San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-01-19

at once. Must see him to say goed-by,
you know. That's air.
And soon the lately anxious husband
threw himself upon his bed, the happy
light of the new day dawning for him
still shining in his face.
Did the beautiful woman lying in the
room so near know what q load her
words had lifted from his true, I'M
demonstrative heart?
When Adrien Latour's last words had
crashed upon her sickening sense, when
his tall form passed from her sight, as
she felt forever, the horror frozen in
Edith's face rested there, cold and still.
A cunning sculpture of despair had
been not more motionless than the state
~ woman there, while the little clock
licked sixty seconds ont upon the deadly
stiffness.
Gradually the rigid arms relaxed, the
horror softened in her eyes-only the
anguish left; and great, gasping sob
shivered from her heart. The stately
head, shadowed by the loose hair,
dropped low in her hands: again the sob
rent her-this time moan:
els anything leftF'
So many minutes. Then the face was
raised, white and sorrowful, the eyes
now dark and luminous, the lips no
longer set, but quivering with the al
most soundless words:
"Yes-expiation~
She grasped the curtain, rising to her
feet and putting back the hair from her
broad, low forehead with both hands
Quietly, calmly she moved to the table,
opened her desk with steady hand and
began to write rapidly.
81 dare not see him tonight" she said
in low tones. What ! owe his faithful
heart l will begin to pay-to- morrow
A luminous resolve lighted the grand
oval of her face. Rapidly she folded
the note and placed it on the stand with
out, the low voice-not trembling now,
but clear and sweet-repeating:
"Expiation! Yes, thank God! expia-
tom
Turning back, the raised curtain stiIl
in her right hand, quick agonining
spam shot through her side. Her left
hand efutched the laces above her heart,
crushing them hard against it.; labored
breath or two and the pain passed away.
"That is the first stepi The next is so
hard-so hardy
Her whisper was full of shame and
sorrow; but never hesitating she sat
once more and wrote in rapid charaetsss,
but firm and clear:
knowing you as do, Adrien, knew
ing myself as You now know me, / feel
that you will never look into my face
this side o. the great mercy seat. That
sinned against you all, moro assinst
myself, most against God, through my
wild love for you is no palliation. For
what / thought love itself was only
crime! That love which schemsd to
msse you my husband, which would
have made me your slave had you 80
willed-that passion is dead. You killed
it at blow, showing me myself in the
full glare of my sin; but, God be thanked,
not hopeless now. And when We do
meet there expiration will be done, if his
mercy let's contrition, lifelong study Of
duty atone here. For now l see that
lust is never love. II may rise to the
dignity of passion, never to that better,
purer love she feels for you. have told
my husband enough to lift the load !
studied to heap upon that true heart, 80
little conscious of the baseness in mine.
Confession now would punish him as
am punished! Everything Dale Everett
believes of me-yes, far more than he
suspects-is true! l lied to him, lied to
that pure girl, lied to you in everything
save when l said loved you! And the
letter she wrote to Dale on her wedding
day gave to-
Again the sharp pain pierced her side,
fierce, unbearable. AgoniZed, racked,
sEs pressed her hand upon her breast.
With ashen lips apart, breathless, she
leaned against the table.
Mechanically her hand reached for
one of the bottles near, sprung the stop
per and the sickening odor of chloroform
stole into the air. She placed it to her
nostrils; the tortured lungs moved gasp
ingly, each breath a stab, then gradually
more naturally, under the nunbing
drug.
Her right hand closed the bottle weari-
ly, pushing it back among the others,
then dropping nerVelessly upon the writ
ten page.
A moment later that hand closed hard
upon the sheet, crushing it with spas
modic strength against her heart. She
Rose to her feet, not noting the jar that
overturned the candle; staggered to the
bed and fell upon it with one deep gasp
of relief unspeakahle!
IJhn cr,nftnrinn tnnar On the fahlA