Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-07

kicked up h-n OF row over there" He
stopped, evidently at some sign FROM her
guest. The rest of the mans speech fol-
lowed in a hurried whisper, which was
stopped again by the voice she knew mo;
certainly not" The next moment his tall
figure was darkening the door Of the
kitchen; his hand was outstrctched. "Good-
BY, Mrs. Bunker, and many thanks for your
hospitality. My friends here, he turned
grimly to the men behind him, think ]
from your husband. I don't They also
think that ought to offer you money for
your kindness. ] don't. But II you viii
honor me by keeping this ring In remem-
brance of 1.-THE took heavy seal ring
from his nnger-'sit's the only bit of jew
elry I have about NELL be very glad
Good-byer' She felt for a moment the
firm, soft pressure of his long, thin fingers
around her own, and then-he was gone.
The sound of retreating oars grew fainter
and fainter and was lost. The same re-
serve of 6elicacy which now appeared TO
her as duty kept her from going to the
window to watch the destination of the
boat. No, he should go as he came, with
out her supervision or knowledge.
Nor did she feel lonely afterward. On
the contrary, the silence and solitude of the
isolated domain had new charm They
kept the memory of her experience intact,
and enabled her to refill it with his pres
ence. She could see his tall figure again
pausing before her cabin without the in
congruous association of another person
atty; she could hear his voice again, un-
mingled with one more familiar. For the
first time the regular absence of her hus-
band seemed an essential good fortune iu-
stead of an accident of their life. For the
experience belonged TO her, and not TO him
and her together. He could not understand
it; he would have acted differently and
spoiled it. She could not tell him anything
of it, in spite Of the strangers suggestion,
which, of course, he had only made because
he didn't know Zephas as well as she did.
For Mrs. Bunker was getting on rapidly
it was her first admission OF the conjugal
knowledge that ones husband IS inferior to
the outside estimate of him. The next
step-the belief that he was deceiving her
as he was them-would be comparatively
easy.
Nor should she show him the ring. The
stranger had certainly never said anything
about that 1t was heavy ring, with a
helmeted head carved on its red cornelian
stone, and what looked like strange. letters
around it. II fitted her third finger per-
fectly; but his fingers were small and he
had taken it from his little finger. She
should keep it herself. OF course, if it had
Zephas; but the stranger knew that she
wouldn't take money. How firmly he had
said that 81 don't.n She felt the warm
blood fly to her fresh young face at the
thought of it. He had understood her. She
might be living in a poor cabin, doing all
the homework herself, and her husband
only a fisherman, but ne had treated her
like lady.
And so the afternoon passed. The out
lying fog began to roll in at the Golden
Gate, celebrating the headland and stretch
ing a leecy bar across the channel as If
shutting our froia vulgar eyes the way that
he had gone. Night fell, Zephas had not
yet come. This was unusual, for he was
generally as regular as the afternoon
S'trades" which blew him there. There
was nothing to detain him in this weather
and at this season. nShe began to be vaguely
uneasy, nthen a little angry at this new
development of his incompatibiGty. Then
it occurred TO her for the first time in her
wifehood, to think what she would do If he
were lost. Yet, in spite of some pain, ter
ror and perplexity at the possibility, her
dominant thought was that she would be
free woman tc order her life as she liked.
II was after 10 before his lateen sail
tapped in the little cove. She was waiting
to receive him on the shore. His good
humOred hirsute face was slightly apollo
getic in expression, but flushed and dis
turbed with some new excitement to which
an extra glass or two of spirits had appar-
entity added intensity. The contrast be-
tween his evident indulgence and the pre-
vious abstemiousness OF her late guest
struck her unpleasantly.
ssWell-I declare - she said Indignantly,
$50 that's what kept youn'
NO" he said quickly-Hthere's been
awful times over in 'Friscol Everybody
lust wild, and the vigilance committee in
cacciOp IN HpndArCOn;S killed Slpf, nv
Wynyard Marion in a duell He'll be
lynched, sure as gun, if they ketch him"
E''But I thought men who fought duels
always went free
D'Yes, but this amt no common duel; they
say the whole thing was planned before
hand by them Southern fire-eaters to get
rid o. Henderson because he's a Northern
man and anti-slavery, and that they picked
out Col. Marion to do it because he was
dead shot They got him to insult Hender-
son, so he was bound to challenge Marion,
and that Civ Marion the chyce of weppingS.
It was regular put up job to kill him"
"And what's all this to do with youl'
she asked, with irritation.
Hold on, won't you and I'll tell you. 1
was pikin' up nets of Sancelito about noon,
when 1 was hailed by one of them Vigilance
tugs, and they set me to stand on and on
the shore and watch that Marion didn't get
away, while they were scoutin' inland.
Ye see the duel took place just over the
bluff there-behind ye-and they allowed
that Marion had struck away north for
Mendocino to take ship there. For after
overhaulin' his seconds boat they found
out that they had come away from Sance-
Ito alone But they sent tug around by
sea to Mendocina to head him OF there,
while they're closin' in around him inland.
They're bound to catch him sooner or later.
But you amt listnin', Mollyl"
She was-in every fbre-but with her
head turned toward the window, and the
invisible Golden Gate through which the
fugitive had escaped. For she saw it all
now-that glorious vision-her high-bred, j..
handsome guest and Wynyard Marion weE
one and the same person. And this rough,,s
commonplace man before her-her own
husband-had been Dasely set to capture
him!
(To BE CONTINUED, ~
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