San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-03-17
A Reversed Judgment.
By ROBERT @. v. MEYERS.

governor. SCreiy there was a oiIer-
ence, as Estelle had said, but GHreiy tn''
father owed his daughter this new honor
despite the difference between his lone
illness ard that of her lover.
The governorship-and after thati
He looked up at the thinning OF q face on
the wall-Webster! The cabinet! His
wife had said it!
Suddenly there came the sweep of the
velvet robe, and his wife entered the
room.
1.-The woman appeals to me-" she said
''She wishes to see you. What you said
to me regarding my dress as l went
down to her maybe rebuked me, for l
could not turn her away. Will YOU see
her? She looks sensible"
The judge recalled himself
II can do little for her." he responded
with an air of resignation. But so
long as You have told her you would get
my yes or mo- suppose must prepare
myself for bad quarter of an hour.
Let her come up"
His wife left the room. She called
''Catharine," gave a low order and passed
by the study door to the room where the
daughter kept the young man from be-
ing lonely.
There was laboring up the stairs,
the touch of garments on the wall, and
in the doorway stood woman. The
prisoners dock, the witness stand, may
be supposed to hold pale faces, but the
Judge had never before looked upon a
face SO utterly devoid of color as this
woman's, framed by gray hair and dimly
illumined by faded eyes. Perhaps the
regularity of the features, the fine out
line and the immobility of the express
sion tended to accentuate the absence of
coloring in the epidermis as much as the
dun colored gown and bonnet the woman
wore. At the first glance he had Of her
the judge thought of splendid intaglio
cut into sard which was among his wife's
jewels.
Then the woman's eyes were fixed on
his. She stood on the threshold for an
instant before she glided over into the
room and closed the door behind her.
When she spoke the passionless quality
Of her voice was as though that were also
decolored.
your wife mistook me for Harry
Dunlap's mother" she said, land / did
not correct her. am his aunt-he is the
son of my husbands brother. came in
regard to his case. l wish to learn if ex-
tenuating circumstances may not tend to
lessen the term of his imprisonment.
The missing money is large amount;
he was trusted bookkeeper, and the be-
trayal of that trust makes the offense all
the more heinous."
She put her hand to her throat as
though there was an obstruction there.
Then she went on in her dull voice:
"The reputation which you bear for
integrity, the confidence the community
places in you, the applause of the papers
over future honor likely to be yours
actuated me to come to you with the re-
cital of that part of my nepheW's case
which the trial failed to bring out"
Her eyes had drifted around the room
as she last spoke, as though she COM
pared the comfort there with something
that she knew, and now they rested on
the portrait of the judges wife in all its
beauty and ideaGzation. Her profile was
toward the judge, and whatever doubt
he might have had before was dissipated,
and he uttered her name.
Yes" she said, turning to him; Eyes,
for all the change you recognize me. l
knew that you would. Now listen to
me. know that you regard the crime
of which my nephew is accused very
sternly; there has been too much wrong
doing by trusted men, and leniency
would almost amount to completely"
Again her hand went up to her throat
and pressed there.
"As l say, this man is my nephew. !
have never had any children. His par
ents were dead when l married his I'M
Gle. He came to me mere infant, and
loved me as his mother. Ny married
life was not happy, as l knew it could
not be, for never loved my husband,
who loved me and knew how l regarded
him. | wronged hin IN marrying him;
nv carelessnesS OF his regard for me
only tended to develop in him traits
which a wife's affection might have
cr&dicated. His nephew wGQ everything
30 me; his innocent love kept me from
despair when ray husband went wrong
time and time again-fOr which wrong
blamed myself, seeing that he cared
deeply for he while he was of small ac-
count TO ne. All women cannot love
because they are loved. Ny husband be
came gambler, drunkard. He i'll
treated me, and my nephew protected
me as a son might protect his mother.