San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-07-15
ELSA
The White Face At The Window.
Written by Edith Aiken for the Light.

FIRST CHAPTER BFGAN IN NO. 49, JUNE 26l
Haven't you one word for your
most devoted lover Mrs. Roberts?
Won't shake hands? Not one word?
Well can wait little longer, two
or three hours more or less can max g
but little difference to man who has
waited ten years"
80 Hedge oodburn, what do you
expect to gain by this unceasing and
useless persecutionw at last the poor
lady found voice to say.
"What do 1 expect to gain? 1 ex-
pect to gain the sweetest wife in the
world for me because the wife want.
Persecution? All, how can you call
it so? Rather call it a most devoted
love, undaunted by difficulties, I'M
chilled by your GOODNESS. Only imag-
inc my despair when you escaped me,
and my tedious and disappointing
search before 1 was assured that you
had left Chicago. 1 did not dare to
show my ignorance OF your move
ments, or the ingenious fairy story
about you being a thiefand associated
with Hedge WOODBURY. the notorious.
90" thief! associated with you!
you my husbands murderer
Precisely, you could not have a
worse associate could you?"
go I do not wonder that even my
truest friends turned against mel"
"Nor do I. Yet you had such a
hold upon most of them, that it re-
quired great deal of plotting and
brilliant fabrication, aided by your
own pride and nice little temper, to
make the success 1 did finally, and
to leave you without a friend. But
as 1 was saying could have no help
to find you. 1t would not do to show
my ignorance of your movements,
because that would give the lie to the
story that you were my mistress and
accomplish. So you see it was tedious
business following you step by step
until traced you to this city, and my
happiness was in proportion when 1
could name the street and number
that sheltered my runaway"
He stood looking down at her, posi-
lively startling in his beauty, lighted
up with the exultation of his near
success, for the possibility of the help
less creature escaping him again,
seemed prepostrous. Had he not
with a DEVILS finished cunning closed
every avenue to friendship, labor,
and the protection of relatives? ITO
whom could she turn but to him? and
to think of her bringing him twelve
thousand dollars at last! Was he not
well repaid for all his trouble? How
he eXulted at the credulity of his
enemy who was willing to pay him
to take for a wife one whom he would
make any sacrifice to win. But he
was glad of the money for her sake as
much as for his own. II would pro-
vide lovely nest for his wild bird
so difficult to cage, and still leave
something to start new home and
fortune. They would go away, far
to the southwest, to the land of sun
and gold. His love should bring back
the wild-rose tint 10 her cheeks that
made her once so lovely, and her eyes
grow brilliant again under his foster
ing care. Who wanted to stay at
the cold, rigid north, let Sommers
keep the forged check! Why he
would find some honorable employ
ment, some workw this idle man of
the world who had never worked in
all his useless, worse than useless
life.
All these thoughts came thick and
fast as he stood with folded arms