San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-25

matter calmly. She mad expected TO see her
child drown before her eyes She was trem-
bling from head to foot; and, after striving
in vain TO restrain herself, she burst into a
food of tears, which ended in a fit of hys-
terical laughing and sobbing.
''Oh, these women" said the Frenchman TO
himself, but he was too gallant to express his
feelings
Placing Maggie upon his sketehing stool, he
knelt beside her, applied little smelling
bottle to her nostrils and shortly restored her
to calmness.
Now, little mother, do not cry any mora
he said. Won should laugh because the
little one is safe. Ah-good heavensl how
foolish"
And then, in perfectly paternal manner,
he kissed her. And Maggie, crying out:
you good, good mani | shall pray for
you every night of my Iife" kissed him
again.
1t was all for the preServer Of her boy, of
Owens boy, and because she was really out
of her mind at the moment. But at this in
slant Owen himself, coming rapidly along the
shore road, caught sight of his wife. The
child, perched on a rock hard by, was play
ing unconcernedly with his wet shoe, but
Owen did not see him. What he saw was
stranger kissing his wife, his wife kissing the
stranger again; and all that was fond and
tender and loving flew from his soul.
The dark man." of whom the gypsy had
warned Maggie was her husband now. He
came rushing down toward them, and the
Frenchman, seeing what he faucied-not
without reasOn-to be a mailman approach
ing turned and fed. His fighting days, If
he ever had any, We're over He was willing
to risk his life to save beautiful little child,
but this was another matter. AS for Owen,
he reached Maggie's side at three bounds,
and Selling her arm held it in grip of iron.
II saw you kiss himW he Kissed in her ear
you play me false, do you-you"
"Owen, you are crazy" said Maggie
Speak; did you kiss him' can't believe
it yet" said Owen. "Why, Maggie, it can
not be- Say you did not, that the sun was
in my eyes; that did not see rightly You
did not kiss hing
Il did," said Maggie, yes, kissed him.
He"-
Owen pushed her from him, so that she
staggered and fell And when she looked up
he was gone-he had followed the French
man, or intended to do so. But the light
footed foreigner had been careful to step
turn to his hotel by devious route.
mo doubt that was madame's husband"
he said. "When madame shall have ex-
planned, all will Der right. Just now will be
Oh the safe side"
Meanwhile poor Maggie had gathered her
self up, taken her boy by the hand, and gone
homeward A deadly fear of her husband
possessed her-she remembered the gypsy's
prophecy.
He will kill me-" she said to herself He
will kill me before ever can tell him my
story"
Then Maggie terror stricken, took her boy
and fled from the house. The dread of being
murdered by the Jealous dark man" was
strong upon her.
She knew of an empty hut-once a flag
mans house-which stood beside the road.
Here she could hide until dawn, when Owen
would be miles away. Then she would fly
where she could meet him no more, for she
had no hope of proving the truth to him.
She had cause for her fear-Owen meant
to kill her. He fancied her one of those vile
women who have the seeming Of an angel,
and who mar the lives of men who love them
he would kill her. and then die
He had not had time to go home The hour
for his return to the engine had come upon
him almost unaware. He reached his post
only by the greatest efforts, almost tempted
to desert it in order to find and STAY the man
who had kissed his wife.
1t was 10 O'Clock. In the lonely hut by the
railway track Maggie had put hnr boy to
sleep, when the sound of voices caused her to
creep to the little window and look out.
There she saw a sight that curdled the blood
in her veins-train wreckers at work-three
vile tramps, who had already placed across
the track a hill of obstacles which would in
sure the destruction of any train which came
upon them in the darkness.
They worked by the light of lanterns, and
she heard them chuckling in fiendish glee
Best get out of the way now," said one,
land be seen at the tavern When we hear
the whistles we'll come and help"
"Ies, we'll help, good charitable souls
that we are" said another. The II o'clock
express, going north, will be delayed to-
night"
They laughed as they spoke, and Maggie
clasped her hands-the II o'clock train was
Owens
The engineer is always the first victim in a
disaster. The man who was going to kill her
would never live TO do it if this train met the
fate prepared for it. But Maggie never
thought of that. 1t was only her dear Owen
she remembered now-her loving husband,
not the jealous. dark man from whom she
had fed
If the tramps returned, her doom was
sealed; but that did not matter She covered
her boy with cloak she had brought, and
lighting match, peered at the little silver
watch she wore about her neck. The train
was due i'll half an hour. What should she
doi