Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-08-15

she did not want. Then there was a
course of reading he had marked out
for her. which if properly followed-if
properly followed
Teddy" had closed his eyes. and
had fallen into a light doze, the dura-
ton of which he could never after
ward estimate.
From this he was roughly awakened
by being hurled forward upon his
hands and knees. and then flung
against the side of the carriage with
such violence that the glass of the
window was shivered to a thousand
pieces. He heard the crash of glass
and a terrible roaring. as of some
hungry monster somewhere in the
distance. Opening his eyes. he found
himself in complete darkness. A rush
and rattle of whirring wheels mingled
with the sound of long drawn whist
thing and women's despairing shrieks.
And from somewhere close to him
came groan of agony.
He was stunned at first by the force
of the conclusion. In the confined
space in which he found himself he
could at first hardly do more than
realize that he was still alive. Pres
emily, by a little stretching and push
ing of his large limbs. he learned that
they were all unbroken, and. before
the relief party arrived, Mr.. Harry
Edwardes-for such was the true
name of the man known among his
chums by the nicknames of Teddy"
and ''Gilpin"-had crawled out from
the ruins of his compartment. bruised
and shaken, but without any serious
hurt.
Drizzline rain fell from leaden
sky upon the scene of the disaster.
Signals misunderstood, and the I'M
expected shunting of a coal truck
across the line-such were the theories
advanced afterwards as the cause of
the accident.
But this Harry Edwardes did not
learn until many hours were passed.
The results were what he now real
lied; a confused blockade of window
less carriages, flung off the line Or
hurled one on top of the other. pyra-
midwise. across the rails; shrieks and
means of injured or terrified passen-
gers; he himself standing upright and
unhurt, and at his feet the body of a
dead man.
Sick and giddy with the horror of
the scene, he knelt beside the pros
trate figure, and. christening his coat.
placed his hand above the still heart.
1t was his fellow-traveler, with whom
ho cd
only a few short minutes ago. His
back had been broken by the collapse
of the carriage, and the purpose of his
journey, good or bad. had been frus-
trated.
A folded letter rustled beneath
Harry Edwardes' hand upon the dead
mans breast. Tears rushed to his
eyes at the sound. It was probably
from some woman who loved him, and
to whom the tidings of his CHASTITY
death must be communicated.
as he dead?" asked man, stopping
before the two figures notebook in
hand.
''Yes. He was in the same COM
partment with me. It's an awful
sight
"a friend of yours? What is his
nameP''
81 don't know But here is a letter
that may tell u.s."
Even while Edwardes drew out the
letter his questioner had been called
away. Harry would have followed
him, when his eyes fell on the hand
writing.
Did all women write alike, or was
he the victim of some delusion acting
on his overweight brain?
He looked at the letter again. It
was the distracted appeal of married
woman, tempted. but striving to re-
sist temptation, to the honor and chiv-
airy of man she had grown to love
And the writer was his wife-Isabel
Edwardes.
Il have been wrong, terribly wrong
she wrote. 81 know it now. These
flying visits to London, and the friend
ship that has grown up between US
during the past few months, so natu-
rally, from your relationship to my sis
ter's husband, and constant presence
at her house. have all been a mistake.
AOuA aSoCSA PiO"OS IL 0As OOA diO.
pity me and forgive me, if / have
given you pain; 1 have been so dull.
SO unhappy. for so long, that your
sympathy. and your thoughtfulness
and kindness made me forget the dan
gers of my position. If you knew the
life l lead at home; if you could tell
what it is to a girl. brought up in
Paris and London, among surround
ings that were bright and beautiful, to
be transplanted to a dreary manu-
featuring town, with a household of
an old man and three good narrow
minded old maids, who have hardly
ever been outside their native town,
and who think the bliss of being mar
ried to their brother ought to keep
any woman happy. OF course. Ishould
have protested long ago; but when 1
married, was eighteen and he thirty
three. He had been single too long.
and had been taught to think of
women as of two kinds only
drudges or toys. And as I was
neither one nor the other. was a fail
ure. And they have obeyed him so
long at home that his manner at once