Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-11-22
Uncle Archie's Wife,
CHAPTER Y.

coming OF tnat happy day, when /
might beg Dick Martineau's pardon
for the wrong had done him i'm my
thoughts, and hear from him the full
explanation of all that had tortured
and perpleXed me SO long.
AT last that day came. The pen
ance had imposed upon myself was
not hard one. Dick cut my falter-
ing plea for pardon short at once, taxi
Ing me in his strong arms and looking
into my troubled face with unutterable
love and pity.
"Poor little Irene, did | make you
suffer SO much ?" he said, with keen
remorse and self-reproach in his tone.
Heaven knows i would have died, my
darling, rather than give you one pang
But what could | do while | had the
shadow OF doubt that the woman
you called your uncle's wife was the
person l took her 10 be ? had no
right to share my suspicion even with
you; and when had made suspicion
certainty"
Il had ceased TO trust you," | inter-
rupted penitently. Poor Dick, you
were hardly used But / know no
thing yet beyond the bare fact that Es-
telle was not my uncle's wife-that in
some mysterious way she was an i'm
poster whom you recognized and I'M
masked"
Yes" and Dick, nodded gravely.
You remember that af ernoon she
came in while we were at tea here;
recognized her face at once, but
could not remember where or in what
circumstances | had seen il before.
though | was sure that its features
had been stamped upon my mind in
some remarkable fashion. All through
the evening the fancy haunted me;
could scarcely keep my eyes from her,
though uneasily aware that my per-
petual gaze had attracted both her at
tention and yours. She was fattered
by it; but you"
'.Do not speak of it, ! interrupt
ed, remembering the torture of that
fiery Jealousy, which. Heaven be
thanked. ha | faded now. Dick, i,
was shameful 20 dl-lrus you"
..No; ii was only human, dear. But
let me finish my story, please.
knew al he time that | was watching
for some expression which Estelle
Gerard ; face had not yet worn. She
had looked brillian a,luriug, tender,
coquet ish. and indignant by turns
] wanted to see her face blanch ano
her eyes dilate with terror, or else
flash with defiance and hatred. Why
] hardly knew, but | felt as though
such look would set at rest the hay
doubts that troubled me. Naturally
however, nothing happened 10 stir VI
such feelings in my handsome hostess
heart; and / was on the point of tell
ing myself that | was mistaken-tha
had never seen her face before
when, after some hesitation, you may
remember, she began to sing-anC
then at once the light had been seek
ing broke in upon me, and | remem
bered all.
And that alp" | questionet
eagerly, as he paused with curious
~ panied and troubled look.
That all was terrible, Irene.
meant, | feared, broken heart to tn
kind old man who knew nothing O
his strange wifes gift OF song-pai
and trouble to you all. AS listene
to that wonderful voice, and looked a
the singers rapt beautiful face, say
her amid other and widely differen
surroundings; saw her laden wit
flowers, radiant with success, bowin
her thanks upon public stage to tn
plaudits of an enthusiastic crowd, hap
by, envied and enviable, the idolise
heroine Of the hour"
"Dick"-I touched him half timid
", for, as he spoke with eager fervoi
he seemed really to see the things h
Observation-Disclosures, did you reall
know-did you really see her on tn
stage?n
''On two stages, Irene, playing tw
widely different parts, but in each tn
heroine of the hour. When / saw he
next, she was in a court of justice
standing white-faced and defiant bt
fore a crowd as strongly moved g
that which had applauded her before
but this crowd hooted and Kissed, an
poured out curses upon the woma
who had first betrayed her husband
and then had done her best to swes
his life away"
"His life-her husband?" | echoe
incoherently. Il cannot follow 20,
Dick Tell me in plain words what
all means"
at is a story you may have reat
dear-it happened only a couple
wears since, and made great sens;
ton at the time. Do you rememb,
the murder of young French oific,
at Dijon--the attempted murder OF IL
celebrated singer and actress--Ir
Vertuni?"
''By her husband in frantic fit
jealousy? Oh, yes, | remember
WELT" / cried; and indeed the wi
tragedy of love and jealousy and mu
der had stirred even sleepy Ludleil
to something likeinterest 'But, Die
you do not-you cannot mean tn
-
THAT Estelle Girrard and Ina We
tuni were one and the same person?
do, Irene; felt sure of it at once;