San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-06-17

one who IN his youth betrayed q
young girl-a mere child as you just
said-to false marriage, and then
with protestations of fidelity and
undyiHg love on his false tongue
left her to meet the consequences of
her rash trust alone! Alone with
out q line, or message of any kind t
comfort her, though three months
ELAPSED before news of his death lifted
the wight of uncertain ty from b, r
half craZed bTair!h
Could this be the delicate, shrinking
woman, his companion of an hour
ago? She appeared to have enlarged
i'm size and stature, her eyes darkened,
and her whole. face curved and har-
dened with indignant scorn. Maur-
ice regarded her with wonder.
Dear madam, there must be some
great mistake; let us try and ex-
plain"
There can be no explanation since
Gilbraith still lives l am the unfor-
tunate Elinor Vinal whose childis h
fancy, as you please to term it, was
near enough like woman's love to
cause her to set aside every consider
alton except the wishes of the man
who betrayed her! Whose childish
fancy has grown with her growth and
strengthened with her strength, each
hour of her life, and rendered the
marriage-into which she was forced
to hide her shame-a torture all the
years that followed This love, which
you esteem 50 lightly, has proved the
one love of my life, has helped me to
find excuses for him and his silence
during those months of waiting. 1t
was in tender remembrance of him
that I assumed his name on this jour
ney, name which you must know is
not mine.n
Maurice leaned over and clasped
her lap, holding them tightly to COM
pei her attention, while he said
eagerly:
whatever false tongues may have said
to the contrary. You must listen
to the remainder of Richard Gil
braith's story. There is cruel mys-
terry which L beg you will help to clear
up. You have both been wronged
terribly; let us find by whom. l do
not think we shall have far to look.
AS you say, it was three months from
the time Richard left you until the
terrible engagement in which he was
supposed to have been killed, and
not day passed during those three
months that he did not write you a
message. 1t was not always sent the
same day, sometimes several days
elapsed, but it was sent, and from the
first day to the last he never received
a line. IL made no difference to him,
he made every excuse, but never be-
lieved it to be your fault. 1t was on
the morning before his last battle
that he received a letter from his
uncle, and IN reply to guarded in
quiry about you, announced your
marriage with Martin Gould two
months before. At first it seemed to
daze him, then in the bitterness of
wrath and misery he would have de.
serted and gone to you, not caring for
the consequences to himself, had not
the alarm of an approaching foe been
given, and before he was scarcely
aware, he was in the rapid movement
of surprise, and then in the din and
roar of action. This lasted through
the night, and the next day when the
remnant of his company retreated,
hISLaiu Wao lOlV iVi uoau upoIl Vuc
field.
When consciousness first dimly re-
turned to his aching senses, he was
lying ON the ground, his head rest
ing against a mans breast, with the
bright near stars of a southern night
looking down upon him. After lit
tie he tried to move out could not,
slight gasp was the only result, but
the arms that feebly supported him
moved slightly and a canteen was
placed to his lips.
"Do not try to move said a faint
voice, the lights are coming this way,
and we shall soon be rescued"
The lights came nearer and near
er, and to the faint call of the less
deadly wounded man, men i'll grey
uniforms, men looking for possibly
living comrades, drew near, and will
ling hands lifted these two wounded
men, one in blue the other in grey,
lifted each with equal tenderness, and
placed them on the filters brought for
the purpose, and soon conveyed them
to place of comfort and safety with
in the confederate lines. The wound
ed man in grey proved to be an officer
of importance in the army as well as a
humane man. His horse was
shot under him early in
the day; he was wounded
at the same time, and fell partly under
his horse, and was obliged to remain
in this condition until young soldier
in the blue uniform, white and faint
from loss of blood, staggered near and
leaned against tree, when catching
the eye of the imprisoned man he
made an effort and came toward him.