San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-12-29
THE DOCTORS STORY.

her head in response to some remark OF
her escort. 1t is lovely face, with
delicately cut features and a knot of
blonde hair on the nape of a perfect
neck. The doctor enjoys my enthusiast
tic admiration to the utmost and con-
tinues:
You shall Judge whether she would
make the heroine of thrilling romance,
when l tell you her history during the
last five years"
We are walking our horses toward
the camp in the canon whittier we are
bound, and the delicious air is like
champagne. The doctor, an old friend,
has promised me new lease of physi-
cal and mental vigor if l will spend
month literally out-of-doors, and am
only too glad to join his family party
for that purpose. Accordingly he has
come down to the hotel to act as escort,
and large riding party have yolun-
teered to go up to the camp for dinner
and return by moonlight The doctor,
in consideration for the weakness that
compels me to ride slowly, has refined
up his staid little bay pony, which up
on occasion can distance all the other
horses, and we have slowly fallen be-
hind the entire gay party; so, settling
ourselves in our saddles, the doctor be-
gins:
ut was the next Autumn after you
left, that Harry Stayman's father moved
his family here. He, the old gentle
man, had patent for making paper
from the caches plant, and made an
astonishing amount of money. Harry
was a good boy. not brilliant you know,
but he sent TO New York for his clothes,
and duly adorned his outer man. Well
that Winter there were the usual num-
Der of hops and private theatricals
among the young people, and about
Christmas time the engagement of VIII;
helmina Luckey to Harry Stayman was
duly announced. So in the Spring they
were duly married, and went down to
the coast to live, as Master Harry was
to have new paper factory established
there for himself OF course the usual
number of laxative folks said she
never would have looked at him if it
hadn't been for his fathers money, and
that he would find pretty face wasn't
u
wife. But thought there was the
usual amount of affection between them.
What that is in the usual marriage l
leave you to Judge"
And the doctor chuckles little
maliciously and then more gravely con-
tinues:
at was about year later that Harry
was caught in some machinery and
found mangled and dead"
At this l heave sigh and uncon-
sciously quicken my horses gait to
catch glimpse of that pure, proud, wo-
manly face. The doctor, after a sufi-
GENTLY impressive pause, resumes:
1--WE were all shocked, and of course
the entire town was full of sympathy
for Wilhemina- She came back to
Santa Barbara, but couldn't 90 to her
mothers house, where everything re-
minded her of Harry; so she went to
stay little time with some friends liv.
ing near by One day, as was riding
past, was called in to see Wilhelmna.
They told me that she had tainted and
that they could not revive her. lap
piled the usual restoratives, with no eff
feet, and was completely puzzled by her
condition. At last noticed one little
spot of blood on the left side of her
waist, and, upon having her undressed,
the mystery was explained. She had
placed small pistol next her body and
shot herself. The clothing had defect
ed her aim, and the ball had missed her
heart"
Just here curve of winding road
throws out in bold relief against the
sky the 1.-THE figure and well-poised
head. To my sympathetic eyes there is
unutterable pathos in the lovely, color
less face, and a sadness in the smile
that curves the beautiful lips, which
fills me with intense sympathy. /
scarcely endure the suspense necessary
for the doctor to tighten the girth to my
saddle, which is loose, and encourage
him with, Il am SO impatient doctor,
to know how serious it really was"
80 serious that for months thought
she could not live. extracted the ball
from her back after assuring her it
would not necessarily facilitate her re-
coyery. Then she began a systematic
course of starvation. She was deter
mined to die; determined to join Harry
at Christmas. she said. We argued,
coaxed, bribed. wheedled, all in vain,
but finally, despite herself, we brought
her out OF danger and into GONZALES
cence. A curious thing about the mat
ter was that she never referred to the
shooting; never mentioned II in any
way; never looked conscious of any
knowledge of the cause of her illness.
We never alluded to it in her presence,
and when spoke of the ball and my
desire TO extract it it might have been