The morning call., 1892-03-16
MY FRIENDS STORY.

"It's a very strange story" he said, "a
very strange story-one / have dared tell
TO very few persons. and yet if you insist
will give il you"
l had insisted and Lesought by turns for
half an hour and this concession Of his was
the outcome of a series of strategic move
ments on my part that would have done
honor to a Partisan detective.
well, then" [ said. - insist. Go on
with your story, and if any pledge of Sc
creey is in order. just say SO and I'll hold up
my hands"
81 .dousr eDjoin secrecy" he answered
slowly. THE story is not one you would
care to repeat"
"Oh. very well. very WE'LL" l bantered.
with a mighty atfectation of a tiippancy /
did not feel q can close my mouth as
tight as any one you know. But to the
story. Your wife, you said, died year
ago?"
~ said nothing of the kind" he replied
emphatically. 81 told you l lost her year
ago" Then he rose and crossing the room
empted the ashes from his pipe into the
fireplace and helped himself TO another
round Of tobacco. As be stood for amoment
silhouetted against the fiaring Goals in the
gTale, silent, calm. serene, II burst upon me
suddenly that the silence and serenity which
in him had long regarded as most offensive
aud objectionable were nothing other than
the dignity of sOTrOw. and | felt ashamed Of
myself; not the first time, perhaps. that l
have had the same feeling, but never mind
that now. At last, having lighted The new
pipeful, he turned and said simply:
~ Ou insist?'
BY this time | realized that was in for it
whatever it might be, and L answered
promptly, Yes"
And than StifI IaoDip1 on tha obirDar
piece he began in hesitatng way:
LAS you already know, Gladys and | were
married tTifia over thirteen months ago. |
loved her madly. and she D0or girl. was all
a wife should be or could be. Wewere very
happy together; no clouds ever darkened
the clear heaven of our mutual love, nor
troubles for moment disturbed cur peace
and happiness Previous to departing on
our wedding trip | had leased suite OF
rooms in a large uptown flat-you know the
place-and when we returned after n short
tour those rooms became our home and ou1
paradise. So things ran on for nearly two
months. and then-then came the eud-the
end"
Here he paused. and turning away from
me looked into the Kissing, splutterng lit
tie fire moment. Somehow did not feel
Ike breaking the silence-I realized that he
was not thinking of me then, aCd TO speak
would have been 0btrusi0n if not sacrilege.
at length, raising his head, he turned 10 me
with apparent effort and as he did so l could
see there were tears IN his eyes.
lone evening"" he went on. after had
begged him be seated and he had taken the
big cushioned chair by the hearth. lone
evening last February my wife and | spent
with her mother and returned at late hour
10 our apartments. The night was bad
one, and Gladys, poor little girl, was weary
and exhausted Wien we reached home.
Her bright eyes had duh, leaden look, she
was pale, complained Of a headache and
said strange things as if her mind were
wandering for the moment, and l recon-
mended that she retire at once and sleep off
the i'll effects of her overexertiOn. She was
very lo6th TO take my advice for some reason
or other, and when l had lighted my pipe
and drawn my armchair up to the table she
came and knelt beside me and took my
hand in hers.
"'John,' said she-ah, how well I remem-
Der her words. spoken in her quaint. half
reproachfui way-'JOhn. you don't mean to
send me away from you, do you?
Yes. my dear, replied. rather petu-
tantly. For your own sake | do. You
need sleep and rest l am perfectly safe
here with MY paper
"She rose and turned away, but had
taken only few steps when she returned
and took my hand again.
gu want me to leave you, John?'
Yes, yes, my dear; go to sleep and get
nights rest; 1t Will do you more good than
anything else under the SUM- Her caresses
somehow made me feel strangely cold and
neIV Us, and l spoke more harshly than
should have done lad | stopped to think
She rose quickly and passed into our bed
chamber beyond, and as the porteres closed
behind her feeling OF unutterable loneIi-
ness OVercame he, my heart beat hard and
fast and breathed with difficulty. 1t was
all absurdl!y, OF course, and when [ had
hesItated bit and reasoned quickly buried
myself IN my paper and tried to forget the
occurrence. But every few moments the
same strange unrest oppressed me- until
finally threw aside the paper, and ris ing
paced the ttoor, trying to drive off the feeling
before | retired for the night Perhaps /
had been pacing up and down for an hour,
or 1t may have been but ten minutes-it
don't matter how long 1t was-when my
attention was suddenly arrested by sim
gnlar movement OF the portiereS at our bed
aroom doorway, and | stopped Short unable,
afraid 70 move an inch. Slowly the heavy
draperies moved as though someone was
pushing them aside and passing through;
then they closed as quickly as they had
opened.
''The unaccountable thing filed me with
terror, ana was about 10 spring forward
ana tear the curtain down when | was
again traDsfyed by fear. The pOnderous
oaken door which led from our apartments
Into the pnblic hallway swung slowly on its
hinges, as Ii some one were going out
Then came faint sob like woman sigh
ES. anu shS uooi Clooeu anu idtcHtu ilSc1s
Nothing bad been visible but the moving of
the curtains and the door, and yet my soul
was nlled with namelesS horror that
dared not dwell upon. Rousing myself /
leaped forward, and tearing aside the por-
there's rushed 10 my wife's bedside. There
she lay, her eyes closed and her pale face
faIntly Illuminated by the light that fol-
lowed me through the doorway. / seized
her hand and strove TO awaken her, but she
did not move. In an agony Of terror | bent
my head and listened for the beating of her
heart. Then clasping the limp form in nv
arms | pressed il in my bosom and called
aloud her name:
GLADYS, Gladys, my Gladysr
- But there was no answer. she was gone"