San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-08-19


and bewitched him rs it fickered about
the corners of her pretty n outh? Width
er had fed the bright coloring, the radi-
dnCe, the gladuess that lived in that ex-
QulSlte face: Was this heavy eyed, pal
Id, nervelesS being. standing with hang
ing head before him, the peerless queen
he had so Loyalty and devotedly served
whose falntcst wish was to him royal
m&ndate-tO kiss whose soft white hand
was Il JOY UnuttCraUle? All this flashed
tiouSa his mind in the il:>..:.t of her
'..caoIute pause. Then the get pity of
sTOng and m@NtUl heart, tho tender
ness that lives ever In the bravest, sent
linn forward to her side. All thought
Of self and suffering, of treachery and
coEce&l.A~4t and deception, vanished at
once AZ ,he sight Of her bitter woe. His
own brave eyes filed up with tears he
would gladly have hidden, but that she
Jaw and WAS COmTOrted. He took her
limp, nervcless hand and led her to a
chair, saying only her name-"Mrs
Noel"
For several minutes she could not
speak, but wept unrestrainedly, he, poor
fellow. walking the floor the while, long
ing to comfort her. yet powerless. What
could he say: What could he do? At
last she seemed to regain her self-con-
troll.
Capt. Lane, she said lit is useless
for me to tell You how much | have
learned since coming here, of which
was ignorant before. Every effort has
been made to spare me; people have
been SO considerable and kind that the
truth, as | am beginning to see, has
bctL kept from me. Mr.. Falconer, Capt.
Noeis-Our lawyer, has at last admitted
that almost everything depends upon
your evidence. Forgive me, if you can.
that | believed for a while that you in
spircd the charges against him. | know
now that you refused to press the mat
ter, and that-that | am not to blame
any one. In his deep misfortune my
duty is with my husband, and he-con-
scented that | should see you. Capt
Lane" she said, rising as she spoke, do
not try to spare my feelings now. am
prepared for ything-ready to share
his downfall. If you are asked as to the
contents of the note yOU sent him before
the fight, mus. You tell what they We're?
Do you recall them"
Il must, Mrs. Noel. | remember al
most the exact words, he replied, gen.
tly, sorrowfully.
"H0t that is al. is it not? You know
~ of q, hA in
ing YOU" And her eyes, piteous in en-
treaty, in shame, in suffering, sought one
instant his sad face, then fell before the
sorrow and sympathy in his.
For moment there was no answer,
and at last she looked up, alarmed.
Mrs. Noel" he said, Il could not help
it. | was eagerly awaiting their coming
| saw them approach the ford and the
pass. | saw that there were only six
ApaChes TO resist them, and the next
thing l saw was the retreat.
"Oh. Capt. Lane" she cried, must
YOU testify as to thiS!" And her trem.
bling hands were clasped in misery. as
there no way-no way?"
Even if there WERE" he answered,
slowly and mournfully, Mr. Masons
testimony and that Of the men would be
still more conclusive"
Throwing herself upon the sofa, the
poor girl gave way to fit of unCOn-
trollable weeping; and Lane stood help
lessly, miserably by. Once he strove to
speak, but she could not listen. He
brought her a glass of water presently
and begged her to drink it; there was
still something he had to suggest. She
took the goblet from his hand and looked
up eagerly through her tears. He was
thinking only of her-for her-now. The
man who had robbed him of happiness,
of love, of wife and home and hope, and
who had done the utmost that he dared
to rob him of honor and his soldier repu-
tatiOn-the man now wretChedly listen
ing overhead to the murmur of voices
below-he forgot entirely except as the
man she loved.
Mrs. Noel, your friendships friends
are most influential. Can they not be
telegraphed to that his resignation will
be rendered? Can they not stop the trial
in that way"
at is hopeless. 1t has been tried, and
refused If he is found guilty there is
nothing left-nothing left" she moaned,
"but to take him back to the east with
me, and, with the little we have now, to
buy some quiet home in the country,
where our wretched past need not be
known-where we can be forgotten
where my poor husband need not have
to hang his head in shame. On, God!