Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-06-05


PLEASED 60 present nagar TO you-ne Is so
handsome and so intelligent. and such a
brilliant conversationalist. However,
here is his picture, and you can judge
from that how very good looking he is.
! apart from my conjugd prejudices, she
added, with blush as swift and vivid as
though she were newly betrotbed
maiden instead Of wife Of many years
standing
The picture that she put into my hand
was beautiful photograph on ivory, col
ored and finished as q miniature. It re-
presented a singularly fine looking man.
with blue eyes and blonde hair and mus
tache. but the eyes had 9 sinister CLEAN
in their depths. and the full, red lips were
sensual and coarse in outline and in ex-
preston Moreover. the face was that Of
much younger man than had expected
to see. Mrs Hamilton, charming as she
was. was evidently not far from 40 years
of age. and the photograph Of her hus-
band was certainly that of a man under
30 There was no trace Of Ill health Wis
ible In the high colored. handsome face Of
the picture. so. after Inspecting 1t for
some moments, | asked is this re-
Gently taken likeness. Mrs. Hamilton2 1t
does not look like the portrait Of any one
who had ever been i'll"
mo; that is true." She took the pho
tograph from my hand and seemed
troubled. and also. to my establishment,
little bewildered. lit was taken before
we were married-twenty years ago. He
has never had any other photograph
taken since. and he will not sit to an
artist. l cannot tell why. for to me be is
always the same, EdgarI my Edgarl"
And she pressed the picture to her lips.
the tears streaming down her cheeks as
she did so
was infinitely amazed at her emotion,
which seemed to me SO needless, and l
was distressed at having unwittingly
caused it. especially as | had not the
faintest idea of how to proceed in order to
soothe her Just then. to my infinite re-
lief. the door opened and Dr. Somers en-
tered Taking the miniature from Mrs.
Hamilton's hand, he said to her, gravely
My dear Dora, you are very foolish to
let yourself become nervous and hyster-
icaI You will be unable to sing to Edgar
this evening if you do not cease sobbing
and try to recover your voice
1t was very foolish of me. Mark" re-
piled Mrs Hamilton smiling up at him
through her tears and Mrs Graves
must consider me very absurd person,
but you know whenever think of poor
Edgar's precarious health | am apt to
break down utterly Are you sure he is
po worse than usual this EVENING""
Not a particle-ratuer better. in fact;
but you can come and see for yourself,
presently Mrs Graves will excuse you
for few moments. am sure
Just at that moment my carriage was
announced and gladly availed myself of
that excuse for taking leave at once, re
sisting ali the hospitable entreaties of
Mrs Hamilton that | would stay and
dine If not remain ali night for could
not but feel that | was in the way. as in
deed any guest, it seemed to me, would
have been under the roof that sheltered
so beloved and all absorbing an invalid as
Mr. Hamilton evidently was.
| called q few days later to return
thanks to my kind hostess for her hospi-
table care, and also to restore to her the
numerous wraps and rugs in which she
had insisted on enveloping me for my
honeward drive. | did not see Mrs
Hamilton. however. DR. Somers received
me IN her stead and excused his sister on
the ground that she was then in attend
ance on her husband And as | crossed
the hall heard voice of exquisite
sweetness. that | readily recognized as
that of Mrs. Hamilton. pouring forth its
delicate notes In a scarcely known melody
by Gounod-
what charming voice" I remarked
1T is a pity that so fine talent should
be entirely lost to the world"
My sister spends q great deal of time
in singing to the invalid and also in read
ing to him." answered the doctor: land
she is happier in her self devotion than
the praise and applause of society could !
make her"
After that day had occasional glimpses
of Mrs Hamilton as her carriage passed |
mine during my daily drives She never
failed to lean forward and greet me with
a pretty eager gesture. and one of her
sweet, pathetic smiles, but that was all |
that | ever saw of her Her card was
only left by her footman at the hotel for
me. and greatly as | had been attracted !
by her. | shrank from again intruding on
the privacy Of that jealousy guarded
home.
There was evidently something mystic.
rious about the malady and the seclusion
of Mr. Hamilton. Gossip at Nice ran riot
on the subject, and-.suggested all sorts of
solutions for the riddle. One was that
the invalid was not i'll but was simply in
sane; the constant presence of Dr.. Somers
and the peculiar taciturnity and reticence
Of the servants in the face Of questions,
and-must it be added?-even of brides,
being alleged in support of the theory.
Then moro malicious persons declared
that Mrs. Hamilton was an adventures
who concealed whole troop OF lovers IN
der the identity Of the one unseen inva.
lid; but that wicked report was speedily
silenced. having no foundation In proba.
bility, as It had none In fact. The expla-
nation of the matter which was inclined
TO consider correct was, that Mr. Hamil-
ton had been disfgured for life by inju-
ries received in some accident or other
shortly after his marriage. and shrank
from permitting strangers to look upon
his marred and distorted features. This