pleasure in
disregarding for once, the conyentiOnalites of
society. There is no need of DELAYING the catas.
trophe. She soon learned To believe him the soul
of honor, and placed implicit faith i'm his repre-
Sentatlons. She kept their acquaintance per-
feet secret, because it was romantic. MANY
another girl has done the same, and suffered
similar consequences. She became madly in
love with him. Such an acquaintance is inf
nitely more dangerous to young and suscepti-
BILE girls heart than one of the ordinary kind.
Secret correspondence and stolen interviews
followed. One evening she met him
BY APPOINTMENT,
at the corner of I'd and Marke' streets. Street
corners are favOrite trysting places for lovers
who cannot meet otherwise. Meeting thus in
an apparently casual manner they can stroll
along the streets and enjoy one another's society
to at least degree. She had frequently done
the same thing before without harm, but that
night she was trapped into low house and
ruined by the man TO who she had given the
first and only love of her heart. Almost mad
dened when she fully realized her situation, she
hin on her knees to marry her. He
refused. al coOlly told her what was his real
He was a professional gambler. and
the fOrtune-teler an accomplice, who We'd in
nlacing victims OF different kinds in his power.
She was no longer able to refrain from revealing
all to her father, and in the
PAROXYSM OF RAGE
which ensued he broke a blood vessel, and died
in few hours. Most women would have given
way under such an accumulation of calamities,
but she was of different metal. Summoning
her strong will TO her aid, she crushed down all
emotion that might betray her terrible secret,
and determined that it should have no effect
upon her future life. Shortly afterward she ac-
cepted the sutton whom she had hitherto repealed,
and after their marriage they went to Washing
ton, where they have since resided Her betrayer
was killed not a year ago in a shooting affray at
Omaha. The woman mentioned as having re-
vealed the facts here narrated was the gamblers
mistress before and after they occurred, and is
still in this city. Such Is the story of the woman
whom her acquaintance deem heartless.-Phila-
deipkia Star.