Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-22

her travelling desk on table before her
She thanked Flores.an for his prompt atten-
ion to her request and motioned him to a seat
on the other side of the writing table,
81 am going to ask you to do me a great
favor. Mr.. Florestan." she said very seriously,
although our friendship has been so inter
rupted and SO cas- ual that l have hardly any
claim upon YOU"
All that was ardent and frank and generous
In the man who affected cynicism was Awakened
by this deprecating appeal, and perhaps still
more by the pathetic expression OF the soft
hazel eyes and tne faint tremulousness of the
lower lip.
'You have the strongest claim" he answered
eagerly. There IS nothing would not do to
show myself worthy to be considered your
friend. Ii we have not seen very much of each
other we have at least been acquainted for
long time. remember your daughter when
she was almost baby. remember-"
-. He checked himself. as ne was approaching
theme that might pain her.
''You remember my husband" she said, in
want to talk to you. L think you are good and
true. Mr. Florestan, and l am going to trust
you with the secrets of the dead. am going
to show you some old letters-ietters written to
my dear dead husband-whch l would not
show to anybody in this world if did not hope
that some good, some satisfaction to me and to
my daughter, might come out of the light these
letters can give"
MY dear Mrs. Arden, you do not surely hope
that after all these years the murderer will be
found through any clue that the past can at
ford?"
Il don't know what hope, but I want to End
a woman who loved my husband very tenderly
and truly before ever | saw his face. She was
frlendless girl in this city, girl who had to
work for her living. but her letters are the out
come OF a refined nature, and | feel strange
and melancholy interest in her. My heart
yearns toward the woman who loved my hus-
band IN his youth and who might have been
his wife but for difference of caste"
Did your husband tell you about this youth
full love affair?'
HE alluded to it laughingly once or twice
during our happy married life; but knew moth
ing more than that he had once been in love
with "a French grisette, until the week before
my second marriage. 1 had curious fancy
before that great change In my life to go back
upon the past" There was a grave regretfuI-
ness In her tone at this point which was a reve-
latlOn to Florestan. And l occupied myself
for whole night, when every one else in the
house had gone to bed, in looking over my
husbands papers. / had been through them
more than once before, and had classified and
arranged them as well as could; but suppose
/ was not very business-like in my way of doing
this, for among some commonplace letters from
old college friends l found a little packet OF
letters in woman's hand, which had oyer
looked before"
She opened her desk as she spoke and took a
small packet of letters tied with piece of red
tape. There had been no sentimental indul-
gence IN the way OF satin ribbon for the milin-
ers poor little letters. The tape was faded and
old, and it was the same piece which Robert
HatrelPs own hand had tied around them.
please read one or two of those letters and
tell me If they speak to your heart as they
spoke to mine," she said, as she put the packet
into Florestan's hand
He united the tape, counted tina letters,
seven in all, and then began to read the letter
OF earliest date.
"Rue Chauve Souris, Faubourg St. Antoine,
9th May
at was like day spent in heaven while we
were together yesterday. felt as il il was
years and years since had seen green fields
and river. Oh, the beautiful river, and the
island where we dined. / did not think there
was anything so lovely within an hours Jour
ney from Paris. All, how good it was of you
to give poor, hard-working girl 80 much
pleasure. l have been in Paris more than a
year, and no one ever showed me a glimpse of
green fields until yesterday. My brother was
too busy with his inventions, and there was no
one else. | wonder at your goodness, that you
should take SO much trouble for poor girl,
and that you should not be ashamed to be seen
with any one SO shabby and insignificant"
Three other letters followed, telling the same
story OF Sunday in the enyirons of Paris of
the woods and the river and the rapture of be-
ing with him. Gradually the pen had grown
lover-a humble, contiding. romantic girlish
love, which took no thought for the morrow
asked no questions. suffered from no agonies of
doubt. She wrote as If her happiness were to
know no change-as if those Sunday excursions
to pleasant places were to 60 on forever. She
told him how she had gone to mass before she
met him at the railway station or the steam
boat pier, and how she had prayed for him at
the altar.
The later letters had more serious tone and
hwnn fhnh tha fno NAoel -. A.
an end.
1T has been like dream to know YOU and
be loved by you," she wrote; 'but is the dream
to end IN darkness and the long dull life that
would be left for me if you were to go away
and forget me? l suppose it must be So I
have been too happy to remember that such
happiness could not last. You will go back to
your own country and fall iii love with young
English lady and forget that you ever spent
happy days on the Seine laughing and talking
with your poor Toinette. You will forget the
arbor on the island where We dined in the
twilight, while music and singing went past us
IN the boats, while we sat hidden behind vine
leaves and heard everything without being
seen. Oh, how sweet it was! l shall never see
any more stars like those that shone down
upon us as we came from Marty one night sit
ting side by side on bench ON the roof of
the train. shall never see the river in Paris
without thinking tina. it is the same river on
which our boat has drifte6 ON, 80 lazily, while
VIC ua'C Saihoo 0uQ tOEROtten everything eX-
cept our own faces and our own voices. All
that was beautiful in the river and the land
scape seemed not outside US, but a part of our
selves and Of our love-"
There was more in the same tsrain: but later
the key changed to saddest minor
- know you cannot marry me: indeed I
never thought or hoped to be your wife. / only
wanted our love to go on as long as il could 1
wanted 1t to go on forever, asking no more
than to see You now and then, once a week,
once In a month even-ah, even once in a YEAR
! could live all through "a long dull year in the
hope of seeing you for one blessed hour on
New Year day. Is that too much to ask? You
cannot guess how little would content me
anything except to lose you forever. The day
that you SAY to me, Goodbye, Toinette, we
shall never meet again, will be the day OF my
death. You are the. better part of my life. /
cannot live without,you. ] think OF you in
every hour Of the day. l think Of you with
every stitch my needle makes in the long hours
In which 1 sit at work. The sprig OF willow
You picked when we were in the boat last sun
day is like living thing to meas precious as
II 1t had q soul and could sympathize with me
IN my love and my sorrow"
Florestan read on till the last word in the last
letter.
'Do those sad little letters touch You as they
touched me?" asked Clara.
Yes; they are pretty little letters. They are
full OF = tender, sentimental love which might
mean much or little. There is no knowing how
| much reality there in in all this sentiment
woman are actresses from their cradle. They