San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-01-03

middle of the day; the avenue was com
paratively deserted. A few carriages
were taking their occupants home to
luncheon. Bellingham stood on the
curbstone, looking up and down, and
vaguely wondering what he should do
next. BY and by it struck him that it
would not make much difference which
way he went In no place in the world
| could he find what he had lost. 1t was no
where; it had been annihilated. All that
had made life delightful was gone from
him, and he was left ironically behind.
He had never really possessed it, even: it
WAS mirage-a phantom. which he had
tried to grasp, and it had vanished. But
the strangest part of the businesS-al-
most ludicrous-waS that he remained
behind, standing here, alive and well, in
| the sunshine on Fifth avenue.
He sauntered leisurely northward to-
ward the park, Two or three times he
passed some one he knew, and returned
their greeting with nod. Bat all the
while he saw that 1.-THE, erect figure. with
her pale, lovely face, her eyes bright
with pain or anger, her white hands
| twisting her handkerchief. Could it be
that she was depraved, false, heartless?
| Every stern word he had spoken had
been echoed, as it were, by the exquisite
| sensitiveness of her heauty. IF she were
| false would she not have been true at
| that last moment, when nothing more
was to he gained by deception, when to
be sincere was essential 10 the enjoy
ment of the triumph her falschood mad
| gained her.
He reached the park: there was still u
vivid greenness in the grass, though the
trees We're rich with the splendor of
autumn. He wandered along the curry
ing paths, feeling no pleasure, but pain.
in the quiet beauty thatSurrOunded him.
Keeping to the left, where there seemed
to be fewer saunterers like himself, he
| found himself at last near the extreme
| northern limit. He assembled a little hill,
and on its summit. beneath the golden
shade of group of trees, there was a
space of leaf strewn turf on which he
flung himself down. The rumble of the
horse cars ON the avenue came family to
his ears, and now and then the voices of
laughter of people passing ut distance:
the shadow of passing clouds drifted
over him, and ever and anon golden
leaf detached itself from bough above
his head and floated wavering earth
ward. But no one disturbed him, though
he lay there all the afternoon, sometimes
with his face buried on his arms, some
times supporting his head upon his hand.
He wondered what she had bren doing
since they parted. Had she been laugh
ing over his discontinue and planning
fresh enterprises? 1t was not possible!
The SUI went down and the shadows
of twilight rose. Bellingham looked
toward the east, and saw the disk of the
moon mount above the horizon. until the
whole round sphere swung aloft, orange
against the violet background. The
evening was mild and still, but the
lethargy which had fallen upon Belling
ham began to be dispelled; he became
restless and anxious. He could no
longer stay where he was; he descended
the little hill, crossed over to the avenue,
and still going northwestward came to
the bank of the Hudson. The bank was
high and steep: he clambered down it,
and found the remains of decayed
wooden pier jutting out into the water.
Upon the end of, this he sat down, and
the silent current swept and eddied past
his feet. The sound of clock striking
somewhere caught his ear. This was the
hour for her to arrive at the theatre. A
little while longer and she would be upon
the stage. Would she look toward his
seat, expecting to see him there? No, she
would never expect him again! Would
she miss him?
More than another hour passed away,
and Bellingham sat so still that one
might have fancied he was asleep. But
be was not asleep-he was thinking, and
now his thoughts were becoming clearer
and more consecutive than they had
heretofore been. The moon had now
scared high aloft, and stood sllvery
bright above the sliding reaches Of the
river.
All at once BeIlingham sprang to his
feet. He pulled out his watch; there was
yet time. He began hurriedly to climb
the bank.
- It had been borne in upon him, he
knew not how, with sudden, over
whelming conviction, that she was not
guilty, but pure and true; that the mys-
terry was an innocent one. that all would
be well. if he could but see her and speak
to her 1t was possible for him to reach |
the theatre before she left it, but he
must use diligence. He was somewhat
faint from lack of rourishnent during |
the day, but he ran on until lie came to