Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-12-06

10 me. DuE HuE lett JLlE0 lOf SH-
Her hand trembled as she drew ont
he mole b~aring my name. Poor Old
soul! She more than suspected the Ia'at
Mechanically I opened the letter; but
/ not even al the first reading did L realize
what had be allen me.
The woman 1 worshiped, the wife 1
had adoTed, had fed from her home Win
another. ..5
me. A woman whom I had believed
pure as a lily had penned thems and the
thought that could nave loved woman
capabIe of writing them made my soul
grow sick.
81 made a fool Of myself" she wrote,
"When I became your wife. would
never have done SO, only L thought you
were making believe poverty; for nau
heard a hint of things you have done be
fore you met me that did not speak for
lack of gold; but find now, too late,
however, for my satisfaction, that you
are really no more nor less than what
believed was only pretense, and so nave
left YOU I cannot say much more Ghan
that I worship the lover whom have
| fed with, and he can give me wealth and
position, for he does not know or even
dream I am a wife. 1t is not likely Lnet
| you will seek me. know you too well
for that; SO an revoir, L was going to say,
/ but emembeTing that means TIL we
meet a gain, which 1 hope from the bot
tom OF my soul We never shall, L say IN
stead good bye"
I rusned up the stairs, but there was
very little sign of confusion or disorder
/ there. 1t must have been we'll meditated
on, and no sudden decision come to. All,
/ Heaven! she had gone calmly, almost
! sy Systematically, about her elOpement.
/ 1 sat down stunned for the time being.
! I had loved her, and my love died hard
One moment I felt must seek her-I
! could not live without her-the next 1
! scorned the thought, angry at myself for
1t entering my mind One instant 1
would follow her and reclaim her-bring
her back to the path from which she had
strayed-the next lOathed the thought
of her.
The night passed on, and still I
wrestied with my agOny-the midnight
bells rang out, and still 1 sat gazing iutO
darkness. Later still, Jane brought me
cup Of chOcO ate, which L drank me-
chanically, without a word.
When morn dawned I still sat in the
one chair where all night 1 had review
ed my dishonor. rang the bell, and
Jane came in.
ooh, Master Guy, do not take it so
hardl' In that moment her humble
sympathy was more bearable than that
of an equal would have been, for as she
spoke the tears filed her kindly old
eyes.
4 will survive it, Jane"
Yes, yes, my boy Along with your
mothers name you have their strength"
''She has dishOnOred a proud name,
Jane. 1 feel worse than had / borne my
fathers"
When 7 had inherited my mothers
money had to take her family name as
mine, and it was a prOuder name even
than my fathers. So. while my brother
was Vernon Fleming, L was Guy Howard.
- am going away, Jane" l said, but
you are 10 keep this place, and if my-if
your mistress comes back, remember she
is your mistress STILL and that this place
is hers. l will send you money TO keep
everything as it Is, aud ifeVer / return I
will come here. Keep silent concerning
everything and good by"
The next day 1 sailed for the New
World, intending to stay there for some
time.
I had only been out there one short
month when a letter came from home,
an imperative summons to return. 1t
contained the news of VeTnOn's mar
rage to beautiful dark eyed woman.
whom none If them had known or ever
heard Of before, an absolute stranger, in
fact, and along with this was the tidlngs
that my father lay at the p int Of death
the doctors had given HIM up.
At my fathers death my brother would
inherit all the vast estates of the Elem
ings, for they were strictly entailed.
went back again perfectly ambition
less for every hope of my lie had fed
with Arelie's faIseness-Went back to
what?
1t seems foolish, after all, to open old
sores, but the memory of that hOme-cOm-
ing is back with me now even stronger
than the memory Of the horrors tSat
followed. Therefore / must tell 1t.
went first to see my father. He was
PrOpped up with pillows in the bed, his
face ghastIy. All, yes! death had most
surely placed his hand on him.
He looked at me with eyes in which a
strange lu,tre CLEANED.
A cry broke from my lips. That glare
that strange quick tWltching of the mus
cles had seen once before in India.
My father had been poisoned by one
of the most subtle drugs known to
science-Its effect, indeed, almost IN
known, save by some one who had seen
another die OF it.
My heart grew cold with horrOr-hOr-
rOr unspeakable-but why was it my
Thoughts so suddenly reverted to the
beautiful wife of my brother?
My GOdi" l cried, "am tnO late to
save hini?" I knew the antidote; but
was it not too late TO use il?
Scarcely needing the questions asked, /
1 went out and got The antidOte, which, /
if he were not too far gone, would save |
him.
AS I came up the avenue again, my
thoughts iull of my father, lady came /
along the shady path below-a tai, grace !
ful woman. saw at a glance, with some |
thing strangely familiar about her car
rage.
she came out from the dense shadow, /
and as she did so my brother overlook |
me, coming up behind me, and his eyes