Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-06
CHAPTER ~

As Mrs. Tucker. erect. white and rigid,
/ drove away from the tieIdd, it seemed 70
her 20 sink again into the monotonous
4 plain, with all its horrible realities. Ex-
cept that there was now a new and I
heart-breaking significance to the s0li- 4
tude and loneliness Of the land 1
scape, all that had passed might have 4
been dream. But as the blood came \
back 70 her cheek, and little by little her /
7 tiugliug consciousness returned. II seemed I
as II her life had been the dream, and this /
last scene the awakening reality. With 4
| ewes smarting with the moisture OF shame, 4
! the scarlet blood at times dyeing her very 1
! neck and temples, she muffied her low 4
I cred crest in her shawl and bent over the I
| reius. Bit by bit she recalled, in Poln- 4
dexter's mysterious caution and strange
/ illusions, the confederation of her hus- /
! bands shame and her own disgrace. 4
This was why she was brought hither-
the deserted wife, the abandoned confed- I
! crate. The hooking glitter of the con- I
! cave vault above her secured by the in I
| cessant wind, the cold stare of the shin 1
ing pools beyond, the hard outlines Of the 4
/ coast range, and the jarring accOmpani- /
ment of her horses hOofs and rafting /
buggy wheels, alternately goaded and dis /
tracted her. She found herself repeating /
/ No! no! MOP with the logged reiteratiOn /
Of fever. She scarcely knew when or how /
she reached the hacienda. She was only I
conscious that she entered the patio, the 1
dusty solitude that had before filed her 4
with unrest now came to her like balm. I
A benumbing peace seemed to fall from
the crumbling walls-the peace of utter 4
seclusion, isolation, oblivion, death New /
ertheless, an hour later, when the|ingle of 4
! spurs and bride were again heard IN the /
road, she started 10 her feet with bent 4
hrows and a kindling eye, and confronted 1
I Capt. POindeXter in the corridor.
Il would not have intruded upOn you so 4
I In ha Il
thought might perhaps spare you a repe- !
| tition OF the scene of this morning. Hear \
me out, please" he added, with gentle, I
halfdeprecating gesture, as she lifted the /
beautiful scorn of her eyes to his. Il 1
! have lust heard that your neighbOr Don /
Jose Santierra OF Los Gatos, is on his way 4
I 70 this house. He once claimed this land 1
/ and hated your husband, who bought Of I
the rival claimant, whose grant was con- /
/ trmed. | tell YOU this he added, slight (
" flushing as Mrs. Tucker turned impa- /
tiently away, ssonly TO show YOU that /
legally he has no rights, and you need not 4
see him unless you choose. | could not /
! stop his coming without perhaps doing 4
I you more harm than good; but when he 1
does come, my presence under this rOofas /
! your legal counsel will enable you to re-
fer him TO me-" He stopped. She was
/ pacing the corridor with short, impatient
/ steps, her arms dropped and her hands
\ clasped rigidly before her. "Haye your
/ permission to stay?r
/ She suddenly stopped in her walk, APP
preached him rapidly, and, fixing her
/ eyes on his, said:
"DO know all now-everything:
/ He could only reply that she had not
I yet told him what she had heard.
/ "Well,H she said, ScOrnfully, ''that my
I husband has been cruelty imposed upon
imposed upon by some wretched woman. I
who has made him sacrifice his property.
x-fh 2
me-
Everything but whomY gasped Poin-
dexter.
.sBut MEr'
Poindexter gazed at the sky, the air,
the deserted corridor, the stones of the
patio itself, and then at the inexplicable
woman before him. Then he said gravely,
Il think you know everything
"Then If my husband has left me all he
could-this property" she went on rap
idly twisting her handkerchief between
her Gngers, Il can do with it what like,
can't I?'
'sYOu certainly can"
Then sell it, she SAID, with passion
ate Yehemence. ''Sell it-alI, everything!
And sell these She darted into her bed
room, and returned With the diamond
rings she had torn from her fingers and
ears when she had entered the house.
''Sell them for anything they'll bring
only sell them at once"
''But for what?" asked POindexter, with
demure lips but twinkling eyes.
ITO pay the debts that this-this-
woman has led him into; to return the
money she has stOlen." she went on
rapidly, ito keep him from sharing her
infamyi Can't you understands
But, my dear madam" began Poin-
dexter, seven if this could be done"
Don't tell me if it could'-it 8lUst be
done. Do you think / could sleep under
this roof, prOpped up by the timbers Of
that ruined tieRddy Do you think / could
wear those diamonds again, While that
termagant shop woman can say that her
money bought them? No. If you are my
husbands friend, you viii do this-fOr-
for-his sake.' She stopped, locked and
interlOcked her cold fingers before her, l
and said heSitatingly and mechanically,
'You meant well. Capt. POindexter, in
bringing me here, l know. You must not
think that l blame YOU for it-or for the 1
miserable result of il that you have Just /
witnessed. But if have gained anything
by ii, for GODS sake let me reap it quick I
", that l may give it to these people and
go. I have friend who can aid me to get
TO my husband or to nv home in Ken {
lucky, where Spencer Will yet find me.
know, l want nothing more" She I ,
stopped again. With another woman the .
pause would have been one OF tears. But [ /
she kept her head above the flood that ,
filled her heart, and the clear ewes fixed I
''''H' PoindeXter, albeit panied, were IN
dimmed.
aBut this would require time" said
PoindeNter, with smile OF compassionate
explanation: "yOu could not sell now,
nobody would buy. You are safe to hold
this property while in actual possession,
but YOU are not strong enough to guaran-
tee il to another. There may still be liti- I
cation; your husband has other creditors .
than these people you have talked with.
But while nobody could Gust you-the
wife who would have the sympathies Of
Judge and jury-it might be a different I
case with any one who derived title from
YOU. ANY purchaser would know that
you could not sell, or, if you did, IL would {
be at a ridiculous sacrifice"
She listened TO him abstraetedly. walked
TO the end of the corridor, returned, and,
without looking up, said:
Il suppose you know herr"
Il beg your pard0n!'
This woman. You have seen herr"
s'Never, TO my knewledge.'
And you are his friend? That's
strange" She raised her eyes to his.
ssWell," she continued, impatiently, s'whO
is she: and what is she! You know that :
surelys'
Il know no more of her than what
have said" said Poindexter. "She is a
notorious woman"
The swift color came to Mrs. fuckers
face. as if the epithet had been applied to
herself. Il suppose" she said, in dry
voice, as if she were asking a business
question, but with an eye that showed
her rising arger-SI suppose there is
I some law by which creatures Of this kind
can be followed and brought to Justice
/ some law that would keep innocent peo-
/ Die from suffering for their crimes:"
II am afraid" said Poindexter, S'that
/ arresting her would hardly help these
/ people over in the tieRdd.'
II am not speaking of them, responded
] Mrs. Tucker. with sudden sublime con-
/ tempt for the people whose cause she had
/ espoused; Il am talking Of my husband"
Poindexter bit his lip. you'd hardly
/ think OF bringing back the strongest wit
/ ness against him." he said. bluntly.
Mrs. Tucker dropped her eyes and was
silent. sudden shame sufused POin-
I dexter's cheek; he felt as if he had struck
I that woman a blow. II beg your pardon
/ he said. hastily. Il am talking like law
I yer to a lawyer" He would have taken
I any other woman BY the hand in the hon.
/ est fullness Of his apology, but something
I restrained him here. He only looked down