Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-02-18


was not without criticism that the young
widow gave herself and fortune to a
stranger, who, for aught any one could
prove, might be criminal and feigning a
loss of memory. But Amy, who, in tender
girlhood, had been forced to marry a man
she despised, now determined to follow the
law of choice. J. R. E., however his
judgment might have discountenanced the
haste, had no strength to rule out his own
wish when the woman willed. A year of
felicity followed the union. j. r. E. had
| found sufficient occupation in the manage
ment of his wlfe's estate to save him from
prying into the perplexing uncertainties
of the past. and became universal favorite
among the associates of his new life.
| Passing down a street one day on bus
mess errands he was suddenly intercepted
| by stranger.
"Great Heaven! is it possible Jack.
old fellow, we had given you up as dead"
exclaimed the excited young man, grasp
ing at the hand of J. r. E., who gazed at
him in simple establishment.
Beg pardon" said he, drawing himself
up with dignity, and looking at the
stranger with evident doubt of his sanity
"You appear to be mistaken in the person,
sir"
The gentleman, repulsed, Strengthened
himself up with equal majesty:
Excuse me-" said he-with apparently
| unwavering certainty of recognition-''if
| you are not a confounded scoundrel, and
should decide, after reconsideration, to
renew acquaintance with old friends, call
around at the Webster house and ask for
| C. L. Reed"
And without further colloquy, the gem
| tleman bowed stitiiy and passed on. J. r.
+. walked forward with sensation of fall
ing from dizzy hight The mans face
and name touched him like the suggestion
of dream which one strives vainly to
recall after a second lapse of Sleep
Haunted all day by the mystery past his
power to unravel, he secretly went that
evening to visit the stranger at the house
designated. When, an hour later, he
came away, his face was pallid as death,
and aged by years of care and trouble
In the gray morning, after a night of
wretched wandering, j. r. E. hurried
home, to find his wife in a state of excite
ment bordering on frenzy.
ooh, my husband !" she cried, bounding
down the stairs as he entered, and catch
ing sight of his white, agitated and visi-
bly, aged face. SIN Gods name what is
the matter? All night | have watch for
you in an agony of fear lest some accident
had befallen you, and now that you are
here - Oh, Heaven, Julian, how terri
bly, you look!"
Eyes, yes, Amy I'm in trouble, of
which L cannot tell you now," said the I'M
happy man, holding her off at arms
length. 'You must be patient with me,
and think as kindly of me as you can.
shall take the morning train East without
any attempt to explain my business at
present. l don't know whether you will
hear from me during my absence, but,
Amy, think of me as little as possible" --,
ooh, Julian gasped the wife, with an
effort to cast herself upon his breast. But
the action was repulsed desperately.
ave must not indulge in sentiment
now," he said, with GOODNESS that touched
her pride.
And during his swift preparations for
departure she made no further appeal,
though her reproachful, questioning eyes
smote his heart with madden pain.
II have meant no evil, Amy" he said,
clasping her hand at parting. Think the
best of me you can, whatever comes to
pass, and--after all-forget me-"
"Oh, Julian for Gods sake say no more
if you cannot tell me the meaning of this
dreadful mystery" walled Amy.
But the hand holding hers dropped
away, and with silent gesture of farewell
the man she had trusted so entirely van
ished. a sickness as of death came over
her. But summoning her power of self
control, she put away as far as possible her
evidences of suffering and was ready to
account for such traces of agitation as she
could remove by the announcement that
affairs of business had suddenly called her
husband East; and she feared that he
might be unavoidably and indefinitely de-
tanned. And from time to time she would
say, in response to inquiries, that Julian
was still unable to return, though he was
very impatient at the delay. She would
even quote from letters never received
such explanatory notes as must divert at
tention from any ugly appearance indicat-
ing that she was deserted wife and,
however she might shrink and quail before
a possibility acknowledged in the privacy
of her heart, she was always confident
and at ease when speaking of the alb
sence of her husband. That gentleman,
meantime, journeying day and night, had
arrived at a country station near the sea,
and stepping out, looked about him with
the air of one in totally unfamiliar re-
gion.
could you direct me to the house of
Mrs. Sylvia Ward?" he asked of a by
stander as he consulted his notebook.
Certainly sir. Right up the hill yon-
dor. ft,rr IN tho bo,,so
the edge of the pine wood, or, if you wish
short cut, take private path leading
through the grove from Great heav-
ems can it be that | am speaking to John
Elwood, who certainly knows the path to
the Ward cottage better than can tell
him ?"
The brisk informant stopped short, star
ing in open-mouthed establishment at the
new arrival But the gentleman, needing
no interruptions, was already far on his
way to the gate opening on the by-path,
whose curving line seemed an illuminat-
ing flash of memory, revealing with start
ling distinctness the long vailed picture
of the past. AS if suddenly restored to
the aims and interests of a former life, he
passed the gate and rushed along the rocky
path with the haste of a lover late for the
tryst, and entering the grove, bent his
steps at once to rustic seat, showing by
its litter of dry twigs and creeping lichens
that it had long been disused.
any Agnes p he murmured, sinking in
deathlike pallor beside the seat, overcome
by a sense of the fatal issues of his mental
lapse. "Great God how it all comes
back to me in this spot where we pledged
our vowsw
Again starting up, he hurried toward the
house, every step of the way now as famil-
lar as if he had trodden it yesterday. A
lady with puff of silver hair about her
careworn face came out on the veranda as
he approached, standing under a dropping
branch of pale wistaria-blossoms with out
stretched hand but quivering lip.
"Agnesw he gasped, in panied inquiry,
as he looked with hope and dread in the
| face of Agnes mother.
"She cannot last long," was the hushed
response. "Charley's telegram told us
that you would soon be here, and the most
we could hope was that she would live till
you came. Oh, Jack, dear boy, what ter
rible affair it has been p
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